Seven scientific organizations endorse brief co-authored by Stetson’s biodiversity institute
In response to President Trump’s executive order targeting the Clean Water Rule, seven scientific organizations have issued a joint letter in support of protecting the nation’s aquatic resources. The letter endorsed a brief filed in the Sixth Circuit in January by Stetson law professor Royal Gardner and Foreman Biodiversity Fellow Erin Okuno on behalf of water and wetland scientists in support of the Clean Water Rule.
Stetson law school’s Gulfport campus.
“The Clean Water Rule reflects scientific reality. We need to protect streams and wetlands to protect larger, navigable waters,” said Professor Gardner, director of the Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy at Stetson University.
Stetson University’s Dr. Kirsten Work and Dr. Benjamin Tanner were among the scientists for whom the brief was filed. Professor Steph Tai of the University of Wisconsin was a co-author of the brief.
In their letter, the Society of Wetland Scientists, Ecological Society of America, American Institute of Biological Scientists, American Fisheries Society, Society for Ecological Restoration, Society for Freshwater Science and Phycological Society of America emphasized the brief’s “use of sound science to explain the urgent need for the Clean Water Rule.”
Stetson’s Institute for Biodiversity Law and Policy is the winner of the American Bar Association 2016 Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy Award. The Institute serves as an interdisciplinary focal point for education, research and service activities related to global, regional and local biodiversity issues.
Editor’s Note:
Download the brief here: https://www.stetson.edu/law/amicicuriae.
Download the letter here: http://sws.org/images/sws_documents/SocietiesLetterSupportWOTUSAmiciCuriaeBrief_ToPresidentTrump.pdf.
Post date: March 2, 2017
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
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