Our Environmental Law program is ranked #3 among public law schools and #7 among all law schools in U.S. News & World Report, and rated A+ by PreLaw Magazine.
Named after the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and conservationist, the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources & the Environment offers students one of the top environmental and natural resources law programs in the United States. We also offer unparalleled access to the mountains, rivers, and desert landscapes that inspire us, and many students, to pursue environmental law.
Modern society has the power to profoundly alter our natural surroundings. From the carbon emissions of our fossil fuel-dependent economy to fragmentation of cultural and ecological landscapes through development, to conflicts over allocating scarce natural resources: we promote understanding of the relationship between environmental laws and social actions, the tradeoffs that we face in allocating scarce resources, and the opportunities to develop legal and policy institutions that can foster a more just, diverse, and equitable future.
The Stegner Center offers students a variety of educational opportunities, including a JD Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law, an LLM degree, numerous substantive law courses, an Environmental Dispute Resolution Program, a Law & Policy Program, and a variety of public events and speakers at the College of Law.
The Stegner Center boasts a talented and diverse team of faculty members who are working to shape environmental law and policy, and who are committed to involving students in that work. Our faculty members serve on local and national NGO boards and advisory committees, collaborate with state and federal government officials to improve environmental policies, and they advocate in the courtroom and legislative chambers.
At the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources & the Environment, we believe that well-conceived and carefully implemented laws and policies are the cornerstones of a just and equitable society, and we invite you to join us in that pursuit.
LATEST STEGNER CENTER NEWS
Professor Brigham Daniels interviewed by local media about endangered bird and its impact on Great Salt Lake conservation efforts
Apr 04, 2024Professor Brigham Daniels, director of the Great Salt Lake Project, was recently interviewed by The Salt Lake Tribune and ABC4 about the petition to protect the Wilson’s phalarope, a shorebird, under the Endangered Species Act.
Don’t give up your power when dealing with conflict
Apr 01, 2024Over my many years of doing conflict resolution and collaboration work, it has become very clear to me that we have a serious problem with power. People involved in conflict often describe themselves as powerless. Or they ask questions such as “How do you negotiate with people who have more power than you?” or “What do I do if they have all of the power?” Or they wonder how parties can collaborate when there are serious power imbalances.
Thinking beyond the law: Environmental Justice Clinic
Mar 04, 2024A new clinic at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney School of Law is training students to think beyond the law when it comes to matters of environmental justice.
Register now for the annual Wallace Stegner Symposium, held March 14-15, 2024
Mar 03, 2024At the 2024 Wallace Stegner Symposium held March 14-15—convened by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment—experts from a wide range of disciplines will explore the challenges of the global transition to carbon-neutral energy, along with related sustainability, environmental, and human health concerns.
The ESRR Endowment Fund for the