Skip to main content

Institute for Energy and the Environment

Layout Builder

Energy and the environment are inextricably linked. An enormous proportion of Earth’s environmental issues stem from energy usage. If you care about the environment, energy policy is the single most important influence; and if you care about energy, environmental externalities are the most important constraint. Perhaps no environmental or economic challenge is more important today than our need to expeditiously transition to a low-carbon future.

Our quest for knowledge covers a wide spectrum of disciplines—including law, science, engineering, finance, public policy, and economics. Meanwhile, career opportunities continue to expand with the rapid growth of solar and offshore wind development; the electrification of our transportation system; and new clean distributed opportunities in storage, demand response, efficiency, and renewables.

Students who participate in Vermont Law and Graduate School’s (VLGS) Institute for Energy and the Environment (IEE) partake in cutting-edge research, analysis, and advocacy. These in-demand skills prepare students and graduates to make a transformative impact on both the environment and the global economy.

VLGS leads the nation in equipping students for the clean energy transition. Our energy law and policy program offers the largest selection of clean energy courses, esteemed experiential learning opportunities in renewable energy, new clean transportation classes and research options, and seamless integration with a world-class environmental law and policy program— including unparalleled climate law course offerings.

Our Institute for Energy and the Environment is a renowned resource—nationally and globally—focused on the energy policy of the future. The institute combines a research associate program, which serves as a center for graduate research on the transition to a clean energy future, with a vibrant student-staffed energy clinic, which works on legal and business models for community energy development. Our unique year-round  Energy Clinic  works on the cutting edge of renewable energy development, including powering VLGS with over 50% local solar energy.

Can the institute help you, your organization, or your enterprise? Join us through our leading, hands-on residential curriculum in beautiful central Vermont; through our unique online curriculum; or through our distinct short-course options during the stunning summer season. The IEE team and its network of alumni look forward to sharing the skills and knowledge that will help you succeed. Together, let’s build a better tomorrow!

See the impact our graduates are having on the clean energy transition.

IEE group photo

 At the IEE we focus on the energy policy of the future. Please join us! 

Eaton House

The IEE Research and Energy Clinic teams continue their work on the important issues of clean transportation, climate justice, community solar ownership and cybersecurity policy. Our year-old Farm and Energy Initiative addresses the interrelated issues of agriculture and energy sustainability. Learn more about what we do and how you can come join us and shape the energy policy of the future.

Curricular Opportunities

Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School
Institute for Energy and the Environment
Students work on energy projects that resolve energy policy challenges in a sustainable and fair way for the Vermont community and the world. 
Energy Law
Energy Law Specialization
VLGS courses and clinics consider the relationship between energy and the environment in the context of its legal, scientific, commercial and human implications.
Energy Law Certificate, Vermont Law School
Energy Law Concentration
The concentration in Energy Law involves study of the law and policy relating to renewable energy development and the environmental problems associated with traditional energy production.​
JD/LLM Joint Degree in Energy Law, Vermont Law School
JD/LLM Joint Degree in Energy Law
Earn both a Juris Doctor (JD) and an LLM in Energy Law in less time than is required to obtain each degree separately.
LLM in Energy Law, Vermont Law School
LLM in Energy Law
Designed for students who have already earned a law degree and wish to pursue intensive study and training in the field of energy law.
Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL), Vermont Law School
Master of Energy Regulation and Law (MERL)
Focuses on law and policy governing energy use, production, and transmission.
Online Learning (Distance Learning), Vermont Law and Graduate School academics
Online Learning
Earn a law degree online with VLGS or take courses as a non-degree seeking student.