Professor Frank addresses public trust doctrine, recent decision in Sacramento talk

On Dec. 16, Professor of Environmental Practice Rick Frank made a presentation to the Sacramento County Bar Association’s Environmental Law Section titled “The Public Trust Doctrine After Environmental Law Foundation v. State Water Resources Control Board.” 

Frank’s talk focused on a recent decision by the California Court of Appeal holding that California’s public trust doctrine limits damaging groundwater extractions by private water users when those extractions impair adjoining, surface waterways essential for migrating salmon populations and public recreational use.  His presentation encompassed the historical development of the public trust doctrine in California, the Environmental Law Foundation litigation and Court of Appeal’s decision, and that decision’s implications for future California water law and policy.  (Professor Frank served as counsel of record for the successful environmental plaintiffs in this landmark public trust case.)

Richard M. Frank ’74 is a leader in the field of environmental law, Professor of Environmental Practice and the founding director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.