Energy Law & Policy Project

Fellows explore innovative law and policy to promote a green energy future.

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ELPP Fellows 2023-2024 

Chelsea Dobbin - 2L 

Chelsea Dobbin, 2L

Chelsea is from the border city of El Paso, Texas. She studied Public Policy and Neuroscience at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and earned a master's degree in Public Policy at the University of Arizona (UA) in Tucson. Chelsea's time at UA shaped her current interest in empirical research about environmental and criminal law and policy. She would love to work at the intersection of environmental and criminal law and further the effort to make environmentally conscious law that prioritizes the outcomes of vulnerable communities. One pivotal experience Chelsea had in the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) allowed her to truly appreciate the importance of culturally relevant policies and their ability to take into consideration social inequity. 

She and two fellow master's students had the opportunity to visit the RMI and learn from the developers of the Reimaanlok Framework, a Conservation Area Management Planning Framework aimed at developing policies to meet the growing demands of atoll communities in the face of climate change and globalization. Underpinned by a combination of Indigenous ecological knowledge and policy analysis, the comprehensive and iterative nature of the framework stood in contrast to environmental initiatives she was taught about in class. Today, Chelsea hopes to approach issues like increasingly severe heat waves and inadequate public transportation from the same perspective. This year, she is clerking for the Public Defenders of Marion County in Salem. In her free time, Chelsea hopes to explore more of Oregon's beautiful hiking spots. 

Lexi Hernandez - 1L

Lexi Hernandez, 1L

Lexi is a first-generation Mexican American from Southern California. She grew up in Riverside County, where she saw and experienced firsthand how environmental justice communities on the frontlines of climate impacts are are sacrificed through the perpetuation of climate change. These experiences led her to Chapman University in Orange County, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. At Chapman, Lexi organized and led a successful campaign to change the required environmental science curriculum to incorporate environmental justice and climate justice courses. She worked for a year and a half with Intersectional Environmentalists, an environmental justice and intersectionality-focused nonprofit, to develop educational resources, materials, and frameworks for communities. Lexi also worked for three years at an Orange County climate policy nonprofit, organizing disinvested climate-impacted communities and advocating for the passage of Climate Action Plans and renewable energy policies at the local level. 

Brenton Riddle - 1L

Brenton Riddle

Brenton grew up in Southwest Washington and attended the University of Washington, where he earned degrees in International Studies, Environmental Science, and Comparative History of Ideas. His academic focus was on developing and maintaining critical energy and water infrastructure, emphasizing the reslience of electricity grids and communications systems. During Brenton's 1L summer, he served as a summer associate at Van Ness Feldman LLP, where he researched various legal issues related to water, energy, and land use. This year, Brenton is an extern with Chief Judge McShane with the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, the Vice President of OUTLaws, and a Staff Editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation. In his free time, Brenton enjoys hiking, playing soccer, and hosting board game nights with friends. 

Tristan Tellier - 3L

Tristan Tellier, 3L

Tristan was born and raised in Southern California, a stone's throw from Sunset Beach. His love for the outdoors stems from frequent family excursions and numerous backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada. He attended Long Beach State University, where he majored in Political Science with minors in English Literature and Legal Studies. Tristan came to the Oregon Law with the goal of concentrating his degree in Environmental and Natural Resources Law. 

Since moving to Eugene for law school, Tristan has enjoyed his time as the Executive Operations Editor for the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation and volunteering with the Friends of Trees. This past year, Tristan externed for the Honorable Judge Hallman at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. He is currently interning with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in Seattle. Now a 3L, Tristan is working on a publishable piece that will examine how the Netherlands' Delta Programme could be implemented across the world to mitigate flood risks near vulnerable ports. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, and exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest.