VCPC to host Oct. 27 Conference on Recurrent Flooding and Military Readiness
Senior active duty and retired military officers, policy experts, and national, state and local officials will gather on October 27 in Williamsburg for “Defending Our Coasts: Ensuring Military Readiness and Economic Viability as Waters Rise,” the fifth annual conference presented by the Virginia Coastal Policy Center at William & Mary Law School. VCPC is a partnership between the Law School, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary, and the Virginia Sea Grant program.
Preregistration is required, and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Members of the press may attend free of charge and are asked to indicate that they plan to come by calling the Office of University Communications at (757) 221- 1631 or by emailing [[w|scseur]]. The conference will be held at the William & Mary School of Education, 301 Monticello Avenue.
“We are very excited to host our fifth annual conference and this important policy discussion about flooding’s impact on our national security,” said Professor Elizabeth A. Andrews, director of the Virginia Coastal Policy Center and Professor of the Practice of Law. “Rising waters pose a growing challenge to our military bases and the communities where they are located, and we are looking forward to contributing to the development of solutions for our nation and our region.”
Morning panels will address the threats that flooding poses to Department of Defense (DoD) facilities, DoD's efforts to develop resilience measures, and the policy framework necessary to secure readiness. Discussions in the afternoon will focus on the challenges posed by recurrent flooding for the government and the private sector, and collaborative solutions being implemented to address these challenges.
Featured speakers include
Congressman Rob Wittman, Chairman, House Armed Services Committee Seapower & Projection Forces Subcommittee
Maj. Gen. Donald E. Jackson, Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
The Hon. Chris Stolle, Virginia House of Delegates
The Hon. Carlos Hopkins, Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs
The Hon. Brian Moran, Virginia Secretary of Public Safety & Homeland Security
The Hon. Molly Ward, Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources
William Wrobel, Wallops Flight Facility Director, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Sponsors of the event include Virginia Sea Grant, the Virginia Environmental Endowment, the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Sealevelrise.org, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission.
The Virginia Coastal Policy Center will host a screening at 8 PM on October 26 of the documentary film titled “Tidewater: Water Is Rising, Land Is Sinking, but the Military Is Here to Stay” at the Kimball Theatre, 428 W. Duke of Gloucester Street. Mark Nevitt, the Sharswood Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Commander, U.S. Navy JAG Corps (ret.) will make remarks. Congressman Bobby Scott has also been invited to discuss his BUILD Resilience Act that he has introduced in Congress. Free admission (no reservations or tickets necessary).
About William & Mary Law School
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Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America's oldest law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.
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