Lewis & Clark Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Program

Thank you to those who joined us last Friday for our 2025 Wyss Symposium! This incredibly educational event was a huge success thanks to the hard work of Hayden Wyatt and Ian Connolly, our 2024 Wyss Scholars! The event featured a presentation on the history of salmon recovery in the Columbia River Basin from Wildlife Law Professor Daniel Rohlf, as well as a panel that explored the complex history of salmon in the Columbia and Snake River basins. The panel included Jeremy Takala (member of the Yakama Nation Tribal Council), Nicole Cordan (former Director of Freshwater, Council on Environmental Quality), Todd True (Senior Staff Attorney, Earthjustice), and Lindsay Slater (Vice President for Government Affairs, Trout Unlimited), who joined us on Zoom. The panelists discussed key challenges preventing salmon recovery, including the operation of the lower Snake River dams, and explored the role of collaboration, policymaking, and litigation in salmon restoration. Learn more about our Wyss Scholars Program here! https://lnkd.in/g8Ctta2i

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Happy first day of spring! ?? ???? We LOVE watching the seasons change on our campus!?? #LewisandClarkLawSchool #LCEnvironmentalLaw #happyspring

Miss our latest LLM webinar? No worries! You can view it here! Check it out to learn how an online LLM in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law from Lewis & Clark Law School can set you up for success in tackling environmental challenges through legal expertise and policy advocacy without needing to leave your current home and practice. ?? ?? We were joined by alum Ingvild Ombudstvedt (LLM ’24) an economist, lawyer, and founder of IOM Law from Norway. Ingvild, who specializes in international environmental law and carbon management, shared insights from her career and discussed how her LLM at Lewis & Clark has helped her advance in the field. ?? https://lnkd.in/g_8D4PJg #InternationalEnvironmentalLaw #OnlineLLM #OnlineEnvironmentalLawLLM

Carra Sahler, Director of the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, was featured in this OPB article that discusses a new utility bill for Oregon that would ensure Oregon ratepayers are not paying for utilities’ lobbying and advertising expenses. Senate Bill 88 could provide transparency and some relief from high energy bills for Oregon ratepayers. ?? Sahler said that Oregonians are tightening their belts and that this bill would help utilities do the same. "The proposal is intended to provide a bright line direction about what is recoverable from ratepayers and what isn’t," she said. "The point of the bill is to cut out the needless back and forth between ratepayers advocates like the Citizens Utility Board, other intervenors, staff at the public utility commission, and the utilities themselves.” Check out the article to learn more about this topic here! ?? https://lnkd.in/gXmS2s8i #LewisandClarkLawSchool #womeninenergylaw #LCEnvironmentalLaw

Congratulations to our 2025 Wyss Scholar recipients: Shoshana Grossman and Tory Dille! ?? In 2017, Lewis & Clark Law School was selected to be part of the prestigious Wyss Scholars Program. Funded by The Wyss Foundation, a private, charitable foundation dedicated to land conservation, the Wyss Scholars Program seeks to identify and support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. Lewis & Clark is one of only a few law schools in the country selected for this program and we are so grateful this opportunity is available to our students. Each year, two Wyss Scholars are selected from Lewis & Clark Law School based on their leadership potential, academic strength, and their commitment to furthering land conservation. Read more Shoshana, Tory, and past Wyss Scholars here: https://lnkd.in/gqdUyJMD

Turn your passion into your profession with a degree in environmental law!???? Apply to our MSL & LLM programs (both offered on-campus and online) TODAY to start with us this summer or fall! The priority deadline for a summer 2025 start is April 1st and the priority deadline for a fall 2025 start is May 1st. Check our website for more details on our application requirements!? Email us at [email protected] if you have any questions! https://lnkd.in/djWSXHhh #EnviromentalLaw #LLM #MSL #LewisandClarkLawSchool #LawAdmissions

At the end of February, Wildlife Law Professor Daniel Rohlf testified in front of the US Congress regarding the current relevance of the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Professor Rohlf highlighted how the US Supreme Court has found the ESA to be extremely clear, stating “The [U.S. Supreme Court] court emphasized that, quote, ‘The plain intent of Congress in enacting this statute was to halt and reverse the trend towards species extinction, whatever the cost,’ close quote,” Rohlf said. The below article from Inside Climate News discusses what occurred during the Natural Resources Committee hearing where Professor Rohlf testified. In the hearing, Republican lawmakers argue that the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act are overly broad and hinder economic activity, while wildlife advocates, including Professor Rohlf, warn that the effort aims to weaken biodiversity protections. https://lnkd.in/gAVahAep #wildlifeprotection #EnviromentalLaw #LewisandClarkLawSchool #ESA

We had a blast this past weekend at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference in Eugene. It was great catching up with all our alumni and students at Friday night's alumni reception at Rennie's Landing. What a fun way to kick off an informative and insightful weekend! Many alumni, professors, and staff presented at the conference including Professor Daniel Rohlf Rohlf who discussed FEMA's failure to implement the NFIP in Oregon in accordance with the ESA. Professor Michele Okoh was on two panels, one presenting on climate refugees and another on ethical public interest lawyering. Carra Sahler, Director of the Green Energy Institute, presented on how factory farms' biogas interacts with current energy systems. Many thanks to the students of the University of Oregon Law School for putting on another amazing event! ??: (L to R) Tyler Lobdell '17 withFood & Water Watch, Carra Sahler '02 with Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, Skye Walker '22 with FarmStand , and Amy van Saun '11 with Center for Food Safety.

Why is soil, even though essential to our existence, under-appreciated compared to its food production colleagues air and water? Why has soil not been legally protected or socially valued to the same extent as other natural resources? Join the webinar happening TOMORROW at 12:00pm (10:00am PT) to learn, discuss, and hopefully take away several solutions so we can start to elevate soil to its deserving status. ?? Environmental law LLM student, April Foreman will be featured and is excited to share her knowledge with you! Don't forget to RSVP! https://lnkd.in/gskXZsBb