A multi-disciplinary team approach to managing natural resource damages liability

Conference · Sun Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1995

OSTI ID:452061

Campbell, T A ^[1]

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1. 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--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
DAMAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILLS
LAND RESOURCES
LIABILITIES