Melissa Vatterott conducts outreach to the public and various organizations to gather support for the EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan. “The Clean Power Plan as proposed will require fossil fuel-fired power plants in the United States to reduce their carbon emissions by 30% below 2005 levels by 2030,” she said.

Melissa said the most rewarding aspect of her job was to help create new policy. “It is very exciting to be involved in the EPA's rulemaking process by facilitating the submission of public comments in support of the EPA's proposed rule,” she said.

While she did not have a formal focus area at the Law College, Melissa had an informal focus in environmental and natural resource law. “I always intended to pursue a career in environmental law and policy and I am grateful for the knowledge I acquired through the environmental and natural resource law courses offered at MSU Law,” she said.

Melissa also credits MSU Law’s friendly atmosphere to her success. “MSU Law provides a great sense of community and I appreciated how my colleagues and I were able to study together and help each other understand difficult concepts,” she said. “I also really appreciated how my professors were very willing to meet with students after class to help them better understand the material.”