Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 3 of 3
Full-Text Articles in Law
Suffering Matters: Nepa, Animals, And The Duty To Disclose, David N. Cassuto, Tala Dibenedetto
Suffering Matters: Nepa, Animals, And The Duty To Disclose, David N. Cassuto, Tala Dibenedetto
Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires the federal government to disclose potential environmental harms arising from agency actions. Animal suffering is an environmental harm, yet no court has ruled that its infliction triggers a reporting obligation under NEPA. This Article argues that animal suffering should be a cognizable environmental harm under NEPA, that considerations of animal suffering should factor into whether an agency must prepare an EIS--and should be discussed in the content of the EIS.
Part II of this Article introduces and explains the procedural requirements of NEPA. Part III discusses animal suffering--how it is defined, how laws …
Does Nepa Help Or Harm Esa Critical Habitat Designations? An Assessment Of Over 600 Critical Habitat Rules, John C. Ruple, Michael J. Tanana, Merrill M. Williams
Does Nepa Help Or Harm Esa Critical Habitat Designations? An Assessment Of Over 600 Critical Habitat Rules, John C. Ruple, Michael J. Tanana, Merrill M. Williams
Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, and the Environment publications
This paper tests whether impact analysis pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act delays federal decision making, and whether the NEPA process results in significant changes to the substance of federal decisions. We reviewed 636 rules designating critical habitat for species that are protected by the Endangered Species Act. Because of a circuit court split, some of these rules were subject to NEPA analysis while others were not. In comparing these two groups we found that rules that underwent NEPA analysis were completed more than three months faster than rules that were exempted from NEPA review. We also found that …
Emergency Exemptions From Environmental Laws, Michael B. Gerrard
Emergency Exemptions From Environmental Laws, Michael B. Gerrard
Faculty Scholarship
The national response to the coronavirus crisis may face several impediments but federal and state environmental laws should not be among them. Most of these laws have emergency exemptions that allow the usual (and sometimes lengthy) procedures to be bypassed, and some substantive requirements to be waived, in instances of true urgency. However, there is concern that some agencies and corporations will use this as an excuse to bypass environmental laws that aren’t actually getting in the way of responses to the crisis.