In this episode of the SEER 100 podcast series, hosts Naveed Nanjee and Rishab Mahajan sit down with Todd Kim, former Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division and now a litigator at Pillsbury Law.

This episode traces a century of environmental enforcement, from early common-law nuisance claims to today's sprawling statutory framework of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and CERCLA. Drawing on his experience across government and private practice, Mr. Kim discusses how landmark matters like the East Palestine train derailment and the Jackson, Mississippi water crisis shaped his "principled, practical, problem-solving" approach, and looks ahead to the challenges reshaping the field, including climate change litigation, PFAS contamination, environmental justice, and the growing role of AI in compliance and monitoring.

From timber sale agreements to conservation easements and project financing, join Dylan Sollfrank (Schwabe), Andrea Driggs (Holland & Hart), and Janet Howe (Holland & Hart) as they explore how NEPA impacts forest resources law—and how recent developments, including Seven County and changes to CEQ's rulemaking authority, are already reshaping how lawyers structure deals, conduct due diligence, and assess litigation risk.

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While WOTUS serves as the jurisdictional foundation of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the statute does not define the term. Since the CWA's enactment in 1972, determining the scope of WOTUS—and, in turn, the reach of federal regulatory authority—has remained a persistent and challenging issue in environmental law. By defining "navigable waters" only as "waters of the United States," Congress left it to the U.S. EPA, the U.S. Army Corps, and the courts to interpret a term with significant implications for federal-state authority, environmental protection, and private property rights.

The definition of WOTUS has evolved through a combination of agency action and Supreme Court decisions, including Rapanos v. United States, and Sackett v. EPA (2012) (Sackett I ). These decisions have shaped how the agencies interpret jurisdiction, particularly with respect to wetlands. The split Rapanos decision introduced competing analytical frameworks, further contributing to longstanding uncertainty.

In this episode, Professor Royal Gardner will provide a high-level overview of these developments, placing recent changes in context and offering insight into the current and future scope of federal jurisdiction under the CWA.

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Join Professor Richard Lazarus of Harvard Law School, author of The Rule of Five, and one of the nation's leading scholars of environmental law, for a discussion on the evolution of environmental law through the lens of the Clean Air Act and other landmark environmental statutes.

Drawing on his experience arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court and advising policymakers across multiple administrations, he explores the challenges of applying decades-old laws to modern issues such as climate change, the impact of recent Supreme Court decisions, and the opportunities ahead for the next generation of environmental lawyers. He also examines how regulatory agencies, courts, and Congress have shaped the trajectory of environmental protection and what those dynamics mean for the future of environmental law.

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As the inaugural episode in this series, this conversation takes a broad look at the evolution of environmental law and the Section's role in shaping the field over time. The panel of former SEER Chairs includes moderator Alex Dunn, President & CEO of CropLife America and former EPA Assistant Administrator, and speakers John Cruden, Principal at Beveridge & Diamond and former Assistant Attorney General at the U.S. DOJ, and Carol Dinkins, former U.S. Deputy Attorney General under President Ronald Reagan. Drawing on decades of leadership across government, private practice, and industry, the speakers reflect on landmark developments in environmental law, the evolution of SEER's influence within the profession, and the challenges and opportunities shaping the field's future. Together, they consider how SEER can continue to contribute meaningfully to the next chapter of environmental law.

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This episode explores the history of tribal timber management as a trust resource and the legal framework that governs the federal government's trust responsibilities. Joining the discussion is Chris King, an attorney at Whitley Law Firm and former Attorney Advisor with the U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of the Solicitor, where he spent more than a decade handling complex matters involving federal Indian law, tribal trust responsibilities, and high-stakes litigation against the United States. Tune in to learn about ongoing litigation involving tribal timber, the issues at stake, and the potential implications for the future of tribal trust management.

Join Josh Galperin, Director of the Sustainable Business Law Hub at Pace University, Lauren Lynam, Sustainable Business Scholar at Pace University and Yale School of the Environment, and John Rutherford, Assistant Regional Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as they break down the biggest ESG and sustainability developments of 2025. From climate disclosure requirements and greenwashing litigation to major state and international policy shifts, the speakers explore the trends shaping the future of ESG compliance and what they mean for companies navigating an increasingly complex regulatory landscape.

This podcast featuring Murray Feldman (Holland & Hart LLP) and Sam Kalen (Indiana University McKinney School of Law) examines the evolving legal and regulatory landscape surrounding the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Drawing from decades of experience in government, private practice, and academia, as well as their book, ESA Essentials: The Endangered Species Act, the speakers provide listeners with a practical overview of the ESA's core framework, including species listings, critical habitat designations, and the Section 7 consultation process.

Tune in for an insightful conversation on where the ESA has been, the challenges it faces today, and what may lie ahead for one of the nation's most consequential environmental laws.

For more from these speakers, see ESA Essentials: The Endangered Species Act, published by the American Bar Association.

Emerging contaminants are by their nature neither fully regulated nor fully understood.

In this final episode of the Emerging Contaminants series Juge Gregg (Crowell & Moring), Sal Giolando (Geosyntec Consultants, Inc.), and Adam Sowatzka (McGuire Woods) discuss how to assess emerging contaminants in your supply chains to identify potential substances that may be subject to further regulation or increase the risks associated with business operations.

This episode explores how companies monitor and manage their supply chains through advanced technologies and strategic practices to prevent regulatory breaches and enhance transparency, ensuring they remain compliant and competitive in a global marketplace.

While we all notice the emissions exiting our vehicle's tailpipes, the emissions from brake dust and tire wear are often overlooked.

Scientists are now turning their attention to these lesser-known pollutants, which are emerging as significant environmental concerns. As studies begin to grasp the extent of such impacts from automotive use on our environment, we discuss how regulation of these materials and emissions may impact our existing regulatory scheme and the auto industry as a whole.

In this fourth episode of the Emerging Contaminants series, Jack Lyman speaks with Professor Greg Evans (University of Toronto) and Sean Dixon (Puget Soundkeeper) as they explore the role of contaminants like 6PPD and what future regulations might mean for the automotive sector.