First annual Water Law, Policy and Science Conference

Finding Solutions to Multi-jurisdictional Water Conflicts
March 4-5, 2004

Thursday, March 4, 2004, College of Law Auditorium
 
1:00pm  Registration

1:30  Welcome, Vice Chancellor for Research, Prem Paul

1:45  Keynote

Water for Life:  Rethinking Management in an Age of Scarcity, Sandra Postel, Director, Global Water Policy Project, Amherst, MA

3:00   Break

3:15  Reaching Consensus in Multi-Jurisdictional Contexts

Moderator:  Sandra Zellmer

Transboundary Management, Law, Science & Policy on the Platte River, Jay Stein, Stein & Brockmann, P.A., Santa Fe, NM, and Chair, Committee on Water Resources, American Bar Assn. Section on Energy and Natural Resources (2002-03)

Using Multi-Disciplinary Teams for Equitable and Sustainable Management of Multi-Jurisdictional Water Resources

Multi-Disciplinary Teams:  An “On the Ground Perspective”, Betsy Rieke, Bureau of Reclamation Area Manager, Carson City, NV (formerly Assc. Sec. of Interior, Water & Power)

Multi-Disciplinary Teams and Negotiated Resolutions, J. Mike Hardy, CDR Associates, Davis, CA

Reaching Consensus through Science in an International Context, Dr. Charles Lawson, Sr. Advisor for Science & Technology, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department of State

4:45  Adjourn

5:30  Reception & Dinner:  Morrill Natural History Museum – Elephant Hall

7:00  Welcome:  Dean Steven Willborn

7:15  Keynote

Water Follies:  Groundwater Pumping and the Fate of America’s Fresh Waters – The Impacts of Groundwater Pumping on Stream Flow, Professor Robert Glennon, Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona College of Law

Friday, March 5, 2004, College of Law Auditorium
 
8:00  Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:00  Welcome and Remarks:  Governor Mike Johanns

Morning Session:   Water Marketing

9:00  Dealing with Water Scarcity:  Water Marketing and its Implications for Human Priorities, Wildlife and Fish

Moderator:   Professor J. David Aiken, UNL Water and Agricultural Law Specialist.

Third Party Impacts of Water Markets, Professor Janet C. Neuman, Lewis & Clark Law School

Using Water Markets:  Economic Efficiency, Equity and Ecological Needs, Dr. Richard Howitt, University of California - Davis, Agriculture & Resource Economics

Colorado’s Approach to Groundwater Management - The South Platte Experience, Larry MacDonnell, Of Counsel, Porzak, Browning and Bushong, LLC, Boulder, CO

10:30  Break

10:45  Water as Property:  Fifth Amendment Takings, The Public Trust Doctrine and Implications for Water Marketing

Moderator: J. Michael Jess, UNL School of Natural Resources Conservation & Survey Division                     

State Approaches:  Surface and Ground Water, LeRoy Sievers, Knudsen, Berkheimer Richardson & Endacott, LLP

Federal Takings Claims at Tulare Lake:  National and Local Ramifications, Gregory A. Thomas, Natural Heritage Institute

12:00  Lunch & Keynote Speaker:  Order of the Coif Visiting Scholar

Looking Ahead:  The Not-So-Dire Future of Western Water Law, Joseph L. Sax, James H. House and Hiram H. Hurd Professor of Environmental Regulation, University of California-Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law

Afternoon Session:   “Best Available Science”

1:30  What is “Best Available Science” and How Should it be Used to Resolve Water Conflicts? 

Setting the Stage:  The National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council and the Intersection of Science and Law, Professor J.B. Ruhl, Matthews & Hawkins Professor of Property, Florida State University College of Law

2:15   “Best Available Science” in Context:  The Platte and Missouri Rivers

Moderator:   Dr. Kyle Hoagland, UNL School of Natural Resources and Director, UNL Water Center

The Perils of a Litigation “Ship Wreck”, Roger Patterson, Director, Nebraska Dept. of Natural Resources

The National Academy of Sciences Review of the Platte River Basin (2004), Dr. Edward J. Peters, Fisheries, UNL - School of Natural Resources (NAS: NRC Panelist – Platte River Report)

 The National Academy of Sciences Review of the Missouri River Ecosystem:  Exploring the Prospects for Recovery (2002), Dr. Gerald E. Galloway, Vice President, Titan Corp., and former U.S. Section Secretary, International Joint Commission (NAS: NRC Panelist – Missouri River Report)

Protecting Shorelines and Species:  Pulling it All Together, Professor John H. Davidson, University of South Dakota School of Law

3:30   Adjournment and Closing Reception