Law Commons^™

Craig Callen: Tributes From The Evidence Community, Richard D. Friedman

Articles

At the wonderful memorial service for Craig Callen held at MSU shortly after his death in April, I had the honor, by reason of proximity, to appear in effect as the representative of nationwide, and even worldwide, community of scholars that has felt his death very deeply. I am grateful for the opportunity to perform this same function in print.

University Of Michigan Law School Faculty, 2011-2012, University Of Michigan Law School

Miscellaneous Law School History & Publications

Biographies of the University of Michigan Law School faculty.

New York's Revived Power Plant Siting Law Preempts Local Control, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

Taking most observers by surprise, the New York State Legislature on June 22, 2011, overwhelmingly passed The Power NY Act of 2011. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it on Aug. 4. The new law revives Article X of the Public Service Law after a nearly nine-year hibernation. As before, the law creates a one-stop, state-led program for permitting electric generating facilities while preempting local requirements. But the new Article X differs from its predecessor in several important ways: It covers facilities as small as 25 megawatts (down from the prior 80 megawatts threshold), it has even more generous provisions for funding …

'American Electric Power’ Leaves Open Many Questions For Climate Litigation, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

On June 20, 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated decision in American Electric Power v. Connecticut, the second climate change case to be decided by that Court and the first to concern common law claims. The decision resolves a few issues but leaves many others open.

Environmental And Energy Legislation In The 112th Congress, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

When Barack Obama succeeded George W. Bush in January 2009, backed by solid majorities in both the House and the Senate, the country seemed poised for the first major environmental legislation since 1990, the year of the Oil Pollution Act and the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments. Under the leadership of Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA) and Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), the House passed a comprehensive climate change bill based on an economywide cap-and-trade system. The House also passed a bill to lift oil spill liability caps and adopt additional reforms in the wake of the Gulf of Mexico spill. …

Carbon Offshoring: The Legal And Regulatory Framework For Coal Exports, Daniel M. Firger, Robert Denicola, Katherine English, Daniel Raichel, Ross Wolfarth, Kennan Zhong

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This report examines the legal and regulatory framework for U.S. coal exports, focusing in particular on the significant improvements in railroad and port infrastructure that will be necessary in order to boost the volume of overseas coal shipments to the degree anticipated by recent industry projections. While existing railroads and ports have the capacity to handle current coal export volumes, much more infrastructure will be needed to meet surging foreign demand. A wide variety of new construction projects are under consideration to expand capacity and relieve congestion. These range from double-tracking existing Class I railroad rights of way to dredging …

Shopping For State Constitutions: Unequal Gift Clauses As Obstacles To Optimal State Encouragement Of Carbon Sequestration, Nicholas Houpt

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Carbon capture and sequestration technology (CCS) could drastically reduce CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants, thereby mitigating climate change. CCS, however, faces a difficult barrier to market entry: liability for the technology’s many long-term risks. States would like to alleviate this long-term liability problem to capture CCS’s social benefits. Some state constitutions, however, have provisions called “gift clauses” that prohibit giving aid to private parties. This Note argues that some state constitutions’ gift clauses prevent indemnification of private CCS developers. As this Note’s fifty state survey shows, other state constitutions allow indemnification. This asymmetry in constitutionally-allowed financial encouragement results in …

Climate Change And The Wto: Expected Battlegrounds, Surprising Battles, Daniel M. Firger, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the issue of climate change policy and international trade law. While conventional wisdom may have predicted that conflicts in trade law would emerge through climate-related protectionist measures, such as carbon tariffs on imports from countries with less stringent controls on greenhouse gas emissions, the authors point out that government support for climate-friendly technologies has in fact emerged as the primary battleground. The authors examine two recent disputes—between the United States and China and between Japan and Canada – over green subsidies and their implications for the future of clean energy.

Memorandum On China’S Measures For Addressing Sea Level Change, Zhang Zhongmin

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This paper describes the current state of China’s recognition of sea level rise in the context of global climate change. The author analyzes official state documents addressing sea level rise, including the annual China Sea Level Communiqué, and compares them with local government initiatives and perspectives from non-governmental sources such as academia, NGOs and the general public. The paper concludes that, while China has taken many commendable steps towards addressing sea level rise, there are still considerable obstacles to be overcome. Finally, the author recommends that local governmental and non-governmental actors play a larger and better defined role. The author …

Domestic Mitigation Of Black Carbon From Diesel Emissions, Hannah Chang

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Black carbon, a component of soot and particulate matter, competes closely with methane as the largest anthropogenic contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide. Regulation of black carbon has been identified as an affordable, politically feasible, fast-action means to mitigate the warming temperatures caused by climate change. With an emphasis on domestic mitigation, this Article examines how emissions are controlled under the CAA and what EPA, states, and municipalities can do to mitigate black carbon emissions further.

What’S Ahead For Power Plants And Industry? Using The Clean Air Act To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Building On Existing Regional Programs, Franz T. Litz, Nicholas Bianco, Michael B. Gerrard, Gregory E. Wannier

Faculty Scholarship

In the absence of congressional action on climate change, all eyes are on the states and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to see how they will regulate greenhouse gas emissions from existing large power plants and industrial facilities. Indeed, power plants and industrial facilities are the sources of half of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making those plants and facilities central to any effort to reduce the country’s total emissions. This working paper explores a promising pathway for the states and EPA to make these reductions using the standards of performance under section 111 of the Clean Air …

Harmonizing Climate Change Policy And International Investment Law: Threats, Challenges And Opportunities, Daniel M. Firger, Michael Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

This chapter responds to a chorus of commentary about the potential for conflict between the international investment law regime and an array of national and international actions being undertaken to mitigate and adapt to global climate change. Contrary to conventional wisdom, while some climate-friendly regulations may indeed be facially incompatible with the obligations imposed on states by typical international investment agreements (IIAs), many climate policies – especially those related to clean energy finance and technology transfer – involve principles common to foreign investment law and are largely compatible with that regime. Moreover, pending the unlikely negotiation of a single global …

2010 Developments Under State Environmental Quality Review Act, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

The courts decided 37 cases under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) in 2010. That is the lowest number since this column began its annual survey of SEQRA cases in 1990. The second lowest number was 45 in 2009. This trough is most likely caused by the economic recession, as SEQRA activity primarily relates to real estate development.

As is usually the case, defendants were much more likely to win in cases where an environmental impact statement (EIS) had been prepared than when there was no EIS. Of the 16 cases with an EIS, defendants won 13 (81 percent); …

Increasing Use Of Renewable Energy: Legal Techniques And Impediments, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

The current turmoil in the Middle East and the consequent rise in oil prices are highlighting the long-recognized need for the United States to reduce its dependence on foreign energy sources. The most promising way to do that is through increased efficiency in our use of energy. My last column (Jan. 13, 2011) discussed the legal aspects of that measure. Today’s column is devoted to the legal aspects of the second most important way – increasing the share of the energy that we use that comes from renewable sources.

Governmental And Private Liability For Flooding, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

In recent years the frequency and severity of heavy precipitation and floods in parts of the United States, including the Northeast, have been increasing to a statistically significant degree, and this trend is expected to worsen. Events such as last August’s Hurricane Irene have caused widespread loss of life and property damage.

This article summarizes some of the liability issues that result from floods, and efforts to control them.

Model Municipal Ordinance Project Designed To Facilitate Wind And Solar Projects And Green Buildings, Michael B. Gerrard, Danielle Sugarman

Faculty Scholarship

Soaring oil prices and the reality of climate change have underscored the heed to reduce U.S. fossil fuel dependence by improving energy efficiency and by developing and expanding renewable sources of energy. The International Energy Agency declared in 2010 that "[i]ncreasing energy efficiency, much of which can be achieved through low-cost options, offers the greatest potential for reducing CO2 emissions over the period to 2050." Furthermore, increasing our reliance on renewable resources such as wind and solar energy is not only a prudent measure in helping America to improve its energy security, but is a necessary component of a basket …

Assisted Migration: A Viable Conservation Strategy To Preserve The Biodiversity Of Threatened Island Nations?, Jessica A. Wentz

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

Anthropogenic climate change poses a substantial threat to biodiversity. The IPCC estimates that 20-30% of species will face an increased risk of extinction if the average global temperature rises more than 1.5 to 2.5 degrees Celsius. Additional scientific studies indicate that 15-37% of species may become extinct by 2050 due to global warming, based on current emissions trajectories. Domestic and international strategies to manage this threat have traditionally focused on conservation and mitigation. In the last few years, however, policy makers have recognized that near-term climate impacts are inevitable and thus adaptation strategies are required to protect both humans and …

Legal Implications For The U.S. In Transferring Ccs Technology To China, Amy Ward

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This paper addresses the legal and related political and economic implications for U.S. public and private sector investors, and U.S. CCS technological proprietors, in participating in CCS demonstration projects in China through the provision of investment and technology transfers.