The environmental, energy and natural resource landscape has and continues to change rapidly. Practitioners need to remain up to date and agile.
New analytical approaches are introduced, better data are becoming available, Ai is having its impact, economies of scale are becoming ever more important, addressing multiple issues at once is now possible rather than tackling them one by one, thereby saving time and money and more quickly restoring resource use.
The 2026 Natural Resource State of the Practice Meeting will reflect upon and capture all of this and more. It will start with a review of what is happening real time – in multiple arenas -- influences of sustainability, biodiversity, climate, emerging contaminants, and synergies in knowledge and practice in the US and globally.
Panel: Global Natural Resource Damage Assessment Resources for the Multi-Stakeholder Community
Time: 1:15 p.m. ET
This session will introduce a new multi-stakeholder “Global NRDA Resources” tool designed to help practitioners navigate natural resource damage assessment and restoration (NRDAR) matters more efficiently. Speakers will demonstrate how the resource organizes guidance materials, data tools, restoration information and process considerations into a practical and searchable framework.
Participants will engage in discussion, explore real-world application of the resource and identify tools and approaches that can support more informed and efficient NRDAR practice. We will then invite a mix of stakeholders to provide extemporaneous comments on how they envision using the new resource and comment on any related issues, concerns or suggestions.
Speakers:
- Thomas C. Pearce, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP
- Timothy Hoelzle, Deputy Director, Office of Restoration and Damage Assessment, United States Department of the Interior
- Jason Kinnell, Principal Economist and Founding Partner, Veritas Economic Consulting
- Scottie Alpin, Staff Attorney, Office of General Counsel, Texas General Land Office
- Eric Merrifield, Program Leader and Executive Counsel, Environmental Program, GE Aerospace
- Emily Morrison, Ph.D., Senior Environmental Scientist, ARCADIS
- Tony Penn, Chief, Assessment and Restoration Division, United States Department of Commerce, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Panel: Recommendations and Tools for Establishing Mentorship Programs
Time: 4 p.m. ET
This session will explore practical approaches for transferring institutional knowledge and developing the next generation of NRDA practitioners. Speakers will present a new “Mentorship and Training Program” resource designed to help organizations establish or strengthen mentorship and professional development efforts. Participants will discuss strategies for building interdisciplinary expertise, sustaining institutional knowledge and adapting mentorship frameworks to meet organizational and workforce needs across sectors. We will then invite a mix of stakeholders to provide extemporaneous comments on how they envision using the new resource and comment on any related issues, concerns or suggestions.
Speakers:
- Kegan A. Brown, Partner, Lowenstein Sandler LLP
- Annie Gibbs, Senior Environmental Consultant, Barr Engineering
- Katherine Hausrath, Chief Legal Counsel, Montana Natural Resource Damage Program
- Kimberly Katzenbarger, Attorney, Office of the General Counsel, US Department of Commerce/National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- Stephanie Maggio, Ph.D., Ecological Risk Assessor, GHD
- Jean Martin, Senior Counsel, BP
Meeting Location: Ad-Hoc Industry Natural Resource Management Group, 601 Pennsylvania Avenue NW - Suite 900, Washington, D.C. 20004
*This event is open to the public but requires a registration fee.
