Proto, Neil Thomas

Neil Thomas Proto is an attorney, writer, and professor based in Washington, D.C. He earned an MA in International Affairs in 1969, and a JD in 1972, at the George Washington University. As a law student at the George Washington University, he served as a resident director for two residence halls on campus, Welling Hall and Crawford Hall. Also during this time, Proto was chair of the organization Students Challenging Regulatory Agency Procedures (SCRAP), which fought for compliance by the nation's railroads and the Interstate Commerce Commission with the National Environmental Policy Act. The efforts of SCRAP resulted in the first test in the United States Supreme Court of the National Environmental Policy Act. Mr. Proto has practiced law for thirty years as an appellate attorney with the United States Department of Justice (Environment and Natural Resources Division, 1972 to 1979), and in private practice. He is currently counsel in the Washington, D.C. firm of Schnader Harrison Segal and Lewis. Since 1990 he has served as an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, focusing on environmental values, energy choices, and urban policy. He is the author of numerous articles, and in 2006, his book about his experiences as a member of SCRAP, To A High Court: The Tumult and Choices that Led to United States of America v. SCRAP, was published by Hamilton Books.