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

🦈 A recent news investigation highlights federal charges against three individuals accused of illegally importing shark parts from Australia to Virginia for a traveling museum exhibit. The case underscores the ongoing global crisis surrounding wildlife trafficking and the importance of international protections for vulnerable species.

Lewis & Clark Law School Professor Erica Lyman, Director of the Global Law Alliance for Animals and the Environment (GLA), emphasized the broader conservation concern, stating: "What we're seeing globally are steep declines in shark populations. There is a massive and ongoing global illegal trade in sharks and shark parts.”

GLA, a collaboration between the Center for Animal Law Studies and Lewis & Clark’s Environmental Law Program, engages students in international wildlife protection work addressing issues like trafficking, biodiversity loss, and conservation law. 🌎

🔗 Read the full article: https://www.wtkr.com/investigations/three-men-charged-with-illegally-importing-shark-parts-into-norfolk-for-traveling-museum-exhibit

3 men charged with illegally importing shark parts from Australia to Norfolk for traveling exhibit Three men are facing federal charges after prosecutors say they illegally imported shark parts from Australia into Norfolk for a traveling museum exhibit.

🌎 Curious about where an environmental law degree can take you?

Join us on Tuesday, June 9 at 4:00 p.m. PDT for “Ask Our Alumni: Environmental Law Careers, Experiences & Advice”, an online conversation featuring Lewis & Clark Law School LLM and MSL alumni working in environmental law, policy, and regulatory compliance.

Joining us will be:
✨ Olivia Smith, MSL'26, who currently works as a Regulatory Compliance Specialist and
✨ Kiefer Stenseng, LLM '26, who is Staff Counsel for the Washington State Senate Republican Caucus and an adjunct professor

Assistant Director Tess Jacobsen will also share information about Lewis & Clark’s online MSL and LLM programs, followed by a live Q&A for prospective students.

Bring your questions and learn how an MSL or LLM degree in environmental law can help you in your career. 🌿

🔗 RSVP today!
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2017798897159/WN__ovrrWenTPiND9yd_0Fvtg

🌎 Kick off PNW Climate Week with a day focused on hope, strategy, and local climate action at Lewis & Clark College!

Join Lewis & Clark Law School, the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, and Future Climate Collective for "Fall in Love with the Future: Empowering Local Climate Action: Education, Policy and Practice” on July 13, 2026.

The event will feature interactive workshops, panels, and collaborative visioning sessions designed to help participants build practical solutions for a sustainable future.

Whether you’re a student, advocate, educator, or community member, this event offers an opportunity to connect with others working toward climate solutions right here in the Pacific Northwest. 🌿

👇 RSVP now!
https://law.lclark.edu/live/news/58158-register-nowjuly-13-fall-in-love-with-the-future-empow

Register now–July 13! Fall in Love with the Future. Empowering Local Climate Action: Education, Policy and Practice It’s time to take solutions to the climate crisis into our own hands. Enjoy the company of others who are ready to race to save the planet. R...

Join us in welcoming Gregg Macey as the inaugural Director of the Environmental Innovation Center at Lewis & Clark! 🎉

Gregg is a national leader in environmental innovation and will oversee the launch of the cross-college initiative to prepare the next generation of leaders through real-world environmental collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation.

We are so excited to welcome Gregg to the Lewis & Clark community!

https://www.lclark.edu/live/news/58279-gregg-macey-selected-as-inaugural-director-of-the

🌎 Biodiversity loss and climate change are deeply connected—and the law plays a critical role in addressing both.

Our newest blog explores how biodiversity law protects endangered species in a warming world, examining the growing legal and policy challenges surrounding habitat loss, extinction risk, and climate-driven environmental change. 🌿

🔗 Read the blog here:
https://environmentallaw.lclark.edu/blog/biodiversity-law-protecting-endangered-species-in-a-warming-world/

Biodiversity Law: Protecting Species in a Changing Climate Explore how biodiversity law safeguards endangered species and addresses climate change, and how legal professionals can drive conservation efforts.

⚡ Oregon regulators have approved new rules aimed at ensuring large data centers pay more directly for the grid infrastructure they require, rather than shifting costs onto other utility customers. The decision marks a major step in implementing Oregon’s POWER Act.

Cole Souder, staff attorney with the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, highlighted one key outcome of the ruling:

“A surcharge on data center usage to fund programs for low-income customers will help lower costs for those who have been overburdened with bill increases in recent years.”

The new framework also includes protections designed to prevent data center growth from interfering with Oregon’s clean energy goals and affordability commitments. 🌿⚡

🔗 Read more: https://katu.com/news/local/oregon-regulators-move-to-make-data-centers-pay-more-for-grid-expansion-hillsboro-portland-salem-coporations-environment-center-local-outcry-pollution-bills-expenses-utilities

Oregon regulators move to make data centers pay more for grid expansion Oregon’s new POWER Act order creates rules to make large data centers pay more directly for the power infrastructure they require.

Our office and campus are closed today in observance of Memorial Day.

We can't wait to welcome you back for the first day of the summer term tomorrow! ☀️

🌎 Faculty Spotlight on Professor Nick Fromherz

Professor Fromherz teaches core courses in our online program, including Administrative Law and Environmental Impact Assessments, helping students engage directly with the legal challenges shaping conservation and environmental governance around the world.

In the classroom, Professor Fromherz pushes students to analyze complex environmental problems, evaluate legal frameworks across jurisdictions, and explore how law can support biodiversity protection and sustainable resource management. 🌿

🔗 Read more in our latest faculty spotlight: https://environmentallaw.lclark.edu/blog/faculty-spotlight-with-nick-fromherz/

Congratulations Vincent! 🎉

⚖️ Major win for clean energy accountability in Oregon.

Last year, in a case against the Public Utilities Commission in Oregon and PacificCorp, the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School joined NewSun Energy and the Sierra Club to argue that treating IRP orders as non-final would render Oregon's robust stakeholder process meaningless and would leave review of the utility’s decision-making process until well after investment decisions were made.

In April, the Oregon Court of Appeals issued an opinion agreeing with the Petitioners and ruling that utility climate and energy plans are subject to judicial review, giving communities, advocates, and stakeholders the ability to challenge poor utility planning before harmful investments move forward.

As Green Energy Institute Director and Staff Attorney Carra Sahler explains:

“If a utility ignores Oregon’s climate laws in its planning, and the Commission fails to ensure compliance, that can now be challenged in court before the damage is done — not years later, after fossil fuel investments are already locked in.”

The decision reinforces that utility planning must align with Oregon’s climate laws and public interest obligations. 🌿

Read the full opinion from the Court of Appeals 👇
https://cdm17027.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/search/collection/p17027coll3%21p17027coll5%21p17027coll6/searchterm/A182798/field/all/mode/all/conn/all/order/date/ad/desc