Law Commons^™

How States Can Affect Federal Deepwater Port Lng Licensing Decisions: A Case Study Involving The Deepwater Port Act And The Coastal Zone Management Act, Linda Krop

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Article explores the general role of coastal states in permitting offshore LNG terminals, and the specific role that California played in the licensing process for the proposed Cabrillo Port LNG project. There are many facets of state authority, including the approvals required for the portions of LNG projects located within a coastal state’s jurisdiction (primarily within the first three miles offshore), the application of state laws to proposals to construct offshore LNG facilities under the DWPA, the authority of the governor of the adjacent coastal state to approve or “disapprove” deepwater port projects, and the right of a coastal …

The Cape Wind Offshore Wind Energy Project: A Case Study Of The Difficult Transition To Renewable Energy, Kenneth Kimmell, Dawn Stolfi Stalenhoef

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This article presents the story of one renewable energy alternative that is available wherever the wind blows strong and steady. If that alone is not sufficient enticement to read further, the authors also promise to present one of the most engaging permitting sagas ever known to this field. Indeed, the Cape Wind Energy project was held captive by the permitting process for nearly a decade – in stark contrast to numerous offshore oil projects – due to the imposition of disproportionally rigorous regulatory scrutiny and the dogged political pressure applied by a few wealthy homeowners with ocean views in the …

Riding The Wave: Confronting Jurisdictional And Regulatory Barriers To Ocean Energy Development, Danielle Murray, Christopher Carr, Jennifer Jeffers, Alejandra Núñez-Luna

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Article provides a brief history of wave energy development, examines the status of hydrokinetic projects undertaken at a state and local level, and navigates the overlapping, and often competing, jurisdictional mandates confronting U.S. project developers. It also explores lessons learned from the European Union’s (EU) recent regulatory experience and provides recommendations for short- and long-term steps forward in the United States. Part II discusses early wave energy projects, research and policy developments, and highlights recent advances in technical testing and economic feasibility of wave energy projects. Part III analyzes the status of hydrokinetic energy development at the state and …

Siting Offshore Hydrokinetic Energy Projects: A Comparative Look At Wave Energy Regulation In The Pacific Northwest, Rachael Salcido

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Article considers the approaches that Oregon, California, and Washington have taken to address the need for additional renewable energy while also undertaking a shift to comprehensive ocean management. Discussion of offshore federalism, a component of the opportunities and challenges of this nascent industry, is highlighted at various points. The Memoranda of Understanding that these coastal states have entered into with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission have been central to facilitating hydrokinetic energy development. While each state has taken a slightly different approach to folding wave energy into its alternative energy and marine management agendas, the progress made is encouraging …

The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust And The Gulf Coast Claims Facility: The “Superfund” Myth And The Law Of Unintended Consequences, Alfred R. Light

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

Two months after the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, BP and the Obama White House announced the creation of the $20 billion Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Trust (“the Trust”) to pay individuals and businesses suffering losses arising from the disaster. Although BP initially paid certain claimants, Kenneth R. Feinberg, a Washington lawyer who previously administered the 9/11 Compensation Fund, opened the Gulf Coast Claims Facility (“the Facility” or GCCF) in August to “independently” resolve disaster claims against BP. As publicly advertised, the Facility and the $20 billion Trust, to which it has access to pay claims, are designed to address …

Restructure And Reform: Post-Bp Deepwater Horizon Proposals To Improve Oversight Of Offshore Oil And Gas Activities, Leila Monroe

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Article chronicles the multiple reviews that were conducted into the BP oil spill, in an attempt to understand the flaws in government management and oversight that allowed this disaster to occur. It endeavors to distill the key recommendations produced by numerous reviewers related to improving DOI’s management and oversight of offshore oil and gas exploration and development activities. Although they are also critically important topics, each with identified opportunities for improvement, it is not within the scope of this Article to provide an in-depth discussion of industry culture and practice, technological failures, oil spill response, or spill restoration.

Part …

A Regulatory Wake-Up Call: Lessons From Bp’S Deepwater Horizon Disaster, Rebecca M. Bratspies

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

In learning from the BP disaster, there are two levels at which to understand what happened, and two kinds of lessons to draw: straightforward and complex. The straightforward lesson focuses on BP as a distinct entity, emphasizing the company’s culpability for its poor decisions. The complex lesson does not deny BP’s culpability but seeks to situate BP’s private actions within a broader regulatory context in order to identify systemic failures that contributed to the disaster.

This Article delves into both sets of lessons, concentrating more on the “complex” explanation, which involves recognizing gaps in the statutory scheme and conflicts in …

Pricing Pelicans And Petrol: In Introduction To The Issue, Paul Stanton Kibel, Angela Haren Kelley

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Masthead - Vol. 5 #1

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Cost Of The Bright Red Strawberry: The Dangerous Failure Of Pesticide Regulations To Account For Child Farmworkers, Luthien L. Niland

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

Agriculture is the most dangerous industry for child workers, yet the laws that regulate the work of children in the fields are among the least protective of worker health and safety. This Article examines the failure of U.S. laws and international obligations to protect children from the devastating effects of pesticide exposure. Part II of this Article will explain the presence of children in fields and their heightened vulnerability to pesticides compared to adult farmworkers. In addition, it will discuss the deficiencies in current pesticide laws that result in inadequate protection for child farmworkers. Part III will examine the United …

The Not-So-Green Renewable Energy: Preventing Waste Disposal Of Solar Photovoltaic (Pv) Panels, Genevieve Coyle

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Comment provides a background on solar power and PV technology, identifies the toxic components of PV products, and explains how disposal of PV waste poses a threat to the environment. Part II also illustrates how poor management of electronic waste (e-waste) in the U.S. has resulted in environmental pollution - a preventable consequence that can be avoided for the PV industry.

Part III advocates a recycling and life-cycle-management approach to regulation because it provides a more sustainable future for the solar industry. Part IV discusses federal and state hazardous waste regulations and demonstrates how these laws are ineffective to …

Future Force Sustainability: Department Of Defense And Energy Efficiency In A Changing Climate, Laura Horton

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

Part I of this discussion will begin with background information on the United States military’s contribution to GHG emissions and climate change. It will also look at some examples of exemptions the military has received from federal environmental laws, particularly during times of conflict. Next, it will focus on energy efficiency standards and exemptions, some of which the military has stated it will comply with voluntarily. Part II of this discussion will then survey some of the ways the military has begun to meet energy efficiency standards, including renewable fuel programs and solar installations. That Part will look at these …

A Call For Consistency: Open Seawater Intakes, Desalination, And The California Water Code, Angela Haren Kelley

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Comment argues that the federal and state standards for reducing marine life mortality from power-plant intakes should be applied to a statewide policy for new desalination projects in California. Under this framework, open seawater intakes should not be permitted for new desalination plants. Part II of this Comment provides an overview of the history and technology of desalination as well as environmental impacts of open seawater intakes and alternative intake technologies. Part III surveys existing state and federal laws addressing open seawater intakes and suggests a framework for applying these laws to desalination projects. Part IV argues that new …

Isn’T That Special?: The Epa’S Special-Case Determination For The Los Angeles River Extends Clean Water Act Protections Cast In Doubt By The Army Corps And The United States Supreme Court, Douglas Carstens, Michelle Black, Staley Prom

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

In an effort to examine the implications EPA’s ability to extend Clean Water Act protection through the use of its special-case determination authority, this Article provides a case study of the Los Angeles River and the regulatory interplay between the Army Corps and the EPA. To begin, Part I sets forth the factual background of the LA River, describing its fickle and often volatile physical nature. It then describes the legal framework underlying the case by providing an overview of the Clean Water Act, its shared administration by the EPA and Army Corps, and the basis for the EPA’s special-case …

Addressing The Significance Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Under Ceqa: California’S Search For Regulatory Certainty In An Uncertain World, Alexander G. Crockett

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

This Article explores the efforts of California’s air agencies in addressing how to determine the significance of a project’s greenhouse gas emissions under CEQA, focusing on the recent guidance adopted by three of California’s largest regional air-quality agencies – the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. It also addresses work done by the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association and the California Air Resources Board (ARB), which laid the foundations for these agencies’ actions. In Section II, the Article provides a brief review of …

In This Edition, Kalla Hirschbein, John W. Harrington

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Masthead, Vol 4 #2

Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.