Massachusetts Asst. AG Honored By ABA For Distinguished Acheivement In Environmental Law And Policy

August 13, 2007 -- SAN FRANCISCO – On Sunday, August 12, 2007, the American Bar Association (ABA) honored James Milkey, Chief of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley's Environmental Protection Division for distinguished achievement in environmental law and policy. The award was presented to Attorney Milkey at the ABA's annual awards banquet in San Francisco.

Attorney Milkey was recognized for his leadership in the landmark case Massachusetts v. EPA. In 2006, Attorney Milkey argued the case in front of the United States Supreme Court. On April 2, 2007, the Court ruled in favor of Massachusetts and eleven other states in its first case ever involving global warming. In this case, the Court ruled that the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has existing authority under the Federal Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. In addition to Massachusetts and the other States, 27 other parties brought the case against the EPA.

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In his role as Chief of the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) in the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General, Attorney Milkey directs the environmental litigation involving the Commonwealth and its agencies. Milkey graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1983 and received a Master's degree in city planning from M.I.T. the same year. After clerking for Justice Benjamin Kaplan, he joined the Attorney General's Office in 1984, was appointed Deputy Chief of EPD in 1990, and Chief in 1996. During the 1994-95 academic year, Milkey was a visiting associate professor at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York, where he taught environmental and administrative law courses, and during the 2000-01 academic year, he was on leave in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has in the past assisted in teaching a course on "the Government Lawyer" at Harvard Law School, and he is a frequent lecturer on enforcement, brownfields agreements, and regulatory takings issues. From 2003 to 2005, he served as co-chair of the Environmental Law Section of the Boston Bar Association.

The award banquet was held at the St. Regis Hotel in San Francisco.

Source: Massachusetts Attorney General