Program Book for the 250th Anniversary - Flipbook - Page 18
JOHN C. DERNBACH
John C. Dernbach is Professor Emeritus at Widener University Commonwealth Law School and founding director of
its Environmental Law and Sustainability Center. He writes widely on sustainable development, climate change law,
environmental law, and constitutional environmental law.
He is a co-editor of The Public Trust Doctrine in Environmental and Natural Resources Law (4th ed. 2025), with Michael
Blumm and Mary Wood. His scholarship and advocacy were cited extensively in landmark Pennsylvania Supreme Court
decisions in 2013 and 2017 that reinvigorated the state constitution’s Environmental Rights Amendment.
Prior to joining the Widener faculty, he was the principal drafter of four major waste and mining laws at the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Resources (now the Department of Environmental Protection). Professor Dernbach is
the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Bar Association’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in
Environmental Law and Policy.
