Brettny Hardy

Senior Attorney Oceans Program

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Media Inquiries

Julie Hauserman
Public Affairs and Communications Strategist
(850) 273-2898
jhauserman@earthjustice.org

Bar Admissions

AK (former), CA, NY

Brettny Hardy first joined Earthjustice with the Alaska regional office in 2012, and now works with the Oceans program in the California regional office.

She received her J.D. from the Duke University School of Law in 2007. Brettny also holds a master’s degree in environmental management from the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. While attending Duke, she served as the president of her law school student body and co-authored an article on the constitutional limits of state action to address climate change. She also served as an executive editor on the Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law. Before joining Earthjustice, she began her legal practice in New York at a private law firm, working on complex civil litigation, with a focus on patent litigation.

Brettny graduated from Pomona College where she earned a B.S. in biology. After college, she spent five years in the Florida Keys, first as a scuba diving instructor and then as an environmental educator at a marine mammal facility. The experience introduced her to the complexities of environmental conflicts and inspired her to pursue a career in conservation.

Media Highlights with Brettny Hardy:

The Latest from Brettny Hardy

May 3, 2024

In the News: The New York Times

Oil Companies Expand Offshore Drilling, Pointing to Energy Needs

“No matter how you look at it, there’s a really dire need to accelerate this shift to clean energy. The things the industry is doing now is not going to help that transition.”
July 1, 2022

In the News: CNN

Biden caught between climate goals and high gas prices as administration releases new drilling plan

"The oil industry is trying to put pressure and make it sound like it's a dire situation with the gas prices, and leasing would fix this situation when it just wouldn't."
December 13, 2021

In the News: The Guardian

Revealed: Biden administration was not legally bound to auction gulf drilling rights

“Interior had a lot of discretion over whether to hold this lease sale and they chose to do it anyway.”
December 10, 2021

In the News: ProPublica

A Massive Oil Spill Helped One Billionaire Avoid Paying Income Tax for 14 Years

“[Taylor Energy has been] putting all of its money and efforts into fighting the cleanup.”
November 17, 2021

In the News: Boston Globe

Biden administration holds largest oil and gas sale in U.S. history

“The Louisiana order does not mandate that Interior hold this lease sale — it just forbids Interior from implementing a more general ‘pause on leasing. Nor does the order say Interior must hold the sale if doing so would violate other statutes — like the National Environmental Policy Act.”
November 17, 2021

In the News: CNN

Why the Biden administration is reopening oil and gas leasing in the Gulf of Mexico

"The sale is going to lock in [oil and gas] production for years to come. By that time, we need to be moving away from fossil fuels in order to survive. This lease sale is a really critical juncture and is sending us in the exact opposite direction."
June 21, 2021

In the News: Honolulu Star Advertiser

Western Pacific Fishery Management Council considers steps to protect endangered shark

“There still remain serious questions about whether that will be enough to end overfishing. Right now, the council is not considering an alternative that would look at shallow hooks, because of the costs. We just want to emphasize that we’re dealing with a listed species, and the council’s first job is to protect listed species.”
March 22, 2021

In the News: U.S. News & World Report

What’s the Future of Oil Drilling Off Florida’s Gulf Coast?

"The well was off the coast of Louisiana, but the explosion impacted the coast from South Florida all the way to Texas. It wasn't isolated to one area."
A line forms outside of the public hearing about President Trump’s plans to expand offshore oil drilling.
August 28, 2018

California Needs to Vote to Stop New Offshore Drilling in Our State

California state legislators can take a stand against offshore drilling by voting yes on two bills this week.
The endangered North Atlantic right whale is just one of the marine animals that seismic testing off the East Coast would harm.
June 30, 2017

Seismic Blasting Would Deafen Marine Mammals

As companies search for oil and gas deposits buried beneath the ocean floor in the Atlantic, whales and dolphins could suffer permanent hearing damage and even death.
pniesen/iStock
April 8, 2016

What Will Happen When Genetically Engineered Salmon Escape Into the Wild?

The FDA has failed to fully examine the risks that a new species of genetically engineered salmon would present to wild salmon.