Session 1: NEPA, ESA, and the Fundamentals of Environmental Law
The first session of ELI’s Summer School 2026 series introduces the framework of U.S. environmental law and highlights two of its oldest and primary statutes: the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA). NEPA established a national policy and means for carrying out protective environmental principles. It requires federal agencies to assess the environmental and related social and economic effects of proposed actions before making decisions. NEPA also established the White House Council on Environmental Quality to coordinate federal environmental efforts and work with other agencies on environmental policies and initiatives. The ESA is the United States’ principal law for protecting endangered species. Administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, the statute protects and recovers imperiled species deemed either “endangered” or “threatened” and the ecosystems on which they depend.
Join ELI and expert panelists as we kick off Summer School with this introduction to environmental law. Speakers will provide an overview of NEPA, ESA, and recent developments related to the two statutes.
Register for additional Summer School sessions here.
Panelists:
Margaret Von Rotz, Public Interest Environmental Law Fellow, Environmental Law Institute, Moderator
Jake Li, Vice President of Conservation Policy, Defenders of Wildlife
Jamie Pleune, Associate Professor of Law (Research), University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law
Materials:
Materials will be posted as they are received.
The public will have access to a recording of this session (usually posted within 3-5 business days). If you are not an ELI member but would like to have access to archived sessions like this one, see the many benefits of membership and how to join.