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Our Environmental Law program is ranked #4 among public law schools and #12 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


Sympathy alone cannot close the water gap in Indian Country

Sep 28, 2023

Yesterday the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing on tribal access to water—a neglected issue that is increasingly recognized but still unaddressed. […]

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Wallace Stegner Center and EDI team up for Latinx Heritage Month

Sep 05, 2023

The Wallace Stegner Center kicks off the year in a collaboration with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at Utah Law on Sept. 7 in a […]

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Compassion: A Prerequisite for Calm, Curiosity, and Creativity When Dealing with Conflict

Sep 01, 2023

My past blogs have made the case that three basic ingredients are key to making conflict productive: calm, curiosity, and creativity.  If making conflict productive […]

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Determining the reasonableness of permitting timeframes: Lessons from the Canadian criminal justice system

Aug 28, 2023

It has been almost a year since Senator Manchin thrust the phrase “permit reform” onto center stage, arguing that the permitting process for energy projects […]

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