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13 Colo. J. Int'l Envtl. L. & Pol'y 99 (2002)
NGOs as Lawmakers, Watchdogs, Whistle-Blowers, and Private Attorneys General

handle is hein.journals/colenvlp13 and id is 109 raw text is: NGOs as Lawmakers, Watchdogs, Whistle-blowers, and Private Attorneys General Susan D. Daggett* I. INTRODUCTION Margaret Mead once said: Never doubt that a small group of... committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Environmental groups have taken that advice to heart and in the last thirty years have transformed environmental protection in the Unites States. The role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in American governance, specifically, their role as lawmaker, watchdog, whistle- blower, and private attorney general, is a unique one. Although there is a tendency for citizens to feel powerless in the face of a huge federal-or even state-bureaucracy, in fact, citizens in this country wield substan- tial power. Nowhere is that more true than in the realm of environmental and natural resources protection. Some thirty years ago, Congress saw fit to give citizens a place in environmental enforcement. Under our system of governance, we, the people, are charged with an awesome responsibility, and it is humbling * Susan Daggett is the managing attorney for the Denver office of Earthjustice. She earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and her B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke Col- lege. Ms. Daggett served a judicial clerkship for William B. Bryant of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. She spent two years working in the Earthjustice Mon- tana office before moving to Colorado. Earthjustice was founded in the early 1970s as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund. It is the premier non-profit environmental law firm in the country, representing hundreds of public interest organizations and individuals in court to protect the environment. Based in San Francisco, Earthjustice has nine regional offices and runs two law clinics. The Denver office is responsible for teaching the Envi- ronmental Clinic at the University of Denver Law School.

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