Environmental Breakfast Series
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Environmental and Public Lands Issues Raised by the Army Corps’ Proposed Vertical Expansion of the Calumet Contaminated Dredge Disposal Facility on Chicago’s Lake Michigan Shore
With Special Guest Speaker: Patricia F. Sharkey, President, Environmental Law Counsel
The A&WMA Lake Michigan States Section and the Union League Club Environmental Committee are pleased to invite you to join us to hear Patricia Sharkey speak at the October 15th Environmental Breakfast.
Patricia Sharkey, a Chicago-Based environmental lawyer, will provide the historic, environmental and legal backdrop for a controversy that is brewing on Chicago’s southside over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ April 2019 Draft Dredge Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement for the Chicago Area Waterways System. Anticipating dredging 1 million tons of contaminated material from the Calumet River and Harbor between 2022 and, the Corps has been exploring disposal options for that material for some time. In April, the Corps proposed solving this problem by extending the life of an existing 1984 Confined Disposal Facility (CDF) on the shore of Lake Michigan for another 20+ years. The project would entail constructing a 25-foot vertical expansion on top of the 1984 structure. That structure sits on public trust Lake Michigan lakebed at the mouth of Calumet Harbor which is owned by the Chicago Park District and which was intended to revert to park land by 1994.
Ms. Sharkey’s presentation will highlight the many environmental and legal issues surrounding the CDF and the Corps latest proposal.
Patricia F. Sharkey is a Chicago-based environmental lawyer and founder of Environmental Law Counsel. Her focus is on navigating complex regulatory regimes and legal issues, advocating for equitable laws and policies for clean energy and emerging technologies, and protecting public resources from destruction and infringement.
COST: The cost to attend for non-Union League Club members is $40 per person which includes breakfast and any presentation handouts. Students are invited to join us at a special price of $20 per person.
RSVP: Due to limited seating and our arrangement with the Union League Club, advance registration is required to guarantee availability. Reservations and payment can be made by clicking the reservation button below. Reservations may be cancelled for a full refund only if we are notified 48 hours in advance of the event. Union League Club members should contact ULC to make their reservations.
CREDIT: Attendees are eligible to receive Continuing Legal Education (CLE) or Professional Development Hours (PDH) credit.
A limited number of scholarships are available for anyone who requires CLE credit to maintain professional registration such as attorneys, professional engineers and professional geologists and who could not otherwise afford to attend this conference. Contact Robin Pelsis at (847) 202-0418 or robin.pelsis@lmawma.org for more details.