Former Save The Bay Legal Director Hired by EDF

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer Witherspoon, California Communications Director, 415-293-6067, jwitherspoon@edf.org 

(San Francisco, CA – January 19, 2010) Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) today announced the hiring of the former Legal Director of the Save San Francisco Bay Association, Cynthia Koehler, as a senior attorney and its California Water Legislative Director.

“Cynthia displayed her California-sized talent as one of the lead negotiators for California’s water reform legislation in 2009,” said Elgie Holstein, EDF’s Vice President for Land, Water, and Wildlife programs and former Associate Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for Natural Resources, Energy and Science. “She’s been a great consultant for EDF during the last two years, but I know she’ll be an even greater employee.”

“Cynthia’s strong negotiation skills were instrumental for ensuring that needed flows are identified to recover the Bay Delta ecosystem,” said Laura Harnish, EDF’s California Regional Director. “She is a real asset to EDF who will play a major role in water policy reforms in 2010.”

Koehler currently is an adjunct professor at Golden Gate University School of Law, where she teaches water law. She also is an elected member, and past president, of the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors.

In her new position at EDF, Koehler will work with other staff members to:
• Craft legislation, regulations and other policies to reform California water laws, restore rivers and the San Francisco Bay Delta ecosystem;
• Manage the planning and implementation of the legislative agenda for EDF’s California water program; and
• Develop opportunities to expand EDF’s California water policy agenda at the federal level.

Cynthia has worked for two decades on water and natural resource protection issues. Her accomplishments include:
1.Serving as co-trial counsel in the landmark Mono Lake proceeding before the State Water Resources Control Board;
2.Winning the lawsuit to list spring run salmon as an endangered species; and
3.Serving as lead counsel in litigation to enforce the Central Valley Project Improvement Act (the Miller-Bradley bill of 1992).

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Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit organization, represents more than 700,000 supporters. Since 1967, Environmental Defense has linked science, economics, law and innovative private-sector partnerships to create breakthrough solutions to the most serious environmental problems. www.environmentaldefense.org blogs.edf.org/waterfront/