Encore for the environment
For Sara Laumann, Laumann Legal is more than a law practice—it’s her personal encore. After a career spanning state and federal service, she chose not to step away but to step closer to the communities and organizations that need support most. This is her way of giving back: applying the expertise she’s built over three decades to help nonprofits, advocates, and underserved communities protect the air we all share.
By launching Laumann Legal in 2020, Sara shifted from shaping policy, advising and defending government agencies to working directly with clients who are advancing emission reductions, advocating for environmental justice, strengthening public participation, and ensuring accountability under the Clean Air Act.
A career rooted in clean air and public service
Sara began her legal career with the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG), where she helped draft and pass Oregon’s first Superfund law. She went on to lead regulatory and permitting efforts at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, developing regulations and programs that became national models for implementing the Clean Air Act.
In 1997, she joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 8 office in Denver, where she served for more than 20 years, rising to the position of Senior Assistant Regional Counsel. At EPA, she provided legal counsel on Clean Air Act permitting, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), and federal environmental oversight of state and tribal agencies. Her work involved high-stakes permitting actions, regional haze plans, and major environmental NEPA reviews across the West. She also contributed nationally through a detail at EPA’s Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., and legal capacity-building work abroad in China, Cambodia, and Indonesia.
I’ve spent my career making complex laws accessible so that people—not just polluters—have a say in how our environment is protected.
Sara Laumann
Leadership, collaboration, and recognition
Throughout her public service, Sara has been recognized for her leadership, innovation, and dedication to environmental protection. Her awards include:
- Seven national EPA medals, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze
- Four EPA Region 8 awards for leadership, innovation, and environmental achievement
- U.S. Department of Justice Certificate of Commendation
- EPA National Special Act Award
- Six bronze medals from EPA’s Office of General Counsel for legal excellence in air permitting, FOIA, and litigation strategy
She has briefed Congress, collaborated with federal land agencies, defended regulatory permitting and FOIA actions in federal court, and led legal strategy for some of the most complex air quality challenges in the region.
Legal training, mentoring, and capacity building
Sara is also a dedicated trainer, mentor, and educator. She has taught Clean Air Act permitting and administrative law to state and local agency staff nationwide, and continues to offer custom legal training for nonprofit organizations and environmental advocates. Her work for groups and individuals builds internal capacity and helps others navigate complex regulatory systems with confidence.
Education and bar admissions
Sara holds a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where she focused on environmental law, and a B.A. in Biology with an Environmental Studies concentration from Lawrence University. She is admitted to practice law in Colorado and Oregon (inactive).
