FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mercersburg, Pennsylvania: The Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) announced today that Ryan Talbott, an environmental lawyer, has joined the Board of Directors of the organization.
Born and raised in the Allegheny National Forest in northwestern Pennsylvania, Talbott holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Biology from Clarion University, a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, and is a graduate of Lewis and Clark Law School. He currently serves as a staff attorney for Appalachian Mountain Advocates, where he works on issues related to shale gas pipelines.
“I am honored to join CELDF’s board, particularly at this moment in time,” said Talbott. “Over the next four years, the work that CELDF does to build democracy from the ground up will be more important than ever. I’m excited to get to work with local communities to protect the rights of their residents and nature from corporate greed.”
Thomas Linzey, Esq., CELDF’s Executive Director, added, “We are excited that Ryan has accepted our invitation to serve on CELDF’s board. He brings a mix of practical organizing experience on environmental issues with technical and legal expertise on energy projects and a range of other issues.”
Talbott joins CELDF’s other board members, which include Tammy Belinsky, a Virginia environmental lawyer; Dr. Edward Wells, the Chair of the Environmental Studies Department at Wilson College in Pennsylvania; and Fred Walls, a retired dairy farmer from St. Thomas Township, Pennsylvania.
CELDF was created in 1995 to provide free and affordable legal services to communities across the United States working to secure their right to local, community self-government, and recognize the rights of nature.
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