Elena Mihaly is a Staff Attorney for CLF Vermont working in the Clean Waters & Healthy Forest program. A core aspect of Elena’s work focuses on climate resilience as viewed through the water and forests lens. Before assuming the role of Staff Attorney, Elena was a Legal Fellow for two years at CLF working in the Healthy Communities & Environmental Justice program. Elena received her J.D., summa cum laude, and Masters in Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School, where she was articles editor on the Vermont Law Review. Elena holds a B.A. in Environmental Science from Colorado College. Elena is licensed to practice in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts.
When she’s not fulfilling her CLF duties, Elena is out exploring the natural world through climbing, skiing, trail running, or backpacking with her husband and her dog, Shubie. Elena is a certified American Mountain Guides Association Rock Climbing Guide, and Adjunct Faculty for High Mountain Institute, a nonprofit outdoor education school in Colorado.
Recent Posts
Aug 13 2018
If someone had told me last spring that the August forecast for Vermont showed seven days above 90 degrees, I wouldn’t have believed them. Yet in Burlington last month my thermometer read, day after day: 91, 94, 99, 97, 95, 97, and 96. Since then, we’ve seen the temperatures soar past 90 degrees again and…
May 14 2018
Harvey. Irma. Maria. Nate. Last year, during a 45-day period, eight consecutive named storms strengthened into hurricanes. All told, the 2017 hurricane season was the most expensive in history, causing more than $200 billion in damage nationwide. Meanwhile, so-called 100-year floods are becoming so common the metric is losing its meaning and utility. For instance,…
Jan 30 2018
In 2013, a two-day downpour struck the Chicago area, causing massive flooding, overflowing sewers, and millions of dollars in property damage. After the clean-up, Farmers Insurance company filed a landmark class action lawsuit against the Water Reclamation District for greater Chicago on behalf of its policyholders and other property insurance companies affected by the flooding.…
Nov 2 2017
This past summer and fall, Vermonters saw firsthand the disastrous impacts of too much phosphorus pouring into Lake Champlain. Favorite swimming beaches closed and toxic blue-green algae coated portions of the lake in a stinky slime. The State of Vermont has a plan to reduce phosphorus pollution into our iconic lake. But in a head-scratching…
Aug 28 2016
When Tropical Storm Irene ripped through Vermont five years ago, it dumped as much as eight inches of rain in 24 hours. “Vermont Strong” became a rallying cry as we pulled ourselves and our neighbors out of the mud and rubble to collectively rebuild our communities. The five-year anniversary of this disaster can be a…
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