The Environmental Law Section is honored to present its fifth annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Mary Nichols. Introductions by Ellen Peter, Lifetime Achievement Award Co-Chair and Chief Counsel to CARB, and Ann Carlson, UCLA School of Law.
For over 45 years, Mary D. Nichols has been at the forefront of environmental law and policy, working steadfastly in the public interest to improve air quality and tackle climate change. She has worked for and represented non-profits, directed UCLA’s Institute of the Environment, and served stints as U.S. EPA’s Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, as California’s Resources Secretary, and twice as Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB).In these posts, she has developed, implemented, and defended innovative regulatory approaches that now serve as models for jurisdictions across the world. Smog was her initial target in 1974, when then-Governor Jerry Brown appointed her to the California Air Resources Board. In the 1990s, at US EPA, Mary took on fine particle pollution from heavy-duty trucks. In 2007, then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tapped Mary to lead California’s fight against climate change and implement the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) during her second, and ongoing, stint as Chair of CARB. Mary brings her legal acumen and a broad perspective on political and policy undercurrents to every issue. She also dives into the details of lawyering, playing a leading role, for example, in negotiating the landmark Volkswagen enforcement settlement. Over her decades of service, Mary has done more than perhaps any lawyer in the state to transform California’s pioneering environmental goals into workable policies and enforceable protections. The Environmental Law Section is proud to recognize Mary for her lifetime of achievements in environmental law.
Furthermore, onsite registration is available for the 27th Annual Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite. The conference takes place at Tenaya Lodge Thursday-Sunday, October 18-21, 2018. The Conference qualifies for 11.25 hours MCLE credit and includes legal ethics and the elimination of bias. Click Here for More Information!
