LAW & POLICY PROGRAM
Established in 2012, the Stegner Center’s Law and Policy program provides actionable and pragmatic research on emerging issues affecting public lands, agency decision-making, indigenous peoples, resource management, and climate change. We aim to provide real-time analysis that protects the environment and promotes a just and democratic society through wise and thoughtful policies.
Wallace Stegner Center faculty write letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to repeal BLM resource management plans
Sep 03, 2025Members of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment faculty joined law professors across the country Sept. 2 to ask Congress not to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal three Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource management plans.
Public lands are not “enclaves” and other errors in the report to Utah’s Legislative Commission on Federalism
Jul 15, 2025Earlier this year, the Utah’s Legislative Commission on Federalism released a report entitled “Jurisdiction Over Federal Areas Within the States. The report sets forth an expansive interpretation of state jurisdiction over federal lands that should be read with caution.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: March 5, 2025
Mar 05, 2025The 2025 Utah state legislative session is drawing to a close. Great Salt Lake is still far from being saved, but some progress has been made. Since our first legislative update, some bills relating to Great Salt Lake have passed, some are still expected to pass before the end of the session, and others have failed.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 18, 2025
Feb 18, 2025In hopes of demystifying the proposed legislation this session and its potential import, we will produce three legislative updates over the course of the 2025 session and analyze key bills that could impact the lake, either directly or indirectly.
The Law & Policy Team
PRINCIPAL SPONSORS
The ESRR Endowment Fund for the
Wallace Stegner Center
Wilburforce Foundation
The Law and Policy Program produces research under contract with various federal agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.S. State Department. We also depend on gifts and grants from generous supporters. The Stegner Center is solely responsible for the content of our research and the views expressed in our publications do not necessarily represent those of any governmental entity or funder. Donors exercise no substantive or editorial control over our research or recommendations.