UGA conference to explore Savannah harbor expansion and other coastal issues

Abstract

Writer: Cindy H. Rice, 706/542-5172, cindyh@uga.edu Contact: Lindsey Green, 404/771-1539, redclay2011@gmail.com

Athens, Ga. - Legal and environmental issues currently affecting the Georgia coast will be the focus of the University of Georgia School of Law's 23rd Annual Red Clay Conference. Titled "Coastal Change: A ‘Shore' Thing," the conference will take place March 4 beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall.

"The potential for economic growth in coastal industries and tourism provides the state of Georgia with great opportunities, while also spotlighting important questions about the preservation of our most valuable natural resources," second-year law student and conference co-chair Lindsey M. Green said. "This conference will address a variety of significant legal and environmental issues affecting the Georgia coast, with a focus on the tension between increasing development and its environmental impacts."

Specific issues to be covered include the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, the silviculture exemption to the Clean Water Act, the legal implications of sea level rise, and development due to increased population and tourism.

Expanding on the topic of growth in Savannah will be the city's mayor, Otis S. Johnson. Also delivering a keynote address will be Altamaha Riverkeeper Sonja Cox. Other participants include representatives from the Center for a Sustainable Coast, the Georgia Forestry Commission, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Coastal Conservation League, the Southern Environmental Law Center and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In addition, there will be notable academics and leading practitioners in the field of environmental law contributing to the discussion.

Attendance is free for the UGA community. For all other registrants, a $10 preregistration/$20 day of registration fee will be charged. Continuing legal education credits are available (6 CLE credits for $30). For more information or to register, see www.law.uga.edu/red-clay-conference.

Sponsored by the law school's Environmental Law Association, the Red Clay Conference was established to increase public awareness of environmental issues of regional, national and international significance through a series of educational presentations and open forum discussions.

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