Environmental Law and Policy
Anchored by path-breaking programs—the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program (ENRLP), the Environmental Law Clinic, and the Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance—and complimented by a wide array of cutting-edge research and scholarship, timely policy work, and experiential learning for students, Stanford Law School’s work in the environmental arena dates back to the 60s when the environmental movement was born and continues to this day. Through the clinic and numerous Policy Lab practicums and courses, nationally-renowned faculty, and student organizations, our students are able to actively engage in the issues and advance law and policy. Stanford’s award-winning Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Program (ENRLP) has earned its reputation as a leading program for education and research in this dynamic field. The Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance explores and develops economically sensible policy and finance solutions that advance cleaner, more secure energy.
Programs, Centers, and Clinics
In the News
Water shortage emergency declared in greater Los Angeles area
CBS News
A water shortage emergency has been declared in the Los Angeles area, limiting outdoor water usage to just once a week. Professor Barton H. "Buzz" Thompson, Robert E. Paradise professor of natural resources Law at Stanford University, joins CBS News to discuss how this will impact people in the region.
Read MoreDefense Industry Can Help Local Governments Struggling With Natural Disasters
RealClearDefense
Should logging halt over endangered California animal? Here’s what appeals court says
The Fresno Bee
California Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Measure Z Oil, Gas Protections Case
Center for Biological Diversity
How Is Fossil Fuel Infrastructure Still Getting Financed In Developing Nations?
The Climate Pod
Enhancing Environmental Enforcement with Near Real-Time Monitoring: Likelihood-Based Detection of Structural Expansion of Intensive Livestock Farms
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
Indigenous activist awarded Stanford’s top environmental award
Stanford Daily
Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law and Policy
Rigorous interdisciplinary training in environmental, energy and resource law and policy. This specialized program seeks to provide foreign lawyers with the legal and policy analysis expertise needed to address issues of pollution, toxic substances, climate change, energy, freshwater, protection of living species on both land and in the oceans, land use management, and environmental assessment.
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Student Organizations and Journals
The Bright Award
The Bright Award is given annually to an “individual who has made significant contributions in the environmental preservation and sustainability area” and is awarded to an individual from one of ten rotating regions.
learn moreThe Bright Idea Podcast
The Bright Idea is a Stanford Law School podcast that highlights some of the most promising and inspirational work around the world in sustainability and conservation. Professor Buzz Thompson begins this series by talking to some of the past winners of Stanford Law School’s Bright Award. The Bright Award is an annual environmental award given to individuals who have dedicated their careers to improving sustainability and conservation. It is the only award like it in the world, and it is the highest environmental prize given by Stanford University. Stanford Law School Alumnus, Ray Bright, established the Bright Award with the goal of recognizing the winners’ prior sustainability work and supporting and extending that work into the future.
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Publications
Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy
This initiative was incubated to help entrepreneurs and environmental non-profits working on sustainability projects to find firms that are offering pro bono help on these types of important matters
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ENRLP Newsletter
For Californians, the climate crisis has already arrived. In our Fall 2020 Newsletter, Professors Deborah Sivas and Buzz Thompson analyze how climate change has exacerbated wildfires, what we can learn from Native fire and forest management practices, and what legal and policy changes might lessen the impacts of wildfires on residents. Read the newsletter to learn more about wildfire policy, Stanford’s new sustainability school, and our new Bright Idea podcast highlighting environmentalists around the globe.
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