Steve Wolfson

Steve Wolfson coordinates the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of General Counsel’s international capacity-building activities on environmental law.  Steve has trained environmental lawyers in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and leads the EPA China Environmental Law Initiative.   In this context Steve leads a team of lawyers working with China’s Environment Ministry to strengthen Chinese environmental law and institutions, through workshops and consultations on environmental protection tools such as public interest litigation, enforcement penalties, and pollutant discharge reporting.  In connection with the Rio + 20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development process Steve played an instrumental role in organizing the development of an internationally agreed articulation of core elements of effective environmental governance systems.   During his career Steve has represented the U.S. at environmental treaty negotiations and at World Trade Organization litigation, including the landmark Reformulated Gasoline, Shrimp-Turtle and GMO cases.  Steve has also worked on limiting use of dangerous pesticides and on protecting the environmental health of children.  A graduate of UCLA School of Law and Brown University, Steve has taught international and comparative environmental law courses at George Washington University School of Law, Howard Law School and at the Vermont Law School summer program.  A member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law, Steve has also served as Vice-Chair for Programs of the International Environmental Law Committee of the American Bar Association Section on Environmental, Energy, and Resources, and has published widely on environmental governance and Chinese environmental law.