What’s Up with WOTUS: A Look at the Current WOTUS Definition and Recent Supreme Court Decision
Topic:
This webinar is the second in a two-part series taking a look at the critical Clean Water Act term “waters of the United States,” commonly referred to as WOTUS. The first webinar in this series provided an overview of what WOTUS is, and why it matters to agriculture. This second webinar will take a look at the current state of the WOTUS definition following a new rule from the Environmental Protection Agency and a recent ruling from the United States Supreme Court.
Time and Date:
Wednesday, July 19, 2023
Noon – 1 p.m. (EDT)
11 a.m. – Noon (CDT)
Participation:
View a Recording of the Webinar Here
Presenters:
Brigit began her life in Sonoma County, in the heart of California’s wine country. Growing up, she was surrounded by small farms, dairies, and wineries, which ultimately led to a passion for agriculture and the environment. She attended Sonoma State University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies, and a minor in studio arts. While at Sonoma State, Brigit studied different types of agricultural methods and how those methods could be used to promote environmental sustainability. After graduating from Sonoma State in 2015, she started as a law student at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. While at Lewis & Clark, she worked as a student clerk for the Western Resources Legal Center, where she worked on cases assisting small ranches, farms, and municipalities. During her time at Lewis & Clark, she also interned with the California Farm Bureau Federation, and worked as a law clerk for the Sacramento-based environmental law firm Somach Simmons & Dunn. While at the California Farm Bureau, Brigit focused on Environmental Species Act issues and water law issues, as well as issues specific to California. While at Somach Simmons & Dunn, Brigit expanded her work on water law and participated in work involving federal Indian law. On campus, Brigit was on the board of Lewis & Clark’s Food & Ag Law Society and served as a student member of the ABA Public Lands Committee. She is licensed to practice law in Oregon.
Brigit began her work at the Center as a research fellow during her second year of law school. As a research fellow, Brigit worked on a wide variety of agricultural law topics ranging from liability issues to the new frontier of lab-grown meat. In 2019, Brigit graduated from Lewis & Clark and joined the Center full-time. At the Center, her primary area of research and scholarship is environmental law as it intersects with agriculture. She maintains an interest in promoting sustainability and environmental health through agriculture and resource use.