UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Robert McKinstry, an attorney specializing in environmental law and litigation, has been selected as the new Maurice K. Goddard Professor of Forestry and Environmental Resource Conservation in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. He will begin his three-year term on July 1.

The School of Forest Resources created the endowed chair to honor "Doc" Goddard, Pennsylvania's "father of state parks." During Goddard's tenure in state government -- first as Secretary of the Department of Forests and Waters then as Secretary of the Department of Environmental Resources -- he succeeded in providing a state park within 25 miles of every Pennsylvanian and in overseeing the enactment of landmark environmental legislation. Goddard recognized early that environmental protection is not only consistent with economic growth, but is essential to such growth. He directed the school from 1952 to 1955.

According to Larry Nielsen, director of the school, McKinstry will spend half of his time on public outreach and policy, while teaching and carrying out special projects. The chair is unique in that those chosen to fill it need not have extensive academic or research experience.

"We look for someone who understands the big picture regarding the environment, but also has extensive experience in Pennsylvania," Nielsen says. "With Bob's expertise, we can expose our students to the realities of environmental and natural resource law."

McKinstry is a partner at Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP in Philadelphia, where he is the co-founder and co-partner in charge of the firm's 24-lawyer Environmental Practice Group. His work involves issues related to the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA, commonly known as Superfund), the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act and parallel state laws. He also deals with issues related to municipal solid waste regulation and planning, brownfields, wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas.

McKinstry has devoted his practice exclusively to environmental law since completing a two year judicial clerkship in 1981. He focused on environmental law during its infancy. He was the first joint degree candidate at Yale's School of Law and its School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, receiving a J.D and M.F.S. in 1979. "I look forward to returning to the intellectual life of the university and addressing topics from the point-of-view of what makes sense for society as a whole, rather than just individual clients," he says.

"I also look forward to working with Penn State scientists to help make their knowledge and perspectives available to decision-makers. I strongly believe my experience in environmental law will help bring together diverse interests to forge balanced and productive solutions to environmental issues."

McKinstry says he's particularly enthusiastic about working with college students. "It's the youth of our country that were responsible for much of the environmental change that has occurred since the first Earth Day," he says.

McKinstry hopes to provide a link between Penn State and both the environmental bar and national environmental law organizations, such as Environmental Law Institute, an internationally recognized independent research and education center devoted to the study of environmental law, policy and management. He is a member of the institute, as well as the Environmental, Mineral and Natural Resource Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association; the Section on Environmental, Energy and Resource Law of the American Bar Association; the Delaware Valley Environmental Inn of Court; and the Environmental Law Committees of the Philadelphia and Chester County Bar Associations.

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EDITORS: For more information, contact Larry Nielsen at 814-863-7093.

Contacts:

Kim Dionis KDionis@psu.edu 814-863-2703 814-865-1068 fax