/ Environmental, Natural Resources, & Energy Law/ Celebrating Earth Day

Celebrating Earth Day

For Lewis & Clark Law School, Earth Day isn’t a once-a-year event—it’s a daily mission. Explore the ongoing environmental endeavors of our faculty and students:

April 18, 2025

L&C Law Campus

Credit: Nina Johnson

L&C Environmental News Stories:

Environmental Moot Court Team Wins Ninth National Championship

Lewis & Clark Law School’s Environmental Moot Court Team recently secured its ninth national championship at the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC) at Pace University, further solidifying its status as the most successful school in the competition’s history.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/55562-environmental-moot-court-team-wins-ninth-national

Professor Lisa Benjamin’s new article discusses colonialism and climate law and policy

The article is part of a special Wisconsin International Law Journal issue on Racial Capitalism and Climate Change that Professor Benjamin was invited to contribute to.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/55244-professor-lisa-benjamins-new-article-discusses-colonia

2025 Wyss Scholar: Tory Dille ’26 and Her Rich Background in Environmental Advocacy

Tory Dille JD ’26 is one of two Wyss Scholars selected from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2025. As a Wyss Scholar, Tory plans to leverage her experiences in place-based education, conservation, and genuine connection to issues facing wildlife and lands in the West to continue making positive change in the world of environmental law.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/55423-2025-wyss-scholar-tory-dille-26-and-her-rich-backgroun

2025 Wyss Scholar: Shoshana Grossman ’26 Desires to Effectuate Change in the World of Land Conservation and Protection

Shoshana Grossman JD ’26 is one of two Wyss Scholars selected from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2025. Shoshana plans to to leverage her education to effectuate change in the world of land conservation and protection, specifically at the intersection of public lands, waters, and indigenous law.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/55350-2025-wyss-scholar-shoshana-grossman-26-desires-to

MSL Student Gets Paper Published in the Environmental Law Reporter

Justin Kooyman, a Master of Studies in Environmental Law candidate at Lewis & Clark Law School and Director of Trail Operations for the Pacific Crest Trail Association recently had his paper, “Along” the National Scenic Trails: A Case Study of Statutory Interpretation, published in the Environmental Law Reporter.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/54935-msl-student-gets-paper-published-in-the

Clinic Students Present Research on Global Plastics in White House Call

Global Law Alliance clinic students joined advocacy groups from across the country to urge U.S. negotiators to act aggressively within the scope of their authority as the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations begin to come to a close.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/54795-clinic-students-present-research-on-global

Earthrise case argued before D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals

This past Tuesday in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, former Earthrise legal fellow and current Public Justice staff attorney Haley Nicholson delivered her first (of many, we are certain) appellate oral argument on behalf of our client, American Whitewater.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/54854-earthrise-case-argued-before-dc-circuit-court-of

Professor Chris Wold’s Global Contributions to Whale Conservation Law

Professor Chris Wold’s latest achievements in whale conservation law, including his recent Pace International Law Review article and his impactful blog for the European Journal of International Law, continue to shape international efforts to regulate and protect endangered whale populations.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/54364-professor-chris-wolds-global-contributions-to

Clinic Petitions Export-Import Bank to Stop Fueling Climate Crisis

Students in Lewis & Clark Law School’s international environmental clinic researched and drafted a petition to the Biden Administration instructing the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM) to deny funding for projects that contribute significantly to climate change.

https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/54229-clinic-petitions-export-import-bank-to-stop

Read GEI’s November 2025 Newsletter

Last year’s newsletter reflected on what GEI had accomplished in a “best of” moment of fun before the chaos and drama of the next administration descended on us. We never could have guessed what we were all about to face …

GEI in the news!

GEI staff attorney expressed concerns about Pacific Power’s decision to remove the Boardman to Hemingway planned transmission line from its Integrated Resource Plan. In response to a citizens’ request to revoke the certificate allowing condemnation of private property.

GEI, Sierra Club, Mobilizing Climate Action Together, and the Northwest Energy Coalition argued that the that the certificate was premised upon the transmission line’s “broad public benefits, not the needs of a single private entity.” Allowing PacifiCorp to change course would “violate the spirit and legal framework under which the line was approved by this commission,” Alex Houston, an attorney with the Green Energy Institute who represents the groups, told commissioners. It would also “harm Oregon customers and set a dangerous precedent wherein the justifications supporting issuance of a certificate may summarily be disregarded once the utility gets approval,” he said.

Announcing the 2025-26 Law Scholars for Change Scholarship Recipients

Meet three outstanding JD scholarship students committed to pursuing careers challenging industrial animal agriculture: Josephine Blatny, Camille Bond, and Nicole Wood.

Register for the NW Energy Coalition Clean & Affordable Energy Conference–December 3

How can we meet growing energy needs, prepare for extreme weather, and modernize the grid? Join the NW Energy Coalition in Portland on December 3 for expert insights, collaboration, and solutions at the Fall 2025 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference.