A multi-disciplinary team approach to managing natural resource damages liability
- Campbell and Graves, L.L.P., Houston, TX (United States)
In 1989, the Exxon-Valdez oil spill and its impacts to Prince William Sound aroused the nation`s concern about the natural resources. As a result, federal and state trustees have dramatically increased the attention and effort given natural resource damages (NRD) both from an ecological and liability perspective. NRD liability is a mixed bag of problems. Successful management of that liability requires consideration of scientific (i.e., biological, toxicological, etc.) economic, engineering, legal and policy issues. A logical solution to NRD liability ultimately requires an interactive multi-disciplinary team approach that factors in the perspective of each relevant disciplines. If any one of these disciplines is excluded, the solution is vulnerable to failure. For example, an attorney is taught to reach solutions based on legal considerations and concerns. An attorney does not think like an economist, biologists or engineer and, therefore, without input from all relevant disciplines the attorney will likely reach a valid legal conclusion which adequately addresses only one aspect of the NRD liability quagmire. Further, a PRP must be cognizant that NRD trustees, both federal and state, are with few exceptions considering the PRP`s NRD liability using all relevant disciplines. Therefore, environmental liability managers must use a multi-disciplinary team approach in order to ensure a logical, defendable mixed solution to a mixed bag of problems.
- OSTI ID:
- 452061
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961149-; TRN: IM9715%%93
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 17. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: partnerships for the environment - science, education, and policy, Washington, DC (United States), 17-21 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1995; Related Information: Is Part Of SETAC 17. annual meeting -- Abstract book. Partnerships for the environment: Science, education, and policy; PB: 378 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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