Ex-Justice Department attorney affiliates with ecological organization
The Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC), described as the Midwest's leading environmental legal advocacy group, has bolstered its ranks with the addition of Jessica O'Donnell. O'Donnell, who recently joined the centre earlier this month, will be working as a senior attorney in the Washington office.
Prior to her tenure at the ELPC, O'Donnell was a part of the Department of Justice (DOJ). She served as deputy chief of the environmental defense section and left the department in May. The ELPC's second former litigator from the DOJ's environmental division, O'Donnell's exact role within the centre is not publicly specified.
O'Donnell's primary focus at the ELPC will be on federal regulations and litigation related to the environment, encompassing issues such as clean air, clean water, and climate change. This strategic hiring is part of the ELPC's efforts to increase its legal capacity to challenge environmental rollbacks, particularly in response to the Trump administration's restructuring of the DOJ's environmental division.
The ELPC has a history of taking legal action against environmental issues. Notably, the centre has sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over water pollution in Lake Erie. The centre's commitment to environmental protection is unwavering, as it aims to push back against environmental rollbacks and increase its "litigation firepower" to counter such actions.
Based in Chicago, the ELPC is not just focused on local issues. The organisation is working to shut down coal plants and is determined to make a significant impact on a national scale. With the addition of O'Donnell, the centre seeks to strengthen its legal team to better tackle the environmental challenges that lie ahead.
