LW348

This course introduces you at a sophisticated level to natural resources law and policy. We first develop an overall framework for understanding the vast array of natural resources subfields -- explicitly considering the substantive goals of the law, the means that may be chosen to implement the substantive goals, how we allocate the power to choose those goals and means, and the processes used to make such decisions. Our framework includes a consideration of the role of law, policy, economics and technical expertise. Next we explore how environmental and natural resources law and policy approaches the problem of nature conservation, sometimes referred to as protecting biodiversity. Then, we examine how environmental and natural resources law structures management of economic resources (e.g. water, fisheries, mineral resources) as well as significant legal doctrines that affect both biodiversity conservation and economic resource utilization (e.g. the public trust doctrine and constitutional takings doctrine).

All Years

Spring Semester