Emily K. Schimelpfenig

Emily Schimelpfenig is an associate in Stoel Rives’ Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources group, with a focus on permitting before state and local governments. Emily advises and advocates for clients across multiple industries, including energy generation and residential, commercial, and industrial development.

Before joining Stoel Rives, Emily was a climate change law clerk with The Nature Conservancy (2021), an in-house legal intern with The Public Interest Network (2020), and a law clerk for the American Association of Port Authorities (2020), all in Washington, D.C.

Education

The George Washington University Law School, J.D., 2022; Managing Editor, Journal of Environmental and Energy Law; President’s Gold Pro Bono Service Award for Outstanding Work in the Public Interest; Dean’s Recognition for Professional Development

University of Wyoming, M.A., Political Science, 2019

University of Wyoming, B.A., Political Science, 2018; Phi Beta Kappa; Dean’s List; Trustees Scholar

Admissions

Oregon

Land Use

• Advises clients throughout Oregon on local development code provisions that apply to their properties. 
• Represents rural and urban developers in Oregon land use proceedings, including asserting and defending appeals.
• Works with solar and wind energy developers to develop mitigation strategies and to obtain siting permits from local governments and Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council. 

Environmental and Natural Resource Permitting

• Assists clients in obtaining and defending permits and other government approvals by providing legal and practical guidance from initial scoping to appeals. Specific experience in Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) permitting. 
• Manages complex permitting timelines.

Insights & Presentations

• “New Legislation Authorizes Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council to Certify Standalone Battery Energy Storage Systems but Stops Short of Including Clear Land Use Approval Pathway,” Stoel Rives Renewable + Law Blog, April 12, 2024
• “Three Rulings Issued on the Same Day Further Clarify Reclamation’s Obligations and Authority to Manage Water in the Klamath Basin,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Water Law Newsletter, Vol. 56, No. 3, 2023
• “Federal Supremacy Under the ESA Found for Releases of Water from Upper Klamath Lake,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Water Law Newsletter, Vol. 56, No. 2 (2023)
• “Oregon Court of Appeals Addresses Water-Related Administrative and Land Use Law Rules,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Water Law Newsletter, Vol. 56, No. 1, 2023 
• “Five Recent Opinions Highlight Procedural Barriers to Resolving Ongoing Disputes About Releases of Stored Water from Upper Klamath Lake,” The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Water Law Newsletter, Vol. 55, No. 3, 2022 
• “U.S. Fish and Wildlife Proposes Revisions to Eagle Permit Rules, Including General Permits for Qualifying Wind Energy Projects, Power Lines, and Disturbance and Nest Take,” Stoel Rives LLP legal alert, October 5, 2022

Publications

Professional

• Oregon State Bar, Environmental and Natural Resources Section, Member
• Oregon State Bar, Real Estate and Land Use Section, Member
• Oregon Reporter, The Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Water Law Newsletter
• Women in Environment, Member
• Women of Renewable Industries and Sustainable Energy (WRISE), Member
• Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law, Member
• Attorney Mentor