Allen Springer: Research Summary
Overview
Allen Springer’s research lies in the field of international environmental law and policy, specifically examining how international law is developed by and influences complex processes of multilevel environmental governance.
Current Work
His current work focuses on the evolving institutional framework that addresses environmental problems in a North American context. The project centers on the bilateral Canada-United States relationship and the critical role the two governments play in managing the regional environment. It builds on past research on issues—such as protecting Pacific salmon and North Atlantic herring and the development of the Devils Lake Diversion in North Dakota—and extends his analysis to significant, contemporary, transboundary challenges, including the renegotiation of the Columbia River Treaty and Arctic minerals development in the Beaufort Sea. He has recently broadened the project to emphasize how transboundary coalition formation and the work of Indigenous communities influence North American environmental policy. Transboundary tribal cooperation was crucial in the campaign to prevent the Keystone XL pipeline, and Indigenous voices have shaped efforts to manage Pacific salmon and protect whale populations. More recently, the creation and work of the Arctic Council have recognized the direct and essential role Indigenous people should play in developing Arctic policy by including them as permanent participants.
Student Opportunities
While no students are directly involved in this project, there are ways student research contributes to it in the form of summer research projects, seminar papers, and independent studies. He is currently working with a student whose summer research on the development of regimes in response to transboundary air pollution has complemented his work on the implementation of the 1991 Canada-United States Air Quality Agreement.
Allen Springer's Faculty Profile
