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S.J. Quinney College of Law

Research Fellows Program Update

Posted on September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 by Chad Johnson

The Stegner Center’s Research Fellows Program was founded in 2012 to provide objective legal and policy analysis regarding the environmental and natural resource issues facing Utah and the West. During the 2014-15 academic year, Research Program faculty analyzed whether environmental impact statements result in reduced environmental impacts, finding statistically significant reductions in environmental impacts that could not be explained by other causal factors. We also found that impact reduction occurs without a statistically significant reduction in economic benefits. Our results will appear in the George Washington Journal of Energy & Environmental Law. Research Program faculty also authored three chapters for a forthcoming book on oil shale development in Utah, addressing legal concerns involving land, water, and air quality related values.

Research Program faculty also published two papers on Utah’s Transfer of Public Lands Act. These papers show that the federal government has the authority to retain public lands in federal ownership indefinitely, and that the federal government is not obligated to dispose of public lands within Utah — beyond the 18.7 million acres within Utah that have already been conveyed out of federal ownership. Arguments that the federal government is a poor manager do not change these legal realities or provide states with a legally cognizable right to demand land transfers. Furthermore, if states prevail in their takeover efforts, resource extraction would most likely increase dramatically because the states will face millions of dollars in new management costs.

A forthcoming paper will explain how a state public lands takeover would make Endangered Species Act compliance — and development project permitting — more difficult and expensive, thereby harming the state economy. A second paper concludes that the targeted public lands are subject to broad federal mineral reservations that would necessitate parcel-by-parcel litigation and severely limit a state’s ability to generate new revenue. Our final paper on the transfer of public lands recommends ways to improve resource stewardship while avoiding protracted litigation.

The Stegner Center’s Research Program is made possible by the generous support of:

Principal Sponsors:
The AHE/CI Trust
The ESRR Endowment Fund
The Turner Foundation
Program Supporters:

The 444S Foundation, the Comstock Foundation, the Dorsey & Whitney Foundation, the Kendeda Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Partnership Project, and the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation.

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Stegner Newsletter - Fall 2015

Director’s Message

  • Director’s Letter

News of Note

  • Stegner Center Celebrates 20th Anniversary
  • College of Law Climbs Seven Spots in 2016 U.S. News Rankings; Rated 7th Nationally For Environmental Law
  • College of Law Celebrates Grand Opening of New Building
  • Stegner Center’s White Paper on Transfer of Public Lands Movement Generates Media Coverage
  • ESRR Endowment Fund for the Wallace Stegner Center
  • College of Law Receives  Endowment Fund for Fellowships in Environmental and Natural Resources Law

Stegner Center Events

  • Stegner Center 21st Annual Symposium: “Green Infrastructure and Resilient Cities: New Challenges and New Solutions”
  • Dave Owen Joins Stegner Center as 11th Annual Young Scholar
  • S.J. Quinney College of Law Hosts RMMLF 2015 Annual Institute
  • Stegner Center 2015-2016 Events
  • Stegner Center Events: The 2014 to 2015 Year in Review

Faculty News

  • Faculty Updates
  • Professor Robin Craig elected a Member of American Law Institute
  • College of Law Faculty Score Three of the Top Six Environmental Law Articles for 2014
  • Professor Davies Named James I. Farr Professor of Law
  • Professor Davies Co-Authors New Casebook on Energy Law and Policy

Program Update

  • Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
  • College of Law Welcomes Danya Rumore as New Associate Director of EDRP
  • Research Fellows Program Update
  • Environmental Law Clinic Update

Student News

  • Behles Fellow Program
  • Stegner Center Student Scholarship Recipients and Writing Awards
  • Stegner Center Team Competes Admirably in 2015 National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition in New York
  • Stegner Center Sponsors Student Team at National Energy Law & Sustainability Moot Court Competition
  • 2L Jonathon Green Awarded RMMLF Scholarship, Places 2nd in ABA SEER Writing Competition
  • Rising 2L James Owen Reflects on Awards, Shares Application Tips

Donors

  • Stegner Center Donors 2014 to 2015 Fiscal Year
  • Stegner Center Green Building Fund Donors
  • The S. J. and Jessie E. Quinney Legacy
  • Appeal for Donations
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