Transboundary Science & Policy

The Alexander Blewett III School of Law intern* works with FLBS personnel to tangibly link science with environmental policy and law. Work focuses on environmental policy issues in the cross-border Flathead and Kootenai River Basins, and greater transboundary Crown of the Continent region. Current issues interns have worked on include:  

• Legal context, data needs, natural resource damages assessment, and environmental impact assessment of mountain-top removal coal mining in the transboundary Elk/Kootenai River Basin 
• Indian Law with respect to traditional territory uses, treaty rights and federal consultation for environmental impacts in the transboundary Flathead and Elk/Kootenai River Basins 
• Superfund law, data and interpretation through the lens of local and regional case studies 
• International Treaty across the US and Canada 
• Clean Water Act; rule-making, implementation and enforcement and legal standing as pertains to compliance, enforcement, containment and long-term management  
• The interface of protective land designations, jurisdictional mandate and environmental issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries (e.g.; oil train transport, aquatic invasive species, T&E species, climate change) 

 

*We accept a University of Montana Law Intern each summer. More information about how to apply can be found here

Eliot Thompson

Eliot hails from the cornfields of Southern Illinois but has been living in Montana since 2017, after moving for a stint with AmeriCorps.  As an AmeriCorps member, Eliot served with Missoula County's Community and Planning Services department to incorporate climate mitigation and adaptation into county government operations and zoning.  Eliot is a law student at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana and is primarily interested in studying environmental and international law.  At the Flathead Lake Biological Station, Eliot will be working with Erin Sexton to link science with multi-jurisdictional environmental policy and law in the cross-border Flathead and Kootenai River Basins and the greater transboundary Crown of the Continent region.