ENVIRONMENTAL LAW UNDER TRUMP.

• Author: Manahan, Kacy
• Position: SYMPOSIUM

The inauguration of President Donald J. Trump marked the beginning of an uncommon era in national politics. Over the past year and a half, keeping abreast of unpredictable and sudden developments in foreign policy, immigration, civil rights, and the environment has caused the American public to experience whiplash. The Trump Administration's environmental policies are not only hard to follow, they are difficult to predict. At Environmental Law's Spring 2018 symposium--Environmental Law Under Trump--scholars and practicing attorneys emphasized the unprecedented nature of the Trump Administration's policies. Among the extensively experienced and highly knowledgeable speakers and guests, a consensus emerged that the field of environmental law is now in uncharted territory. The abandonment of science-based decision making, the push to deregulate across the board (especially where the Obama Administration made regulatory progress), and an animosity toward environmental public interest groups are all characteristics of the Trump Administration that surfaced throughout the symposium like a refrain.

This issue contains scholarship from select speakers in attendance at the symposium. Professor Dave Owen examines the current state of compensatory mitigation policies and explains why leaders in conservative thought have recently turned against this method of compromise between development interests and environmental...