First biennial Environmental Law Symposium will discuss issues and intersections of environmental law

LAWRENCE — From the 1960s through the 1980s, Congress and the states established environmental, natural resources and energy laws largely on a medium-by-medium, resource-by-resource, sovereign-by-sovereign and/or place-by-place basis. A new scholarly event at the University of Kansas School of Law will cover ways that the United States might better address how these environmental laws and issues intersect.

Legal scholars and environmental advocates will gather March 6 in Lawrence to discuss these issues at the first biennial Environmental Law Symposium. The creation of this event was spearheaded by Robin Kundis Craig, the Robert A. Schroeder Distinguished Professor of Law at KU.

"The Nexus Symposium: Crosscutting Environmental Issues and Intersections" will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Green Hall. Check-in and breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.

“Specialty symposia are a great way to call attention to the law school's environmental law program, both by having scholars from all over the country come to our law school and by getting some great publications for our law review,” Craig said. “For this particular symposium, I hope that attendees get to hear about some intersections in the law that we don't usually talk about — the "nexus" issues that either need some work or where we're making progress.”

Register and preview the complete symposium schedule.

Event speakers:

• Cynthia Barnett, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications
• Robin Kundis Craig, KU School of Law
• Holly Doremus, University of California-Berkeley School of Law
• Robert Glicksman, George Washington University Law School
• Burke Griggs, Washburn University School of Law
• Lisa Heinzerling, Georgetown University Law Center
• James May, Washburn University School of Law
• Sharmila Murthy, Northeastern University School of Law
• Uma Outka, KU School of Law
• J.B. Ruhl, Vanderbilt University Law School.

This symposium brings together prominent environmental, natural resources and energy law scholars from across the United States to discuss their favorite legal intersections and cross-cutting issues. Topics range from the food system to public lands to multiple water nexuses to climate change tipping points.

“We are proud to offer students exceptional opportunities to study in this area of law and thrilled to be able to host nationally renowned environmental law scholars at KU Law in March,” said Uma Outka, William R. Scott Law Professor. “KU Law has a long tradition of excellence in environmental, energy and natural resources law. The launch of this symposium is the latest demonstration of this excellence and the law school’s commitment to continuing to build this program.”

Scholarship associated with the symposium will be published in a special issue of the Kansas Law Review.