Law Student Environment, Energy, and Resources Program of the Year Award - Past Award Recipients
2012:
Kenneth R. L. Parker , Nathan Band, and Alexandra D. Dunn
The Section is pleased to announce the Northeastern Environmental Law Society’s “Public Access to the Tidelands: A Report on Compliance with Chapter 91 Licenses on the Boston’s Waterfront as the recipient of the 2012 Law Student Environment, Energy, and Resources Program of the Year Award. A group of first year students working with the Northeastern Environmental Law Society, a student group with Northeastern Law School, in Boston, Massachusetts, recently undertook an ambitious project. In discussing potential projects with the Conservation Law Foundation, they researched whether the system of licensing, mandated by Chapter 91of the Massachusetts General Laws, and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), was adequately protecting the public trust in the tidelands of Boston Harbor. The report was intended primarily for Conservation Law Foundation attorneys, but was written to allow CLF to use it as a tool in their interactions with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, state and local reporters, and others with an interest in the public trust in Massachusetts tidelands.
The group’s initial findings were presented to a group that included students, academics and members of the NGO community, in addition to the CLF attorneys, who were all impressed with the presentation. The students hope this work will serve as a basis for bringing about improvements in the Massachusetts tidelands program. The NELS project should serve as a valuable tool in the process of reforming Massachusetts laws and regulations to realize that goal. NELS project is an inspiration that reflects the best of law students.
This Award was presented at the 2012 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago in August 2012.
2011:
Emily E. Follansbee, Steven G. McKinney, and Sarah Altemus-Pope
The Section is pleased to announce the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference (PIELC) as the recipient of the 2011 Law Student Environment, Energy, and Resources Program of the Year Award. PIELC is an annual conference hosted by Land, Air, Water, a student group at the University of Oregon School of Law. The 29th Annual Public Interest Environmental Law Conference entitled “Turning the Tide: Creating a Clean and Green Future” was held during March 3-6, 2011 at the Knight Law Center at the Law School. Approximately 1,400 public interest attorneys, community activist, legal scholars, and law students from around the country attended the conference.
PIELC was a student led and student run event that covered local, state, regional national, and international hot topics of environmental, energy, and resources law. There were over 125 student panels, workshops, and multi-media presentations addressing a broad spectrum of environmental law and advocacy. PIELC was an event full of energy, innovation and inspiration that reflects the best of law students.
2010:
Mike Pearce; Megan Poole, Univ. of San Francisco, Planning Chair 2008; Susan Gilbert, Univ. of San Francisco, Planning Chair 2010; and John C. Cruden
The Section is pleased to announce the California Water Law Symposium, a consortium of law students from Golden Gate University, Hastings College of the Law, University of California, Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco as the recipient of the 2010 Law Student Environment, Energy, and Resources Program of the Year Award. Each year, a planning committee of students from these four institutions plans and executes an important water law and policy conference for law students, attorneys, educators, and the general public. The focus is on California water issues, and the quality of the sessions is consistently exceptional.
