A Brief Timeline of Environmental Law—Nationally and at Lewis & Clark Law School
At Lewis & Clark
Nationally
1962
Biologist Rachel Carson’s book
Silent Spring sparks public outrage
1969
Northwest Environmental
Defense Center (NEDC) founded
National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) passes in Congress
Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River catches fire
1970
Lewis & Clark’s Environmental
Law Review, first legal journal
dedicated to environmental issues,
publishes first edition
Congress passes Clean Air Act (CAA)
First Earth Day observed by
more than 20 million people
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) begins operations
1971
Offers first course on
environmental regulation
1972
Congress passes major revision
to Federal Insecticide, Fungicide,
and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA),
intended to protect Americans
from pesticides, passes
Congress passes Clean Water Act (CWA)
1973
Adds natural resources classes,
expanding Environmental Law Program
Endangered Species Act (ESA) passes
1974
Establishes Natural Resources Law Institute
1976
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), which tasks EPA with
regulating hazardous waste, passes
1980
Congress establishes
Superfund program
(CERCLA) for
hazardous waste sites
Offers certificate in
environmental law
1981
Offers LLM degree in environmental law
1988
Northern spotted owl listed as threatened
1990
November: Snake River sockeye
salmon listed as endangered
1991
Establishes International
Environmental Law Project (IELP)
1994
Establishes Earthrise Law Center
1996
Kyoto Protocol adopted internationally
1997
Wins ABA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in
Environmental Law and Policy for
“improving the substance, process, or
understanding of environmental protection
and sustainable development”
United States withdraws from Kyoto Protocol
2001
U.S. News & World Report ranks
Environmental Law Program No.1
2006
Establishes Green Energy Institute (GEI)
2012
Offers MLS degree in environmental law
2014/15
Paris Agreement adopted
2016
Trump administration notes intention
to withdraw (in 2020) from Paris Agreement
2017
Offers certificate in energy, innovation,
and sustainability
2018
Offers online LLM program
in environmental law
U.S. News & World Report ranks
Environmental Law
Program No.1 for sixth time
