Public Policy and American Drinking Water

Amid great concern about the future of water quality and quantity, Marquette Law School will host a conference titled “Public Policy and American Drinking Water.”  The conference will take an interdisciplinary approach to exploring the legal, scientific, engineering, and environmental water issues that fill today’s news and touch all of our lives.  Leading figures from a variety of disciplines will discuss topics such as lead and aging infrastructure, privatization of water systems, public perceptions of water quality issues, the (under)valuation of water, and quantity and quality concerns related to groundwater.

Welcome

• Michael Lovell, President, Marquette University

Session 1: Lead, Drinking Water, and Aging Infrastructure

• Mike Gousha, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy, Marquette University Law School (moderator)
• Hon. Tom Barrett, Mayor, City of Milwaukee
• Marc Edwards, Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech University
• Fred Royal, President, NAACP Milwaukee branch; member, Freshwater for Life Action Coalition
• Cathy Stepp, Secretary, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Session 2: Groundwater Supply Issues

• Dee Hall, Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (moderator)
• Jill Birren, Assistant Professor, Marquette University College of Education
• George Kraft, Professor and Director of the Center for Watershed Science and Education, UW-Stevens Point
• Brooke Mayer, Assistant Professor, Marquette University College of Engineering

Break

Session 3: Water Pricing and Valuation

• Andrew Meyer, Assistant Professor, Marquette University College of Business Administration (moderator)
• Chris Goemans, Associate Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Colorado State University
• Christine Klein, Chesterfield Smith Professor, University of Florida Levin College of Law
• Brett Walton, Circle of Blue

Lunch/Session 4: Lessons from Flint

• Jeanne Hossenlopp, Vice President for Research and Innovation and Professor of Chemistry, Marquette University (Introduction)
• Marc Edwards, Charles P. Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech University
• Mike Gousha, Distinguished Fellow in Law and Public Policy, Marquette University Law School

Session 5: Public-Private Partnerships; Privatization of Drinking Water Delivery Systems

• Dave Strifling, Director, Water Law and Policy Initiative, Marquette University Law School (moderator)
• Robert Griffin, Professor, Marquette University College of Communication
• Richard Little, Editor, Public Works Management and Policy; former Director, Keston Institute for Public Finance and Infrastructure Policy at University of Southern California
• Kimberlee Wright, Executive Director, Midwest Environmental Advocates

Session 6: Public Perceptions of Drinking Water Contamination

• Charles Franklin, Professor of Law and Public Policy, Marquette University Law School, and Director of the Marquette Law School Poll

Conference Ends (2:45 P.M.)