The University of Miami School of Law's Environmental Law Program and Robert Traurig-Greenberg Traurig LL.M. in Real Property Development hosted an event, "Wetlands Law: Emerging Trends and Challenges," on Friday, November 3, 2023.
The participants examined developments in wetlands law at the local, national, and international levels and include experts on the Florida Everglades, including Kelly Cox, director of Everglades Policy at the National Audubon Society, and Edward Ornstein, special counsel on Environmental Affairs for the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida.
"Wetlands law is playing a significant role in broader environmental issues," said Jessica Owley, director of Miami Law's Environmental Law Program. "In the recent Sacket v. EPA case, the Supreme Court looked at wetlands law to consider broader ideas of governmental protection of the environment. At the international level, the wetlands treaty (the Ramsar Convention) is helping to get environmental protection issues before the international courts."
The Environmental Law Program Distinguished Lecture Series brings leading thinkers to campus to discuss pressing and novel legal issues. The University of Miami School of Law established this lecture series to create a dynamic exchange between students, faculty, researchers, and activists shaping environmental law today. Each year, a panel of experts gather to engage in an area of environmental regulation from multiple angles.
The environmental law program is also introducing a one-week Everglades law field course in January, taught by Cox, J.D. '16, who is also a lecturer at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. The class seeks to develop and foster critical thinking skills, legal analysis abilities, a comprehensive understanding of environmental law and policy related to the Everglades, and legal synthesis and writing skills.
The RPD program offers a short course, Wetlands Regulations and Permitting, exploring federal regulation impacts on wetlands and other waters associated with real property development.
Read more about environmental law at Miami Law.
