Law Commons^™

Crow Water Rights Settlement Act Of 2010, United States 111th Congress

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Federal Legislation: Title IV: Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement - Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement of 2010 in the Claims Resolution Act of 2010 (PL111-291| 124 Stat 3097). The Act ratifies, authorizes, and confirms the water rights 1999 Compact between the Crow Tribe and MT. The DOI Secretary shall promptly execute the Compact and comply with applicable environmental acts and regulations. The Act provides for: 1) the Tribe to a) rehabilitate and improve the Crow Irrigation Project; and b) Reclamation to construct the municipal, rural, and industrial water system; 2) creates a Project Management Committee made up of the Tribe, …

Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act Of 2010, United States 111th Congress

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Federal Legislation: Claims Resolution Act of 2010, Title V: Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement of 2010 (Sec. 501) Parties: Pueblo of Taos, NM, US, Town of Taos, El Prado Water & Sanitation District, Acequia Madre del Rio Lucero y del Arroyo Seco, Acequia Madre del Prado, Acequia del Monte, Acequia Madre del Rio Chiquito, Upper Ranchitos Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Assn, Upper Arroyo Hondo Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Assn, Llano Quemado Mutual Domestic Water Consumers Assn. Federal Legislation to approve, ratify, and confirm the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement; to authorize and direct the Secretary to execute the …

White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification Act Of 2010, United States 111th Congress

Native American Water Rights Settlement Project

Federal Legislation: Claims Settlement Act of 2010, TITLE III—White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Rights Quantification, PL111-291| 124 Stat 3064, 3073 (Dec. 8, 2010). Parties: White Mountain Apache Tribe, US, AZ. The Act ratifies, authorizes, and confirms the WMAT Water Rights Quantification settlement; authorizes the DOI Secretary to execute the and take all necessary action; to authorize appropriations; and, to permanently resolve certain damages and water rights in the general adjudication of the Gila River System and Little CO River System. The provides for: 1) environmental compliance; 2) tribal water rights; 3) CAP reallocation; 4) tribal leasing, distributing, exchanging or allocation …

Slides: The Here And Now Of U.S. Nat Gas, Michelle Michot Foss

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

Presenter: Michelle Michot Foss, Chief Energy Economist, Center for Energy Economics, Bureau of Economic Geology, University of Texas, Austin, TX

12 slides

Our Blue Water Navy Goes Green, Tom Spahn

Tom Spahn

When one thinks of hybrid transportation, the image conjured generally involves small vehicles dedicated to ferrying people (encumbered by very few belongings) through congested city streets. The Toyota Prius certainly comes to mind as a classic example. One likely would not think of massive naval warships steaming the world’s seven seas as potential applications of this environmentally friendly technology. Likewise, one would not consider fighter jets screaming off the decks of aircraft carriers as the newest tools of the “green” revolution. Yet new technologies on board these platforms herald a renewed commitment from the Navy, and the United States Military …

Towards A Holistic Approach To Technology And Climate Change: What Would Form Part Of An Answer?, Estelle Derclaye, Abbe Brown

Estelle Derclaye

No abstract provided.

The Boundaries Of Public Nuisance, Richard O. Faulk, John S. Gray

Richard Faulk

Over the past 20 years, government entities have sought to use the vagueness of generic public nuisance statutes to address complex public health issues, including tobacco use, gun violence, childhood lead poisoning, global warming and the fallout from the subprime mortgage meltdown. Because the tort of public nuisance is so amorphous, many of these entities have sought to is so amorphous, many of these entities have sought to blam industry for societal problems even when the actual harm is often caused by third and fourth parties who misuse or abuse industry's products. Some sympathetic judges have issued abatement orders that …

Liability For Environmental Harm And Emerging Global Environmental Law, Robert V. Percival

Robert Percival

Environmental law and policy are undergoing rapid change at the global, national, and even local levels. The nations of the world continue to struggle to develop an effective global response to climate change. Transboundary pollution and resource management problems command regional attention even as nations work to upgrade their own environmental standards and their energy, transportation, and land use policies. Surprising environmental initiatives are emerging even from state and local governments. In my previous work I have argued that globalization is affecting law and legal systems throughout the world in profound new ways. See Robert V. Percival, The Globalization of …

Preserving Indian Archaeological Sites Through The California Environmental Quality Act, Lynda L. Brothers

Golden Gate University Law Review

No abstract provided.

Law For Foreign Business And Investment In China, Vai Lo, Xiaowen Tian

Xiaowen Tian

In trying to establish a presence in China, foreign investors have found it imperative to understand the regulatory environment of this potentially huge market. This book provides an up-to-date overview of the legal framework for doing business in China. It covers such topics as state structure; legislative amendments and enactments on direct foreign investment; the court system; the legal profession; business entities; foreign investment enterprises; contracts; intellectual property; labor and employment; consumer protection; taxation; securities; and dispute resolution.Apart from explaining legal principles, the book highlights liberalisation measures that China has undertaken to fulfil its WTO commitments; elucidates complicated legal concepts …

Cleaning Up Bankruptcy: Limiting The Dischargeability Of Environmental Cleanup Costs, Sonali P. Chitre

Sonali P Chitre

This article reconciles the joint aims of environmental and bankruptcy law after Judge Posner’s myopic opinion in the Seventh Circuit’s resolution of U.S. v. Apex Oil. These two areas of law represent alternative means to the same end—the equitable distribution of limited resources—and share equity’s traditional emphasis of function over form. Ignoring these principles, Judge Posner ruled in Apex that a cleanup order constitutes a dischargeable “claim” when styled as a legal judgment but not when styled as an equitable injunction. This despite the fact that in either case the liability amounts to the same thing-payment must be made for …

Cleaning Up Bankruptcy: Limiting The Dischargeability Of Environmental Cleanup Costs, Sonali P. Chitre

Sonali P Chitre

This article reconciles the joint aims of environmental and bankruptcy law after Judge Posner’s myopic opinion in the Seventh Circuit’s resolution of U.S. v. Apex Oil. These two areas of law represent alternative means to the same end—the equitable distribution of limited resources—and share equity’s traditional emphasis of function over form. Ignoring these principles, Judge Posner ruled in Apex that a cleanup order constitutes a dischargeable “claim” when styled as a legal judgment but not when styled as an equitable injunction. This despite the fact that in either case the liability amounts to the same thing-payment must be made for …

Moving Power Forward: Creating A Forward-Looking Energy Policy Based On A National Rps, Joshua P. Fershee

Joshua P Fershee

In Power Forward: The Argument for a National RPS, Professor Lincoln L. Davies provides a comprehensive and compelling argument for a national renewable portfolio standard (“RPS”). This Commentary Article reviews Professor Davies’ assumptions and conclusions and places his RPS analysis in context within the broader energy and environmental debate.

Beyond expanding renewable energy generation and shifting away from fossil fuels, RPS legislation is often motivated by additional goals: addressing climate change, improving national security, and promoting economic development. This Commentary Article argues that, if these loftier goals are to be achieved, a better articulation of RPS objectives is necessary. Furthermore, …

Slides: Chapter 7 Of The Commission Report, David L. Bernhardt

The Past, Present, and Future of Our Public Lands: Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Public Land Law Review Commission’s Report, One Third of the Nation’s Land (Martz Summer Conference, June 2-4)

Presenter: David L. Bernhardt, Partner, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck (Washington, DC) and former Solicitor for U.S. Department of the Interior

14 slides

How Law Mattered To The Mono Lake Ecosystem, Sherry A. Enzler

Sherry A. Enzler

The 2005 Millennium Ecosystem Assessment reported unprecedented degradation of ecosystems and the services they provide to human well being which, if allowed to continue would adversely affect human health, security and welfare. Our environmental legal authorities, however, are not designed to protect the health of our nation’s ecosystems focusing instead on clean air, clean land and clean water as single medium, often referred to as the silo approach to environmental protection. Protecting ecosystems requires a systemic approach to the environment in both policy and law; this in turn requires a change in our approach to environmental protection. How do we …

The Conflicting Concerns Of The Automatic Stay And Environmental Laws, Brett T. Bradford

Brett T. Bradford

This paper explores the conflict between the automatic stay in bankruptcy law and environmental laws regarding cleaning up pollution. It is shown that the two areas of law have fundamentally different purposes that work to disrupt the bankruptcy process. The purpose of the automatic stay is seriously disrupted by the government imposing clean up costs on the debtor while in bankruptcy. This paper shows the affects of the two conflicting areas of law and possible solutions to the problem.

Rationalism In Regulation, Christopher C. Demuth, Douglas H. Ginsburg

Michigan Law Review

Retaking Rationality: How Cost-Benefit Analysis Can Better Protect the Environment and Our Health, by Richard L. Revesz and Michael A. Livermore, aims to convince those who favor more government regulation-in particular environmental groups-that they should embrace cost-benefit analysis and turn it to their purposes. Coauthored by a prominent law school dean and a recent student with a background in environmental advocacy, the book is a jarring combination of roundhouse political polemics and careful academic argument. Sweeping pronouncements are followed by qualifications that leave the sweep of the pronouncements in doubt- rather like the give-and-take of the law school classroom …

The Obligation Of Prevention And Reduction As An Essential Obligation For State Responsibility For Environmental Damage Caused By Nuclear Activities, Sayed Mohamed Mohamed Zeidan

Sayed Mohamed Mohamed Zeidan

The aim of this article is to discuss the legal basis of the principle of prevention as customary and general principle of international law and its effectiveness to be the basis for State responsibility to prevent and reduce environmental nuclear damage. The principle of prevention is a fundamental principle in international law for the protection of the environment. According to international law, the State has the right to conduct nuclear activities for peaceful purposes, but this right is not absolute and restricted by the fact that it has not to cause damage to other States and the global environment. The …

Not Only Innovation But Also Collaboration, Funding, Goodwill And Commitment: Which Role For Patent Laws In Postcopenhagen Climate Change Action, Estelle Derclaye

Estelle Derclaye

Patent laws can do their bit to help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, accelerated grant procedures and reduction of fees have been put in place by among others the UK and US patent offices. Private initiatives such as the eco-patent commons to licence technology free of charge have been taken. But greening patent law is only a small part of the solution. However well-intentioned all these initiatives are, for several reasons, they may not be sufficient or even at all used. More than intellectual property-related solutions, what will be needed is non-intellectual property-related solutions such as using technology …

Finding The Proper Forum For Regulation Of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions: The Legal And Economic Implications Of Massachusetts V. Epa, George F. Allen, Marlo Lewis

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Pining For Sustainability, Timothy M. Mulvaney

University of Richmond Law Review

In the legal academic community, there are significant positive signs demonstrating attention to sustainable practices, from course offerings to many day-to-day operations. Scholarly research also reflects this positive trend. Much of this recent scholarship assesses sustainability-focused regulatory and normative efforts to address the impacts associated with a warming planet in marked detail, and there is an additional plethora of writing on the many topics beyond the changing climate that raise sustainability questions.

Offshore Windfall: What Approval Of The United States' First Offshore Wind Project Means For The Offshore Wind Energy Industry, Michael P. Giordano

University of Richmond Law Review

This comment explores the Cape Wind project with an emphasis on its role as the first United States offshore wind energy project. Part II of this comment explains the potential energy resource that offshore wind provides and examines some of the economic, technological, and regulatory challenges facing the development of offshore wind projects in United States waters. Part III of this comment introduces the Cape Wind project as a case study by briefly describing the particular political struggles and permitting challenges faced by its developers. Part IV of this comment analyzes how DOI approval and the eventual construction of Cape …

The Nuclear Fuel Cycle, Global Security, And Climate Change: Weighing The Costs And Benefits Of Nuclear Power Expansion, Christopher E. Paine

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Carbon Capture And Storage: An Option For Helping To Meet Growing Global Energy Demand While Countering Climate Change, Victor K. Der

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Slides: The Peril Of Energy Usage, Mike Tupper

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Mike Tupper, Executive Vice President, Composite Technology Development, Inc.

9 slides

Slides: Water For Oil (Shale)?, Bart Miller

The Promise and Peril of Oil Shale Development (February 5)

Presenter: Bart Miller, Water Program Director, Western Resource Advocates

10 slides

Ahistorical Indians And Reservation Resources, Ezra Rosser

Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals

The article is an in-depth exploration of the impacts of an Indian tribe's decision to pursue an environmentally destructive form of economic development. The history of Navajo Nation's coal leasing provides the background for the tribe's recent proposal to build a coal-fired power plant and the controversies surrounding the proposal and the environmental review process.

Liability For Environmental Harm And Emerging Global Environmental Law, Robert V. Percival

Faculty Scholarship

Environmental law and policy are undergoing rapid change at the global, national, and even local levels. The nations of the world continue to struggle to develop an effective global response to climate change. Transboundary pollution and resource management problems command regional attention even as nations work to upgrade their own environmental standards and their energy, transportation, and land use policies. Surprising environmental initiatives are emerging even from state and local governments.

In my previous work I have argued that globalization is affecting law and legal systems throughout the world in profound new ways. See Robert V. Percival, The Globalization of …

When Prayer Trumps Politics: The Politics And Demographics Of Renewable Portfolio Standards, Joshua P. Fershee

Joshua P Fershee

This Article seeks to understand who supports renewable energy mandates (and why) by analyzing a variety trends found in political and socio-economic data by state, as well as by state renewable energy opportunities (or the lack of such opportunities). The review finds little shocking in the way of politics: Democratic states tend to favor mandates and Republican states tend not to have mandates. Somewhat surprisingly, the correlations among states with wind and solar resources (as well as most of the demographic data) ranged from limited to inconclusive. In religion, however, a strong trend developed. The states with higher Catholic populations …

Wildlife Rights, David Favre

David Favre

Abstract: This article begins by briefly exploring the extent to which wildlife, historically and presently, have a place within our society, culture and legal system. Then, building upon the reality that wildlife, like humans, have personal interests in living their individual lives, suggests five principles for developing laws and programs to better accommodate wildlife interests in the legal system. Individuals, species and geographic groups are presented as focus points for thinking about wildlife interests. Additionally, the three possibilities of who should be the plaintiff for asserting wildlife rights are described: government, private parties and the wildlife themselves. Finally, the article …