Christopher Brooks
Senior Lecturer
The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
BIO
Christopher Brooks is an environmental attorney and educator with expertise in environmental law and policy. His research and teaching focuses on environmental problems at the intersection of land use and water quality. Much of his recent research relates to the scope of jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and how court decisions and federal regulatory actions impact the protection of wetlands in the United States. He is very interested in cooperative federalism and the evolving relationship between the federal government and the states in implementing, administering, and enforcing environmental policies.
Chris’s courses highlight the interdisciplinary nature of public policy so that students consider how law, science, politics, economics, and a myriad of social factors all interact to form the environment in which we live and the ways in which we live in it. His goal is to provide students with the fundamental knowledge needed to stimulate critical thinking about environmental problems and to connect students to the surrounding community through service learning projects that link abstract concepts to real world experience. Chris lives with his wife, two children, and dog in Middlebury, Vermont where he enjoys gardening, skiing, and exploring the Green Mountains.
Area(s) of expertise
Natural Resources; Sustainability, Ecology and Policy, Environmental policy, Land use planning, Watershed management and flood resiliency, Climate change mitigation and adaptation
Bio
Christopher Brooks is an environmental attorney and educator with expertise in environmental law and policy. His research and teaching focuses on environmental problems at the intersection of land use and water quality. Much of his recent research relates to the scope of jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act and how court decisions and federal regulatory actions impact the protection of wetlands in the United States. He is very interested in cooperative federalism and the evolving relationship between the federal government and the states in implementing, administering, and enforcing environmental policies.
Chris’s courses highlight the interdisciplinary nature of public policy so that students consider how law, science, politics, economics, and a myriad of social factors all interact to form the environment in which we live and the ways in which we live in it. His goal is to provide students with the fundamental knowledge needed to stimulate critical thinking about environmental problems and to connect students to the surrounding community through service learning projects that link abstract concepts to real world experience. Chris lives with his wife, two children, and dog in Middlebury, Vermont where he enjoys gardening, skiing, and exploring the Green Mountains.
Areas of Expertise
Natural Resources; Sustainability, Ecology and Policy, Environmental policy, Land use planning, Watershed management and flood resiliency, Climate change mitigation and adaptation