ABA House of Delegates Resolutions sponsored by the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources.
Tribal Water Rights
Resolves that the ABA endorses the use of negotiation and settlement processes to resolve tribal reserved water right claims, provided the concerned tribes elect to pursue such processes, as well as the availability of adequate financial and technical resources as an important precondition for achieving successful settlements.
Environmental Justice
Resolves that the ABA advance environmental justice principles in its programs, policies, and activities, and advocate for environmental justice legislation and policy.
Climate Change
Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments, and the private sector, to recognize their obligation to address climate change and take action to achieve specific goals.
Reaffirms its 1991 and 2003 Commitments to Sustainable Development
Reaffirms the ABA's 1991 and 2003 commitments to sustainable development and defines sustainable development as the promotion of an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations.
Tribal Rights and Climate Change
Urges the United States government to ensure that federally-recognized Indian tribes (Tribes) listed pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. 479a, may participate fully (including, e.g. consideration for membership on United States delegations) in policy discussions on the issue of climate change domestically and in international fora.
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
Urges Congress to enact legislation to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) and outlines specific principles for reform.
ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge
Urges law firms and other law organizations to adopt the ABA-EPA Law Office Climate Challenge.
Urges U.S. Government to Take an Active Role in Addressing Climate Change
Urges the United States government to take a leadership role in addressing the issue of climate change through legal, policy, financial and educational mechanisms and to engage in active international discussions to address climate change, and urges Congress to enact and the President to sign appropriate climate change legislation.
Ecosystems
Urges federal, state, territorial and tribal governments, when considering and approving legislation, regulations and policies, to preserve and enhance the benefits that people derive from ecosystems, with due regard for economic, human and social impacts.
Integrating Rule of Law Initiatives with Global Environmental Issues
Urges governments, businesses, nongovernmental organizations and other organizations to consider and integrate Rule of Law initiatives with global environmental issues.
Oceans-Federal Regulator Structure
Encourages Congress and the President to take specific legislative, regulatory and other actions necessary to improve the structure of our country’s domestic management and regulation of its marine resources in order to better protect the integrity of its marine ecosystems and to ensure ecologically sustainable use and development of its marine resources.
Oceans-International
Urges Congress and the President to take specific legislative, regulatory and other actions necessary to improve the nation’s domestic management and regulation of its marine resources for the benefit of present and future generations.
Oceans-Marine Resources
Urges Congress and the President to promote effective international efforts to protect the world’s marine ecosystems and ensure the ecologically sustainable use and development of the world’s marine resources.
Sustainable Development
Adopts the internationally accepted definition of sustainable development and encourages governments, businesses and other entities to promote sustainable development as well as to adopt and implement legal and policy incentives to support and encourage sustainable development.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet-level Status
Urges Congress and the Administration to elevate protection of the environment of the United States to its highest level by enacting legislation elevating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to Cabinet-level status.
Settlement of longstanding Indian water right claims
Supports adequate federal efforts to assist in the settlement of longstanding Indian water right claims, predominately in the western states.
Prior Informed Consent
Supports prompt ratification and implementation by the United States of the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade.
Persistent Organic Chemicals
Supports prompt ratification and implementation by the United States of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.
Environmental Management Systems
Recommends that federal, state, local and territorial legislative bodies and agencies responsible for environmental protection encourage businesses, government agencies, and other entities to implement voluntary environmental management systems (EMS).
Brownfields
Urges Congress to promote the economic use of properties affected by environmental contamination and reduce unnecessary litigation.
Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making
Resolves that the general public should play a critical role in the development of local, state, territorial and federal environmental laws and international environmental agreements; urges Congress to reauthorize the Administrative Dispute Resolution Act and the Negotiated Rulemaking Act on a permanent basis, and use these acts more fully in making environmental decisions.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Recommends that Congress amend the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund) and provides specific principles for reform.
Environmental Justice
Supports actions by federal, state, territorial and local governments, private entities and academic institutions to achieve implementation and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies so that a disproportionate share of the burden of environmental harm does not fall on minority and/or low-income individuals, communities or populations.
Sustainable Development
Urges the United Nations and each nation of the world to adopt and implement appropriate measures to ensure that activities within its jurisdiction or control will be conducted with respect for Nature, and in a manner that accounts for the interests of present and future generations; to develop and foster policies and long term strategic plans for sustainable development, encouraging the betterment of human life through conservation and efficient use of natural resources; and to cooperate with other nations and with international organizations in developing regional and world-wide arrangements to preserve and protect the environment and to mitigate the effects of environmental damage.