At HLS ceremony, Babbitt challenges ‘haphazard infrastructure decisions’

On March 14, the Harvard Law School Environmental Law Society presented its annual Horizon award to Bruce Babbitt ’65, who previously served as secretary of the interior and governor of Arizona. The award is a means of recognizing great people who have accomplished great things in the field of environment and natural resources law, and to provide a forum in which to discuss those achievements, said HLS Professor Jody Freeman LL.M. ’91, S.J.D ’85, founding director of the Harvard Law School Environmental Law and Policy Program.

In introducing Babbitt, Freeman listed some of the highlights of his career. In addition to serving in federal and state government, he established the National Landscape Conservation System, led the effort to restore the Everglades, strengthened the Endangered Species Act in the face of rollbacks, and prevented funding cuts to environmental programs.

She praised Babbitt for “making progress on environmental and natural resource protection through his sheer ingenuity, his dedication to vision and his personal commitment and engagement.” Freeman’s introduction was followed by remarks by Ed Norton ’71, a lawyer who has long focused on conservation and preservation in the U.S. and abroad.

Read more about the event and watch a video on the Harvard Law School website.