Professor Lee Speaks to N.Y. Times About Federal Nature Study Killed by Trump

Professor Peter Lee spoke to the New York Times for a Feb. 10 story on efforts to revive a groundbreaking federal study on nature killed by President Donald Trump.

Trump issued an executive order to end the National Nature Assessment, a first-of-its-kind study of land, water and wildlife across the United States by 150 scientists and other experts. Launched under President Joe Biden’s administration and directed by University of Washington Professor of Practice Phil Levin, the project was halted just before a first full draft could be completed.

Now key experts involved with the study are seeking ways to publish it outside of the government. They are unlikely to face legal challenges related to the work’s ownership, said Lee, an intellectual property law expert not involved with the report. Among other considerations, parts of the assessment authored by federal employees may be considered government works, and “[a]s a general rule, government works are not subject to copyright,” Lee told the Times.