Melissa Powers
Jeffrey Bain Faculty Scholar & Professor of Law
Biography
MELISSA POWERS is a Jeffrey Bain Faculty Scholar and Professor of Law at Lewis & Clark Law School. Melissa’s scholarship focuses on electricity regulation, energy system decarbonization, and climate change mitigation. She has published dozens of law review articles and book chapters covering these topics. She has also served as an editor or co-author of several books focused on climate and environmental law. Melissa’s teaching focus includes administrative law, climate change law, electricity regulation, energy decarbonization, environmental law, and torts.
Melissa was a Fulbright-Schuman Scholar in 2014-2015 in Denmark and Catalonia. She founded and directed for ten years the Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School. Melissa is a member-scholar and a board member of the Center for Progressive Reform, a board member of the Environmental Law Collaborative, and a fellow of the American College of Environmental Lawyers. She has taught as a visiting professor at the University of Colorado Law School, University of Main Law School, University Miami Law School, and University of Minnesota Law School, and she teaches each year as a visitor at the University of Trento, Italy.
Specialty Areas and Course Descriptions
- Clean Air Act
- Climate Change: International Law
- Climate Change: US Law & Policy
- Energy Law
- Renewable Energy Law
Academic Credentials
- JD, magna cum laude, 2001, Lewis & Clark Law School
- BA, 1992, University of California, Berkeley
Bibliography
Books and Treatises
Melissa Powers, U.S. Climate Change Law and Policy (2025) (course reader).
Melissa Powers, Energy Regulation in an Age of Transition (2025) (course reader).
Melissa Powers, Clean Air Act (2019) (course reader).
Beyond Zero-Sum Environmentalism (Sarah Krakoff, Melissa Powers, & Jonathon Rosenbloom, eds., 2019).
Ernest Smith, Rod Wetzel, Becky Diffen, & Melissa Powers, Wind Law (Lexis 2015-2019) (treatise updated annually).
Craig Johnston & Melissa Powers, Environmental Law Concise Hornbook (2016).
Chris Wold, David Hunter, & Melissa Powers, Climate Change and the Law (2d ed. 2013) (1st ed. 2009).
Susan Mandiberg & Susan Smith, Crimes Against the Environment, 2004 Update (I authored Chapters 4 and 5; Susan Mandiberg authored the remaining chapters) (2004).
Article and Book Chapters
Private Equity, Public Utility, Nw. U. L. Rev. (forthcoming 2027) (with Kristen van de Biezenbos)
Environmental Racism, 22 Stan. J. C.R.-C.L. (forthcoming 2026) (with Lisa Benjamin).
Soft Cost Solutions to Clean Electrification’s Hard Problems, in Living the Good Life in the Anthropocene (Karrigan Bork, Josh Galperin, & Keith Hirokawa, eds.) (forthcoming 2026).
Blue Sky Thinking in a Red Sky World, 56 Envtl. L. Rep. 10251 (May/June 2026) (with multiple co-authors).
Rhetoric Versus Reality After Winter Storm Uri, in Adapting to High-Level Warming: Law, Governance, and Equity (Katrina F. Kuh & Shannon M. Roesler, eds.) (2025).
Living the Good Life in the Anthropocene, 54 Envtl. L. Reptr. 10857 (2024) (multiple authors)
Juliana v. United States and the Risk of “Legally Disruptive” Federal Climate Litigation (coauthored with Juliane Fry), in Environmental Law. Disrupted. (Jessica Owley & Keith Hirokawa, eds., forthcoming 2021).
Natural Gas Lock-in, 69 Kansas L. Rev. 889 (2021).
Environmental Law. Disrupted by COVID-19., 51 Envtl. L. Rep. 10509 (2021) (with Environmental Law Collaborative).
Anticompetitive Transmission Development and the Risks for Decarbonization, 49 Envtl. L. 885 (2020).
Energy Transition: Reforming Social Metabolism, in Global Climate Constitution (Jordi Jaria-Manzano & Susana Borràs, eds., 2019).
They Win, We Lose: The Consequences of the Trump Administration’s Zero-Sum Climate and Energy Politics, in Beyond Zero-Sum Environmentalism (Sarah Krakoff, Melissa Powers, & Jonathon Rosenbloom, eds., 2019).
Zero-Sum Climate and Energy Politics Under the Trump Administration, 49 Envtl. L. Rep. 10870 (2019) (adapted from They Win, We Lose book chapter above).
Black Carbon, in Legal Pathways To Deep Decarbonization In The United States (Michael Gerrard & John C. Dernbach, eds., 2019).
Case Note, Juliana v. United States: The Next Frontier in US Climate Mitigation? 27 Rev. of European, Comparative, and Intl. L. 199 (2018).
The End of Coal in the United States? 21 Envtl. Law & Pol’y 53 (2018) (Korean Law Journal).
Quick Fixes or Real Remedies? The Benefits and Limitations of Climate and Energy Fast Policy, 8 San Diego J. of Climate & Energy Pol’y 67 (2017) (with Edward Jewell & Joni Sliger).
An Inclusive Energy Transition: Expanding Low-Income Access to Clean Energy Programs, 18 N.C. J. of Law & Tech. 540 (2017).
Lessons from U.S. Biofuels Policy: The Renewable Fuels Standard’s Rocky Ride, in The Law and Policy of Biofuels (Yves Le Boutillier, Annie Cowie, Paul Martin, & Heather McLeod-Kilmurray, eds., 2016).
Is that All There Is? The Surprising Value of Unenforceable Local Climate Action Plans, in Rethinking Sustainable Development to Meet the Climate Change Challenge (Jessica Owley & Keith Hirokawa, eds., 2015).
Energy Insecurity in an Era of Fossil Fuel Abundance: The United States Experience with Hydraulic Fracturing for Unconventional Gas, in Perspectives on Energy Security and Renewable Energies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Regulatory Challenges and Practical Opportunities (Oliver C. Ruppel & Berrnd Althusmann, eds., 2015).
Facilitating The U.S. Renewable Transition: From Ad Hoc Integration to Comprehensive Reform, 6 IUCN Academy of Environmental Law e-Journal 22 (2015).
Citizen Suits in U.S. Environmental Law: An Overview and Assessment, 11 Envtl. L. & Pol’y 125 (2013).
Sustainable Energy Subsidies, 43 Envtl. L. 211 (2013).
Small is (Still) Beautiful: Designing U.S. Energy Policies to Increase Localized Renewable Energy Generation, 30 Wis. Int’l L. J 595 (2012).
United States Municipal Climate Plans: What Role Will Cities Play in Climate Change Mitigation?, in Local Climate Change Law: Environmental Regulation in Cities and other Localities (Benjamin J. Richardson, ed., 2012).
King Corn: Will the Renewable Fuel Standard Eventually End Corn Ethanol’s Reign?, 11 Vt. J. Envtl. L. 667 (2010).
The Cost of Coal: Climate Change and the End of Coal as a Source of “Cheap” Electricity, 12 U. Pa. J. Bus. L. 407 (2010).
Integrating the Clean Air Act with Cap-and-Trade, 37 Rutgers L. Rec. 150 (2010).
The New U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard: Slow Movements Towards Sustainability, 1 IUCN Academy of Environmental Law E-Journal 1 (2010).
Symposium Introduction, Greening the Grid: Building a Legal Framework for Carbon Neutrality, 39 Envtl. L. 927 (2009) (with Duncan Delano).
Land Use Regulation versus Property Rights: What Oregon’s Recent Battles Could Mean for Sustainable Governance, in Governance for Sustainability: Issues, Challenges and Successes (eds. Klaus Bosselman, Ron Engel, & Prue Taylor, eds., 2008).
Avoiding Dam Breaching Through Offsite Mitigation: NMFS’s 2000 Biological Opinion on the Columbia Basin Hydroelectric Operations, 32 Envtl. L. 241 (2002) (with Michael C. Blumm).
The Spirit of the Salmon: How the Tribal Restoration Plan Could Restore Columbia Basin Salmon, 30 Envtl. L. 867 (2000).
White Papers and Reports
Building Decarbonization and Local Government Codes, Center for Progressive Reform (forthcoming 2026) (with multiple co-authors).
The Risks of Unlimited Banked Allowances in a Cap-and-Trade Program, Green Energy Institute (2019).
Taking Charge: Developing an Effective Climate and Energy Governance Framework for Oregon, Green Energy Institute (2017) (with Amelia Schlusser, Andrea Clifford, Ed Jewell, & Joni Sliger).
The Clean Power Plan: Issues to Watch, Center for Progressive Reform (2015) (with William Buzbee, David Driesen, Kirsten Engel, Victor Flatt, Robert Glicksman, Alice Kaswan, Alexandra Klass, Thomas McGarity, & Joseph Tomain).
Countdown to 2050: Sharpening Oregon’s Climate Change Tools, Green Energy Institute (2015) (with Amelia Schlusser, Andrea Lang, Celina Bonugli, & Socratesse Djemba).
International Renewable Electricity Standards: Concept Paper, Green Energy Institute (July 2014).
Book Reviews, Short Essays, and Blogs
A Blue-Sky Future Owned by Private Equity?, Envtl. L. Collab. (Apr. 1, 2026), https://www.environmental-law-collaborative.com/blog-4-1/elc-2025-blog-3. (with Kristen van de Biezenbos).
Consuming Our Way to Clean Energy, Envtl. L. Prof. Blog (2023).
Electricity at 4oC, Envtl. L. Prof. Blog (2021).
Book Review of The Third Pillar of International Climate Change Policy: On ‘Loss and Damage’ after the Paris Agreement edited by Morten Broberg & Beatriz Martinez Romera, 10 Trans. Envtl. L. (forthcoming 2021).
Environmental Law. Disrupted., 49 Envtl. L. Rep. 10038 (2019) (part of a collected work of essays).
Book Review Review of Transnational Environmental Regulation and Governance: Purpose, Strategies and Principles by Veerle Heyvaert, 8 Trans. Envtl. L. 575 (2019).
Designing Law to Prevent Runaway Climate Change, Envtl. L. Prof. Blog (Nov. 14, 2018), https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2018/11/designing-law-to-prevent-runaway-climate-change.html.
Book Review of Why Environmental Policies Fail by Jan Laitos, 7 Transnational Envtl. L. (2018).
Essay, Juliana v. United States and our Zero-Sum Climate System, 47 Envtl. L. Rep. 10328 (2017) (part of a collected work of essays), also at Envtl. L. Prof. Blog (Dec. 16, 2016), https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/environmental_law/2016/12/elc-essay-13-juliana-v-united-states-and-our-zero-sum-climate-system.html.
Reforming ODOE Will Benefit Everyone, Green Energy Institute Charged Debate (Jul. 24, 2017), https://greenenergyinstitute.blogspot.com/2017/07/reforming-odoe-will-benefit-everyone.html.
Dispatches from COP22: Envisioning International Climate Policy in the Trump Era, Green Energy Institute Charged Debate (Nov. 14, 2016), https://greenenergyinstitute.blogspot.com/2016/11/dispatches-from-cop22-envisioning.html.
The Risks of Opting Out of the Clean Power Plan for Western States, part of a Symposium publication, Transmission and Transport of Energy in the Western U.S. and Canada: A Law and Policy Road Map, 52 Idaho L. Rev. 406 (2016) (essay).
It’s Not (All) About the Money, Green Energy Institute Charged Debate (Dec. 15, 2015), https://greenenergyinstitute.blogspot.com/2015/12/its-not-all-about-money.html.
Will More Bad Investments Follow the Failed SONGS Upgrades?, Green Energy Institute Charged Debate (Dec. 1, 2014), https://greenenergyinstitute.blogspot.com/2014/12/will-more-bad-investments-follow-failed.html.
The Fifth Circuit Eviscerated PURPA in Texas, Green Energy Institute Charged Debate (Sep. 23, 2014), https://greenenergyinstitute.blogspot.com/2014/10/the-fifth-circuit-eviscerated-purpa-in.html.
Making Sustainability Count, 43 Envtl. L. Rep. 10342 (2013) (part of a collected work of essays).
Country Report: USA, Climate Change in the Supreme Court, 3 IUCN Academy of Environmental Law e-Journal 245 (2012) (essay).
United States Country Report: Developments in Climate Change Law, 1 IUCN Academy of Environmental Law E-Journal (2010) (essay).
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
Academic Presentations
Reviving Climate Federalism Through Climate Superfund Laws, Lewis & Clark Environmental Symposium, Portland, OR (Apr. 2025)
Electrifying Everything, Pan-Pacific Sustainability Scholars Workshop, University of Utah Law School, Salt Lake City, UT (Jan. 2025)
Decarbonization Takings?, Lightning Works-in-Progress Presentation, Natural Resources Law Teachers’ Meeting, Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL), Estes Park, CO (May 2024)
The People v. “Big Oil,”, Natural Resources Law Teachers’ Meeting, Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (FNREL), Estes Park, CO (May 2024)
Electrifying Everything Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Lewis & Clark Faculty Colloquium, Portland, OR (Apr. 2024)
The Curse of AgriBigness, Lewis & Clark Environmental Symposium, Portland, OR (Apr. 2024)
The Uncertain Future of Distributed Energy Resources, Texas A&M Energy Symposium (Mar. 2024)
Electrifying Everything Through the Inflation Reduction Act, University of Colorado Works-in-Progress Workshop, online (Oct. 2023)
The Future of Energy? IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, Joensuu University, Finland (July 2023).
The Role of Hydrogen in Meeting NDCs: The US Perspective, Kangwon National University symposium, Chuncheon, Korea (May 2023) (remote participation)
The Gas Sector’s Risky Water Gambit, Energy Law Scholars’ Workshop, Berkeley, CA (May 2023)
Clean Electrification in the Wake of Climate Disasters, University of Iowa/Environmental Law Collaborative Symposium, Iowa City, IA (Apr. 2023)
Breaking Gas Lock-in Through the Inflation Reduction Act, Texas A&M Symposium, Fort Worth, TX (Feb. 2023)
Energy Justice Under the Inflation Reduction Act, University of Miami Symposium, Miami, FL (Feb. 2023)
Energy Justice as Gas Death Spirals, University of Minnesota Works-in-Progress Workshop, Minneapolis, MN (Sept. 2022)
Energy Justice as Gas Death Spirals, Vermont Environmental Law Scholarship Colloquium, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT (Sept. 2022)
Jurisdictional Barriers to Climate Litigation, ComplianceNET Conference, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL (July 2022)
The Future of Climate Change Standing, University of Colorado Works-in-Progress Workshop, Boulder, CO (Aug. 2021).
Facing the Worst Climate Case: The Role of Law, Environmental Law Collaborative Meeting, Colorado Springs, CO (July 2021) (joint presentation).
Natural Gas Lock-in, Environmental Professors Works-in-Progress Workshop (organized by Mike Pappas, University of Maryland) (Apr. 2021).
Beyond Gas, University of Kansas Clean Energy Symposium, Lawrence, KS (Oct. 2020).
The Limits of Forest and Agricultural Offsets in Emissions Trading Programs, Lewis & Clark Animal Law Conference, Portland, OR (Oct. 2020).
The U.S. Energy Transition: Lurching Towards Decarbonization?, Korea Legislation Research Institute, Seoul, Korea (Nov. 2019).
Teaching Climate Change Law Without Despair, Vermont Environmental Law Teaching Conference, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT (June 2019).
Stranded Assets, The Energy Transition, and Sustainable Development Goals, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Aug. 2019).
Climate Litigation in the Trump Era, Keynote Lecture, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Natural Resource Law Teachers’ Institute, Missoula, MT (May 2019).
Competitive Transmission Development, Environmental Law Symposium, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Apr. 2019).
Energy Policy Panel Discussion, Texas Environmental Law Journal Symposium, University of Texas, Austin, TX (Mar. 2019).
Federal Environmental and Natural Resource Laws: Where Do We Go from Here?, Environmental Law Collaborative Workshop, Essex, MA (July 2018) (joint presentation).
The End of Coal in the United States, Kangwon National University Coal Workshop, Chuncheon, South Korea (July 2018).
Effective Energy Governance in an Age of Transition, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland (July 2018).
Electricity and the Trump Administration, Environmental Law Under the Trump Administration Symposium, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Apr. 2018).
Energy Law & Policy in the Age of Trump, Center for Progressive Reform, San Diego, CA (January 2018).
The Western Energy Transition: A Strategic Way Forward, Women in Energy Symposium, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO (Oct. 2017).
Teaching Comparative Climate Change Law, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Natural Resources Law Teachers’ Institute, Banff, Canada (May 2017) (panel discussion).
Oregon’s Energy Governance, Green Business Initiative Symposium, University of Oregon, Portland, OR (Apr. 2017).
Quick Fixes or Real Remedies? Faculty Colloquium, Cardozo Law School, New York, NY (Mar. 2017).
Local Climate Law: Lessons from Portland, Municipal Climate Law Symposium, University of Connecticut, Hartford, CT (Mar. 2017).
An Inclusive Energy Transition, Clean Energy Symposium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (Feb. 2017).
Grid Access in the West, Western Energy Transition Symposium, University of San Diego, San Diego, CA (Nov. 2016).
Energy Governance in an Age of Transition, Energy Transition Workshop, Oxford University and University of Minnesota, Oxford, England, UK (July 2016).
Standing and Climate Change, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Oslo, Norway (June 2016).
The Risks and Opportunities of a State Measures Approach under the Clean Power Plan, Road to Paris Workshop, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (Oct. 2015).
Is that All There Is?: The Surprising Value of Unenforceable Local Climate Action Plans, Sustainability Conference of American Legal Educators, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, (May 2015).
The Electricity Transition: What the United States and European Union Can Teach Each Other, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain (Mar. 2015).
Renewable Energy Policy in Denmark: Lessons for Europe and the United States, Fulbright Annual Meeting, U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium (Feb. 2015).
The Transformation of the U.S. Electricity System, University of Copenhagen, Denmark (Oct. 2014).
The Great Beyond: The ‘Beyond Coal’ Campaign & Transformation of the U.S. Electricity System, Environmental Law Association, Johannesburg, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
Understanding the U.S. Legal System, Northwest University, Potchefstroom, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
Water Rights, Water Wrongs, and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
You Can’t Have it All: The False Promises of the U.S. ‘All-of-the-Above’ Energy Policy, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
International Renewable Electricity Standards: Breaking the Climate Logjam and Expanding Renewable Power Across the Globe, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
The U.S. Experience with Hydraulic Fracturing, University of Cape Town, South Africa (Oct. 2014).
International Renewable Electricity Standards: Breaking the Climate Logjam and Expanding Renewable Power Across the Globe, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain (July 2014).
Don’t Believe the Hype: The Limits of U.S. Feed-in Tariffs under PURPA, University of San Diego Law School, San Diego, CA (Nov. 2013).
Water Quality Protection and Energy Exports: A Proxy Battle Over Offshore Carbon Emissions?, Symposium, University of Richmond Law School, Richmond, VA (Oct. 2013).
The Rise of Renewables: Completing the Transition to Renewable Power, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand (June 2013).
The Fallacy of An “All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy, Faculty Colloquium, University of Santa Clara Law School, Santa Clara, CA (Feb. 2013).
The Fallacy of An “All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy, Environmental Scholarship Colloquium, Vermont Law School, Royalton, VT (Oct. 2012).
Climate Change Law, 2012 Environmental and Natural Resources Law Seminar, Federal Judicial Center and Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Sept. 2012).
The Fallacy of An “All-of-the-Above” Energy Policy, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Baltimore, MD (July 2012).
Generations of Environmental Law, AALS Mid-Year Meeting, Berkeley, CA (June 2012).
Small is (Still) Beautiful, Designing U.S. Energy Policies to Promote Local Renewable Energy Generation, Wisconsin International Law Journal Symposium, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (Mar. 2012).
U.S Municipal Climate Plans: What Role Will Cities Play?, Workshop on Local Climate Law, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Oct. 2011).
Climate Change Law, 2011 Environmental and Natural Resources Law Seminar, Federal Judicial Center and Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR. (Sept. 2011).
Power from the People, Local Energy Production, Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation Symposium: The Local Revolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (Sept. 2011).
Grandfathered Imbalance, Environmental Law Professors Scholarship Colloquium, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT (Sept. 2011).
Clean Water Act Permitting Integrity and the Avoidance of Regulatory Capture, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, South Africa (July 2011).
Reconsidering Renewable Fuels: Designing Renewable Fuels Standards that Will Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Protect the Food Supply, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law and University of Ottawa Biofuels Conference, Ontario, Canada (June 2011).
Power from the People: Distributed Generation, State Power, and Federal Preemption, Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation, Natural Resources Law Teachers Institute, Stevens, WA (May 2011).
Grandfathered Injustice, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Human Rights and the Environment Workshop, University of Ghent, Belgium (June 2010).
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: The Federal Courts’ Role in Preventing the Spread of Invasive Species, Colloquium, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, University of Ghent, Belgium (June 2010).
Domestic Efforts to Pass Climate Change Legislation, Southeastern Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, Palm Beach, FL (June 2010).
U.S. Biofuels Policy, Biofuels Workshop, York University, Toronto, Canada (May. 2010).
Closing Remarks, Clean Air Act at a Crossroads Conference, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Apr. 2010).
Grandfathered Injustice, Lewis & Clark Law School Faculty Colloquium, Portland, OR (Mar. 2010).
King Corn: Will the Renewable Fuel Standard Eventually End Corn Ethanol’s Reign?, Vermont Law School, South Royalton, VT (Feb. 2010).
Copenhagen Climate Negotiations, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Jan. 2010).
The New U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Biofuels Workshop, Wuhan, China (Nov. 2009).
Constitutional Limitations of Regional Cap-and-Trade Agreements, University of Oregon Climate Change Symposium, Eugene, OR (Oct. 2009).
The Cost of Coal: Climate Change and the End of Coal as a Source of “Cheap” Electricity, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (Sept. 2009).
Fuel, Food and Farms: U.S. Biofuels Policy and the Food Crisis, IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium, Mexico City, Mexico (June 2008).
Beyond Cap and Trade: Embracing Technology-Based Standards in the Development of an Effective, Efficient, and Enforceable Climate Change Law, IUCN Academy of Law Colloquium, Paraty, Brazil, (July 2007).
Down From the Mountain: The Uncertain Future of the Mountaintop Mining ‘Fill Rule’ in Light of Southeast Alaska Conservation Council v. United State Army Corps of Engineers, University of Maine School of Law Faculty Scholarship Exchange, Portland, ME (Apr. 2007).
Mechanisms for Public Involvement in Environmental Compliance Enforcement, IUCN Academy of Law Colloquium, White Plains, NY (Oct. 2006).
Lessons from the Montreal Protocol: How the Successes and Failures of the Treaty Governing Ozone Depleting Substances May Inform Future International Climate Change Agreements, IUCN Academy of Law Colloquium, Sydney, Australia (July, 2005).
Selected Recent Public and Bar Presentations
The Implications of Loper Bright on the Energy System, Energy in the West Seminar, Seattle, WA (Jan. 2025).
Annual SCOTUS Review/Preview, American Constitution Society CLE (October 2024)
The Future of Deference in Environmental Law Post-Chevron, Oregon State Bar Environmental & Natural Resources Section Annual CLE (October 2024)
Recent Supreme Court Rulings and the Future of Environmentalism, Voices for the West Series, Advocates for the West (September 2024)
The Year of Climate Whiplash, Environmental and Energy Law Society, University of Minnesota Law School, Minneapolis, MN (Nov. 2022)
Accountability for Climate Change Harms in the Pacific Northwest, Panel Moderator, Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Mar. 2021).
Climate Protection Policies and Strategies: Where Do We Go From Here?, Air Quality and Climate Change Conference, Portland, OR (Mar. 2021).
Natural Gas Lock-In, Clean Energy Transition: Quitting Fossil Gas, Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Apr. 2021).
100% Renewable Targets, Buying and Selling Electric Power, Law Seminars International, Seattle, WA (Jan. 2020).
End-Goal Energy Planning, presentation to the Northwest Power Planning and Conservation Council, Portland, OR (Aug. 2019).
Roadblocks on the Pathway to 100% Renewable Energy, Oregon’s Clean Energy Future Conference, Portland, OR (May 2019).
1.5°C or Bust? Oregon’s Climate and Energy Progress, Presentation at the University Club, Portland, OR (Mar. 2019).
Introductory Remarks, The West’s Clean Energy Transition Conference, Green Energy Institute at Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Feb. 2019).
Federal Energy Litigation Update, University of Texas Renewable Energy CLE, Austin, TX (Jan. 2019).
Swamp Ethics: An Examination of Trump’s Environmental and Energy Cabinet Members Through an Oregon Ethical Lens, Green Energy Institute, Portland, OR (May 2018).
Transportation and Climate Change, Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (Mar. 2018).
What Clean Energy Advocates Need to Know about PURPA, Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR (Mar. 2018)
Climate and Energy, Hot Topics Conservations, Sustainability Council, Lewis & Clark College, Portland, OR (Feb. 2018).
Energy Governance and Way Forward, Re-energizing the West Conference, Green Energy Institute, Lewis & Clark Law School, Portland, OR (Oct. 2017).
The Implications of Rescinding the Clean Power Plan, Oregon Utility and Telecommunications Section, Oregon State Bar, Portland, OR (May 2017).
What Trump Means for the BPA, Presentation to Bonneville Power Administration lawyers (Mar. 2017).
(Earlier presentations available upon request)
Community Service
Northwest Environmental Defense Center, Board Member (2001-2020)
Multnomah County Advisory Committee on Sustainability and Innovation, Member (2016-2021)
BAR ADMISSIONS
Oregon State Bar
United States District Court for the District of Oregon
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and District of Columbia
United States Supreme Court
Other Interests
Cycling, pottery, traveling, and gardening.