RISE 2019 Conference

Ruth Santiago JD, LLM is a community and environmental lawyer who works with grass-roots environmental advocacy groups in Puerto Rico. In addition to litigation in courts and administrative agencies, Ruth has co-organized environmental education projects, advised the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on watershed protection and land use issues. Ruth has been involved in the establishment of broad alliances to prevent water pollution from landfills, power plant emissions and discharges and coal combustion residual waste. She is part of a civil society initiative to promote solar communities and energy democracy called, We Want Sun (queremossolpr.com). Most recently, Ruth has worked on cases related to energy projects and integrated resource plans. Her writings about the environmental impacts of energy generation and environmental justice issues in Puerto Rico have been featured in the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, OpenDemocracy, LatinoRebels, and the Social Justice Blog, among others. In 2018, she was the recipient of the Sierra Club’s Dr. Robert Bullard Environmental Justice Award for environmental advocacy, education, and activist work in Puerto Rico. In 2013, she was selected as an Earthjustice clean air ambassador. Ms. Santiago earned degrees from Lehigh University and Columbia University School of Law.