As environmental problems mount worldwide—including in Iowa—we look to science and technology for solutions. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that scientists and engineers can’t solve the crisis on their own.  

Legal and policy thinkers are needed to work out issues such as how to transition equitably to clean power, or how to share the responsibility fairly for cleaning waterways that run through multiple states and nations. 

“The nexus between science and law in the areas of clean air, clean water and clean energy is becoming more and more important,” said Fred Hubbell (76JD).  

That’s why Hubbell and spouse Charlotte Beyer Hubbell (76JD) gave $5 million—the largest gift in Iowa Law history—to establish the Hubbell Environmental Law Initiative (HELI). The program will nurture an interdisciplinary approach to solving environmental problems. 

Under the leadership of faculty director Professor Shannon Roesler and program director Blake Rupe, HELI has already started building relationships with other campus groups, including the law school’s Center for Human Rights (UICHR) and Labor Center. In the future, the Labor Center has plans to foster more cooperation on the environment by hosting events and publishing white papers. Within Iowa Law, HELI will identify and nurture tomorrow’s environmental attorneys. 

The Hubbells, who met while studying at Iowa Law and married after completing their degrees, share a long-standing dedication to the environment. Beyer Hubbell has served on and chaired the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, co-founded the Iowa Environmental Council, and has served on the board of the Iowa Nature Conservancy. Hubbell has served as the interim director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development, as chairman of the Iowa Power Fund Board, and on the board of directors of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines. Both serve on the Iowa Advisory Council of the Environmental Law and Policy Center based in Chicago. 

The couple has funded environmental work previously, including a $3 million gift from Beyer Hubbell in 2020 to the Department of River-Coastal Science and Engineering at Tulane University, where she received her undergraduate degree. That department studies how climate change and human activities affect waterways and explores green engineering solutions. 

Recognizing the urgency of today’s many threats to the environment, the Hubbells opted not to make their gift an endowment. 

“It is money designed to be spent over the next 10 years. When it’s gone, if we’re still here, we’ll have to see how successful the program has been and decide if further contributions are necessary to continue the work,” Beyer Hubbell said. 

One issue where HELI will likely focus in the first year is solar power adoption in Iowa, Hubbell said.  

“Iowa is one of the states with the best sun on a consistent basis for solar production, and yet we’re way behind on solar,” he said. 

Another urgent issue for HELI will be the significant pollution of Iowa’s waterways. 

“We have rivers, lakes and streams that are so polluted Iowans can’t recreate in them. Our rivers—which provide a lot of the drinking water to the state—are heavily polluted with nitrates from hog confinement facilities and farming operations,” Beyer Hubbell said. “Those nitrates end up going down the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico and contributing to the dead zone.” 

In addition to funding the two director positions, HELI will fund a one-year Hubbell Environmental Law Fellowship, scholarships for Iowa Law students interested in environmental law, and $5,000 grants for students serving in unpaid environmental law summer internships at government agencies or nonprofits. 

HELI has already begun developing events to foster interdisciplinary thinking on environmental issues. This spring, HELI partnered with the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights to sponsor a series of webinars, “Human Rights and Climate Change.” The discussions addressed the intersection of law and the environment, for example: What rights do today’s youth have in determining climate policy for the planet where they will spend the rest of their lives? 

Although environmental issues are by nature global, the Hubbells emphasize that HELI will work toward cleaner water, cleaner air and more efficient energy for their home state. 

“This initiative is one step we can take to give future Iowans a place they are proud to call home,” the couple said in a joint statement.