We are the leading industry group on the policy and practice of natural resource damage assessment and restoration, the associated European Union Environmental Liability Directive and related issues worldwide.
We are a large group of multinational industrial companies in multiple sectors -- from chemicals to iron and steel to general manufacturing -- focused on liabilities related to damages to natural resources and associated legal, policy and methodological issues under US Federal and State laws (such as Superfund, Clean Water Act and the Oil Pollution Act) and the Environmental Liability Directive and related Directives of Europe. The Group maintains contact with individual practitioners (scientists, attorneys, economists, others), consulting firms, law firms -- many that are Affiliates of the Group. Also, the Group serves as a principal resource to key business and industry associations across the world on these matters. Barbara J. Goldsmith has served as the Director of the Ad-Hoc Industry Natural Resource Damage Group since 1988.
Industrial companies that are generators, transporters or disposers of hazardous waste or whose operations can result in a release of oil can greatly benefit from Group participation.
Founded in 1988, we have over 20 years experience on virtually every aspect of natural resource damage assessment and restoration -- from legislative applicability to damage determination to restoration selection/implementation. Prior to the European Parliament's enactment of the Environmental Liability Directive in 2004, the Group expanded its program to Europe.
The Group has amassed what is likely the most comprehensive data set concerning natural resource damages, assessment and restoration. Included in the Group's database, developed for the proprietary use of member companies, is case and site data, assessments, restoration projects, settlements, legal filings, case experts and other information. Also included is an extensive general library, in excess of 2000 books, articles and other legal, technical and economic documents, as well as thousands of case and site-specific documents. Information on key meetings and conferences, legislative and regulatory matters and more is also archived in the Group's one of a kind database.
We have our pulse on diverse activities in the US, the EU and worldwide -- expanding our resources daily.
Services:
Follow are among the services provided to our industrial company members. As a member company, the Group will:
- Inform your company of key developments related to environmental liability and natural resource damages, including tracking of legislation, cases, meetings and practice protocols (legal, scientific, economic)
- Provide a forum for identification and discussion of significant issues related to liability claims, including expert briefings, research sponsorship, technical workshops, symposia and related activities
- Constantly work to refine and update best practices
- Provide opportunities to benchmark with other industrial companies, including case/site reviews, and facilitate coordinated industry positions as warranted
- Provide unprecedented access to information to help your company devise corporate-wide as well as site-specific strategies and assessments
- Present opportunities to dialogue and practice exchange with government decision-makers and practitioners
- Provide your company with our data set and resource information (from who to contact in a specific government agency to what techniques have been used in cases similar to yours)
- Keep you up to date on the best ways to perform natural resource damage assessments, retain experts, settle claims and identify and implement restoration projects
- Work at the forefront to effect sound policies, practices and precedents
- and more....
The Group's member companies encompass all major industrial sectors. By way of example only, some companies that have participated include: GM, GE, Chevron, Alcoa, ExxonMobil, AstraZeneca, BP, Boeing, ENI S.p.A, 3M, Consolidated Edison, Dupont, US Steel, Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold, Lockheed Martin, BASF, Shell, National Grid, Georgia-Pacific, GenCorp and many hundreds of more companies with headquarters in the US, Europe and elsewhere. We also work closely with diverse government authorities (European Commission, including Environment DG and Energy DG, US Departments of the Interior, Commerce, Agriculture, Energy and Defense, US State government departments/agencies and European Member State Authorities), as well as diverse industry associations (American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute, BUSINESSEUROPE, CEFIC and many others).
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