Vermont Law and Graduate School to Host Michigan University Expert

SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. (April 7, 2025) — A climate leader from Michigan will share her expertise at the 20th Annual Normal Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law hosted by Vermont Law and Graduate School on April 10.

Dr. Sarah Mills, director of the Center for EmPowering Communities at the University of Michigan’s Graham Sustainability Institute, will serve as speaker for the event.

Wind and solar projects may affect as much as 15% of the continental land area by the year 2050, the vast majority in rural areas. Mills will discuss the ways infrastructure and state policies related to siting and zoning authority, property taxes and utilities impact rural municipalities and the ability to deploy renewable solutions with community goals in mind.

Mills will lead the discussion on April 10 at 5 p.m., both in Oakes Hall Room 007 on campus and online via the Vermont Law and Graduate School YouTube channel. Learn more here.

The Norman Williams Distinguished Lecture in Land Use Planning and the Law series is named for Norman Williams, who came to Vermont Law and Graduate School in 1975 after a long and distinguished career in public service and teaching, particularly in the area of land use planning. Professor Williams played a key role in founding the Environmental Law Center. The lecture series is a gift of Frances Yates, former trustee of VLGS, in memory of Professor Williams, Charles Yates JD’93, and Anya Yates JD’94.

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Vermont Law and Graduate School, a private, independent institution, is home to a law school that offers ABA-accredited residential and online hybrid JD programs and a graduate school that offers master’s degrees and certificates in multiple disciplines, including programs offered by the Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment, the Center for Justice Reform and other graduate-level programs emphasizing the intersection of environmental justice, social justice and public policy. Both the law and graduate schools strongly feature experiential clinical and field work learning. For more information, visit vermontlaw.edu, Facebook and Instagram.