Preston Cole, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Debra Shore, regional administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, will be featured guests for a discussion, “A Federal-State Conversation on Environmental Issues,” hosted by David Strifling, director of the Water Law and Policy Initiative at Marquette University, on Wednesday, June 15, at 12:15 p.m. in the Lubar Center at Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan Ave.
The event is open to members of the general public with registration available online.
The conversation will explore top-priority issues of environmental policy. It will cover PFAS regulation and management, climate change and the Great Lakes, water infrastructure needs and budgeting, federal and state environmental justice efforts, the EPA–DNR working relationship, and more.
Cole was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers in 2019 and directs statewide programs for environmental protection, natural resource management, outdoor recreation, and law enforcement with an emphasis on diversity and service excellence. He is a member of the governor’s Climate Change Task Force, helping develop multi-faceted recommendations that combat climate change’s adverse effects in Wisconsin.
Shore’s responsibilities include overseeing environmental protection efforts in EPA Region 5—the Great Lakes states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin, as well as 35 federally recognized tribal nations. One of her roles is manager of EPA’s Great Lakes National Program, in which she leads restoration and protection of the largest freshwater system in the world.
Through public programming such as the Marquette Law School Poll, “On the Issues” conversations with newsmakers, public lectures by leading scholars, conferences on issues of public significance, and the work of its Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education, Marquette Law School seeks to advance civil discourse about law and public policy matters.