Recent News and Events

In 2009, President George W. Bush created three marine national monuments conserving and protecting over 195,000 square miles. These designations created environmental safeguards by prohibiting commercial fishing and the extraction of natural resources within the area.

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Plaintiffs sued the state of Mississippi for introducing private leasing of on-bottom oyster harvesting on public reefs. In 2023, the Mississippi Legislature passed a law to authorize the DMR to lease up to eighty percent of the state-owned reef permitted areas available.

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The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024-2025 Term was another important one for environmental law! The Court issued opinions in several cases with implications for the management of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources. In this webinar, the National Sea Grant Law Center will discuss in detail the court’s rulings related to the proper scope of environmental review under NEPA and a challenge to the EPA’s Clean Water Act permitting authority. We’ll also touch on a few smaller cases and revisit some major opinions from previous terms, such as Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, to see how the legal and regulatory system is responding. The webinar will conclude with a preview of the Court’s 2025-2026 term. The Law Center has applied to the Mississippi Commission on Continuing Legal Education for approval of this course for 1 hour of CLE credit.

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Starting an aquaculture farm requires significant investments of time and money. Pilot leasing or permitting pathways provide opportunities for operators to initiate farming on a smaller scale or explore different gear, species, or locations. Pilot programs can reduce the costs and risks associated with starting commercial aquaculture operations and generate valuable data and insights to guide agency decision-making. This webinar will provide an overview of state aquaculture pilot programs and explore how such frameworks can lower development hurdles, build social license to operate, and encourage environmental best practices.

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On May 29, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court announced its decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado, limiting the scope of review of environmental impacts under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

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The National Sea Grant Law Center welcomes Bradley Reimer for its 2025 Community Engaged Internship (CEI)! Bradley is a Legal Studies major at the University of Mississippi.

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The National Sea Grant Law Center is excited to welcome Summer Research Associate Savannah Schiebel, a graduate student at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. Savannah will be working with NSGLC to complete her thesis research, focusing on aquaculture policy and marine mammal interactions.

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The National Sea Grant Law Center is excited to welcome Summer Research Associate Ilinca Johnson, a 3L at Vermont Law School. Ilinca will take part in the Community Engaged Legal Internship Program, working with NSGLC and our project partners, Maine Sea Grant and The Nature Conservancy.

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This summer, the NSGLC is hosting two law student interns who are conducting research on shellfish restoration in Maine and PFAS regulation in the Southeast. In addition, the NSGLC is hosting an undergraduate policy intern participating in the Sea Grant’s Community Engaged Internship. In this webinar, the students will discuss their internship experiences and present findings from their research projects.

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The April 2025 issue of The SandBar has been published. The lead story is "How the CEQ Lost its Rulemaking Authority".

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