Chair Report

Hello, ELS Members,

Welcome to the Environmental Law Section’s eNews, your source for information, updates, and opportunities related to the Section’s events and programs.

Fall marks a time of change and renewal. It is also a significant period for the Environmental Law Section as we held our flagship event – the 34th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite®– from October 16 to 19. The conference attracted approximately 800 participants and was filled with enthusiasm, innovative thinking, and hope as everyone looked forward to tackling significant, upcoming environmental challenges. Thank you to everyone – attendees, speakers, Tribal participants, award recipients, sponsors, hike leaders, performers, conference organizers and staff – for creating an atmosphere that allowed these important dialogues to occur. You can read more conference takeaways from our Yosemite Planning Co-Chairs Leuwam Tesfai, Gwynne Hunter and Julia Forgie below. You can also debrief with us directly by joining me and Immediate Past Chair Miles Hogan on November 21 for Chairs’ Corner where we will be discussing the Yosemite Conference planning process, including ways to get involved, and asking for your feedback for future conferences.

As we exhale and regroup, ELS offers a handful of educational events in November to keep things sharp:

• On November 6, ELS is promoting “Waivers in Flux: The Evolving Legal Landscape for California’s Clean Air Act Authority” a webinar presented by the Coalition for Clean Air and Greenberg Glusker. ELS’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Ellen M. Peter and UCLA Law Prof. Ann Carlson will lead a discussion on the California waiver under the Clean Air Act.

• On November 14, ELS is cosponsoring with California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the County Counsels’ Association, and California Association of Sanitation Agencies (CASA), the webinar “The Future After SF v. EPA”  which will discuss the eponymous Supreme Court case and what it means for NPDES permit requirements and the water quality regulatory community in California.

• On November 17, ELS will host the webinar “To Opt-In or Not to Opt-In: Considering” covering new legislation expanding the California Energy Commission’s Opt-In certification program to geothermal projects and enhancing its streamlining authority. The session will explain how to take part in Opt-In proceedings and share effective practices from the program’s first three years.

• On November 22, ELS invites you to don your gloves and stretch your legs by spending a morning at the Ballona Wetlands in Playa del Rey restoring native habitat with the Friends on Ballona Wetlands and enjoying a quick bite afterwards.  

Looking ahead, ELS is proud to support our rising scholars and new practitioners.   We are now accepting applications for our 2026 Diversity and Inclusion Summer Fellowship Program until December 30, 2025. Applications for our 2026 Mentorship Program (for mentors and mentees) will also open in a few weeks. 

We have a special community of lawyers, students, and professionals. It was great to see so many of you at the Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite^®, and I hope for more opportunities to engage with you in the seasons ahead.

Please follow ELS on LinkedIn, Instagram, and X/Twitter.

Peter Ton
Chair, Environmental Law Section