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Students coming back in August have a lot to look forward to - we're welcoming professor William Boyd, whose arrival means UCLA Law now has seven tenured faculty working on environment, climate and land use issues. We've added a new specialization in environmental law and our clinical program will get a boost from new supervising attorney Julia Stein. We're also introducing two new fellows, Harjot Kaur and Jesse Reynolds. More below!
- Sean Hecht, co-executive director, Emmett Institute
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William Boyd will teach both energy law and the climate and energy law workshop at UCLA this fall.
From the rainforests of South America to the paper mills of the American South, William Boyd has been a central figure in illuminating environmental concerns and identifying solutions. Boyd joins the UCLA faculty in Fall 2018 both as a member of the Emmett Institute and at the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.
Before coming to UCLA, Boyd was a professor at the University of Colorado School of Law, and prior to that a staffer for the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and an associate at Covington & Burling. He earned his J.D. at Stanford Law School and his Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. Read a
Q&A with professor Boyd
.
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The Supreme Court will be reviewing whether, and under what circumstances, agencies may consider degraded, unoccupied habitat with the potential to be restored to be "habitat" under the Endangered Species Act.
Photo: Phil Roeder, Flickr
Our Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic filed an
amicus brief
in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of a group of world-class scientists including E.O. Wilson, Stuart Pimm, and UCLA's own Brad Shaffer. Sean Hecht authored this brief with significant assistance from two clinic students, Jen Garlock and Heejin Hwang.
Hecht and the clinic students argue the Court shouldn't gut the habitat protections of the Endangered Species Act, and instead should keep the longstanding, science-based interpretation of the Act's approach to designating critical habitat.
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Attorney Julia Stein joins Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic and Emmett Institute
Julia Stein has joined us as clinical supervising attorney of the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic and project director for the Emmett Institute. Starting this fall, Stein will co-teach the
Environmental Law Clinic
and augment our advocacy efforts through litigation, policy work and legislative advocacy.
Stein comes to the Emmett Institute after nearly a decade in private practice, where she advised clients on high-profile environmental litigation, regulatory compliance and land use matters. She serves on the Executive Committee for the Environmental Section of the California Lawyers Association, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of the Section's publication, Environmental Law News. Stein is a 2009 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center.
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UCLA Law students participated in the Environmental Law Conference at Yosemite in 2017. Photo: Cara Horowitz
Big news on campus! We are excited to launch our new specialization in environmental law. Students who fulfill the requirements receive notations on their diplomas and transcripts reflecting that they completed the specialization.
The specialization will help graduates join the many UCLA Law alumni who have gone on to leadership roles at state and federal agencies, nonprofits and private firms. Read the
UCLA Newsroom
announcement and see the
full specialization requirements
.
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Emmett Institute faculty and fellows gather for a weekly meeting. Photo: Daniel Melling
We're excited to announce two new Emmett/Frankel Fellows in Environmental Law and Policy joining us for 2018-2020!
Harjot Kaur will be focused on urban sustainability, including sustainability planning for
Los Angeles County
, and
San Antonio, TX
. Previously, Kaur was a law fellow at Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a senior research associate at Public International Law and Policy Group and a law clerk for the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. Kaur earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law where she was senior editor and symposium editor of the Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief.
Jesse Reynolds will be working on the
governance of climate engineering
. Reynolds was previously assistant professor at the Utrecht Center for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law, Utrecht University and a lecturer at Tilburg University, both in The Netherlands. Reynolds researches how society can develop norms, rules and institutions to manage transboundary environmental problems, particularly those involving new technologies. He earned his M.S. in environmental science, policy, and management from UC Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in international law from Tilburg University.
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Use of alternative and innovative fuels in California has increased to almost 10 percent of total supply.
Photo: Dennis Schroeder/National Renewable Energy Lab
In
a new Pritzker Brief
, Emmett Institute researchers offer guidance for California policymakers to address four challenges for the state's Low Carbon Fuel Standard, a policy that aims to reduce carbon pollution from transport fuels.
Now in effect for seven years, the policy has survived early legal challenges, suffering only some implementation delays, and has generated large expansions of alternative fuel supply and significant reductions in overall carbon intensity in California's fuel markets.
"The Low Carbon Fuel Standard goes where no policy has gone before, cutting pollution from transport fuels across their entire lifecycle, from extraction to combustion," Ted Parson told
UCLA Newsroom
.
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Mark your calendars!
Sea-Level Rise and the Law
conference, August 20 in San Francisco, CA, will address legal issues around sea-level rise. Sean Hecht helped plan this California Lawyers Association conference.
Register here
California Adaptation Forum
, August 27-30 in Sacramento, CA, will gather adaptation leaders to foster knowledge exchange, innovation and mutual support to create resilient communities throughout the state. Register here.
Global Climate Action Summit
, September 12-14 in San Francisco, CA, will gather states, regions, cities, companies, investors and citizens to launch new commitments on climate action. The Emmett Institute will host side events on University of California's climate goals, sustainability in Los Angeles and autonomous vehicles. William Boyd is coordinating the
annual meeting of the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force
ahead of the summit. Stay tuned for details!
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Trivia
corner: summer double-edition
Emmett trivia followers, we have two opportunities for you to take home trivia glory this month!
1. On July 6, as part of an historic heat wave that baked Southern California and caused thousands to lose power, UCLA's campus temperature was the hottest ever recorded. How hot did it get?
2. Scott Pruitt's staff were concerned with exposure to what chemical possibly present in the new desk obtained during his $9,500 office renovation? Hint: it's the same chemical whose public health risks Pruitt tried to cover up by blocking a report from being released!
First individuals to send correct answers to quizmaster Daniel Melling, melling@law.ucla.edu, will receive a new Emmett Institute notebook!
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Nick Bryner demonstrates correct safety technique for electric scooter operation on campus.
GIF: Meredith Hankins
We are sad to bid farewell to Nick Bryner, our Emmett/Frankel Fellow in Environmental Law and Policy for 2016-18 and electric scooter pioneer, who just started a
tenure-track position at LSU Law
in Baton Rouge, LA. During his time at UCLA, Nick taught courses on energy law and natural resources law and contributed to the Emmett Institute's analysis of federal public land policy under the Antiquities Act, among other research initiatives.
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