Seth Engdahl, Note Candidate for Volume 57, will be speaking at the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Symposium this Friday, November 10th. The symposium invited scholars to discuss the impact of Sackett v. EPA, an important Supreme Court opinion on the interpretation of the Clean Water Act. Engdahl will speak on his Note for the Indiana Law Review, titled, “Marsh Madness: How Indiana Could be a National Model for Regulating Wetlands post-Sackett v. EPA.”

Engdahl, a 2L part-time student, currently works for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. Before that, he worked for United States Congressman Pete Visclosky in the Indiana First Congressional District.

Aside from his professional interest in environmental law, Engdahl’s motivation to write about Sackett and wetland regulations in Indiana is because it is an important topic with continuing developments. Importantly, Indiana is one of seven states that has lost more than eighty percent of its wetlands. Moreover, seventy-three percent of Indiana’s waterways are impaired (you can’t fish, swim, or recreate in them without exposing yourself to serious contaminants or diseases).  Engdahl says that these two statistics are not necessarily unrelated.

Engdahl also believes that the wetlands are a vital resource that is overlooked by the public. Therefore, Engdahl hopes attendees learn about the importance of Indiana’s wetland, and why it is in the state’s interest to protect its wetland acreage.

If you are interested in attending, register here.