Program continues in its mission despite attacks and uncertainty.

By Virginia Holt, for the Community News Service

A key environmental program at Vermont’s only law school is figuring out how to respond to challenges posed by the new Trump Administration.

On one hand, there are threats to the rule of law, said Christophe Courchesne, interim director of the Environmental Law Center at Vermont Law and Graduate School.

“There are extraordinary efforts to punish lawyers and law firms for representing clients that are disfavored by this administration,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said, “It’s a challenging time for the priorities of climate change, climate action and environmental justice.”

Like many higher education institutions in America, Vermont Law and Graduate School faces financial uncertainty, with federal funding cuts to education. 

“Every higher education institution exists because our students can have access to federal aid, as Congress has required that,” Courchesne said. “Threats to that could be extremely damaging and devastating for higher education overall, including Vermont Law and Graduate School.”

In addition, he said the school benefits from some federal grants which may be threatened by the new Administration. (He declined to give details.) 

Part of what helps the Environmental Law Center rank so high nationally is its plethora of programs, according to Courchesne. These differing centers are direct participants in the communities they serve. 

“We’re trying to live up to our motto; “Law for the community and the world,” Courchesne said. 

Among these public interest centers is the Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE). The IEE runs a consulting group in which law and graduate students, overseen by licensed attorneys, work to bring local communities affordable renewable energy, as well as other services.

All this is threatened by the end of clean energy subsidies under the Trump Administration, said Mark James, interim director for the Institute for Energy and the Environment.

“A lot of what we do makes sense because of federal tax credit,” he said.

Currently, the IEE is assisting in the Salisbury Square Development in Randolph. The project includes a microgrid to provide the area with electricity and battery storage, as well as charging stations for electric vehicles.

Students are giving advice on bylaw updates and zoning changes so the project can have priority access for certain state funds, according to James. It’s unclear what the future of those tax credits look like.

“That is an issue that we are closely following as we plan out how we will be working with communities in the future,” James said.

In addition, the changing job market has made it more difficult for graduates to find work.

“We’ve had students who have lost externship opportunities this summer with the federal government,” James said. “That definitely concerns me.”

That’s similar to the experience of Isaiah Gonzales, a third year student at Vermont Law and Graduate School.

“I had received an offer from the Attorney General’s honors program through the Department of Justice and that was rescinded because of an executive order on the federal hiring freeze,” Gonzales said. 

Fortunately, he was able to find work in a field he is passionate about.

“I was able to pivot and now I’ll be a public defender assisting with immigration cases,” Gonzales said.

Job scarcity is not confined to the public sector. In these financially uncertain times, private companies are not always looking to add new employees.

“We have seen hiring freezes in the private sector just as they try and sort out what the economy is going to look like,” James said.

Despite these challenges, students and faculty at the Environmental Law Center say they remain resolute in their public interest mission. They persist as a convener of discussion among scholars, practitioners and students, according to Courchesne.

Just recently, the student-run Vermont Journal of Environmental Law held a symposium called Climate Justice LIVE. The symposium discussed the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities. Gonzales organized the event.

“Moments like these are where we shine, because there’s a major focus,” Courchesne said.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship