EEMI Executive Director Jonathan Deason chaired a plenary session at the national symposium on “Fast-Paced Changes and New Emerging Opportunities in Natural Resource Management” that was conducted in Washington, DC and virtually on July 22, 2025.
The symposium brought bring together policymakers and diverse discipline experts to review and discuss natural resource damage liability, assessment, restoration and related issues in the US and globally, including federal, state and tribal officials responsible for restoring natural resources and services, as well as representatives from a wide array of corporate interests and environmental NGOs.
Deason’s session was entitled “Current Lay Of The Land - Where We Are In Law, Science, Economics And Policy.” Speakers set the stage for all symposium participants by identifying key developments and the current state of practice concerning legal, technical, economic and policy issues associated with natural resource damage liability, assessment, restoration and related matters. Views as to how these matters are impacting day-to-day processes, as well as possible ways to set and navigate broader best practices, were shared during the session.
Other speakers participating in the session were Lauren Daniel, Partner at the law firm Arnold & Porter; David Kreutzer, First Assistant Attorney General, Colorado Department of Law; Timothy Hoelzle, Deputy Director, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment, US Department of the Interior; Theodore Tomasi, Senior Principal for Natural Resources and Environmental Economics, Integral Consulting; Al McGartland, Senior Economic Advisor to the Associate Director for Policy, US Environmental Protection Agency; and Ruth Demeter Hayes, Senior Director of Policy, Global Energy Institute, US Chamber of Commerce.
The agenda for the symposium can be seen at https://www.naturalresourcessymposium.com/july2025agenda
Photo and biographical sketches of the speakers can be seen at https://www.naturalresourcessymposium.com/july2025speakerbios