Marine Policy & Law

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This program studies how marine policies and laws impact humans as well as understanding how human behavior affects coastal and ocean ecosystems. Special emphasis is placed on examining the interaction of coastal and marine constituencies and policy.

The Marine Policy and Law program examines how laws and regulations influence policy decisions affecting the environment, with a particular emphasis on the coastal and marine systems of the Gulf of Mexico. The team focuses on how laws impact human interactions with nature, such as planning resilient coastal communities; improving recreational access to natural resources; more effectively managing offshore energy resources; and working with partners in Mexico and Cuba to address transboundary environmental issues. Special emphasis is placed on collaborating with natural resource stakeholders in the Gulf of Mexico region to improve the application of policy to science and enhance sustainable management of these resources for future generations. 

The Marine Policy and Law program also provides a Law Fellowship. This unique opportunity enables an early-career attorney to work directly with the Chair of the the Department to enhance their environmental law portfolio, assisting with the department’s research as well as developing a coastal research project of their own. The Fellowship is distinct among legal positions as the Fellow will work with coastal and marine experts while focusing on law and policy.

Results of the program’s research are shared with the community in Third Coast Lines, a legal publication for non-lawyers, as well as via other outreach.  Subscribe to Third Coast Lines HERE.