Law Commons^™

Un-Repeal: Reviving The Arms Control Impact Statements, David A. Koplow

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

From the late 1970s into the early 1990s, U.S. federal law mandated the executive branch to prepare annual analytical documents known as Arms Control Impact Statements (ACIS). These instruments – obviously patterned after the Environmental Impact Statements (EIS), which had been inaugurated only a few years previously – were intended to prod the national security community to undertake more rigorous, multi-dimensional study of major weapons programs, and to provide Congress and the American public with enhanced, timely information about key arms procurement decisions.

However, unlike the EIS process – which rapidly became institutionalized, and which has proliferated to multiple tiers …

The Singapore Green Plan 2030: Analysing Its Implications On Law And The Legal Industry In Singapore, Wei Yao, Kenny Chng, Ken Wei Ong

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

While sustainability has always been an important policy imperative in Singapore, the advent of the Singapore Green Plan 2030 marks a significant development in this regard. Announced in February 2021, the Green Plan represents a concerted national-level strategic shift towards advancing the sustainability agenda in Singapore. With sustainable development now being a ‘major policy priority’, it is inevitable that the Green Plan will have important legal implications, each of which will be identified and analysed in this paper. More broadly, however, the paper also suggests that the Green Plan will open up valuable opportunities for environmental law to receive greater …

Impact Assessment, Sustainability, And Climate Change: Lessons From Lower Churchill, Adebayo Majekolagbe

Dalhousie Law Journal

The attainment of sustainability is the overarching objective of impact assessment (IA). Over the years, IA has evolved from being a predominantly biophysical- environment assessment venture to a multicentric undertaking including hundreds of IA modes. IA’s proliferation has been attributed to the inadequacy of previously dominant modes (e.g. Environmental Impact Assessment and Social Impact Assessment) to cater to other areas of humanity’s concerns or recent phenomena. Climate change is one of such phenomena and the conceptualization of climate change impact assessment has been the response of the IA movement. Drawing lessons from the Lower Churchill project in Newfoundland and Labrador …

Putting The Constitutional Horse Before The Cart: Federal Jurisdiction Over Next Generation Environmental Assessment, Anna Johnston

LLM Theses

This thesis explores the extent of federal jurisdiction over a next generation environmental assessment (EA) model proposed by Sinclair, Doelle and Gibson. Examining the jurisprudence and literature, it analyses the scope of federal constitutional authority during the triggering, information-gathering and analysis and decision-making stages of project, strategic and regional assessment. A federal next generation EA law focused on impacts on areas of federal authority could be upheld under various federal constitutional heads of power. Federal jurisdiction is most important at decision-making, and authority to trigger an assessment should be based on the low jurisdictional threshold of reasonable probability of federal …

Adaptive Management And Nepa: How To Reconcile Predictive Assessment In The Face Of Uncertainty With Natural Resource Management Flexibility And Success, Robert L. Glicksman, Jarryd Page

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

For years, public lands scholars lamented the limited success that federal agencies had in applying adaptive management decisionmaking processes in pursuit of their natural resource management responsibilities. Agency duties to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) have played a role in creating a disconnect between the theory and application of adaptive management. NEPA was designed to force agencies to predict (and consider ways to avoid) the adverse environmental impacts of actions before committing to them. Adaptive management is built on the premise that, at least in conditions of uncertainty such as those that often characterize natural resource management, …

Before The Ice Disappears: Pursuing Climate Justice For Inuit Women In The Context Of Mining In Nunavut, Angeline Bellehumeur

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The Arctic’s rapid warming is increasing the potential for mining activity in Nunavut, and, consequently, Inuit women are increasingly at risk of experiencing the adverse and gendered impacts of mining, including gender-based violence. Through a theoretical framework influenced by feminism, Indigenous legal scholarship and legal anthropology, this thesis examines the flaws in the mining industry’s voluntary efforts to acquiring a social licence to operate and in the Nunavut mining regulatory regime, while also considering how the law can provide legal recourse through tort actions and Inuit Impact Benefit Agreements. In every instance, is clear that climate justice for Inuit women …

Reputational And Integrity Due Diligence On Investors, Kroll, Columbia Center On Sustainable Investment

Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment Staff Publications

Before deciding to invest, companies and investors will perform background research on the uncertainties and risks associated with the proposed investment. For natural resource projects, there are risks around geology, market and price developments, construction delays, operations, regulatory changes, political disruptions, and reputational issues. Feasibility studies and due diligence assessments aim to better understand these risks, reduce uncertainty where possible and be better prepared to manage them.

Governments too should understand the risks that are associated with the proposed investments and get to know the investors before entering into negotiations or signing contracts. This is particularly important for long-term agreements …

Potential Regulatory Systems For Carbon Capture And Sequestration (Ccs): Legal Analysis Of The Current And Future Regulatory Systems And Recommendations For Acceptance In South Korea, Moonsook Park

Maurer Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to create legal and regulatory systems for Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), based on demonstrating rationales of this technology. This dissertation analyzes whether or not existing international and domestic (including the United States, Australia, China, and South Korea) laws could cover potential legal issues. After exploring desirable directions for addressing key legal issues regarding CCS, this dissertation ultimately aims to set up a legal and regulatory framework for CCS in South Korea.

Specifically, permits, environmental impact assessments, liability, and property rights issues are of common importance, which are priority areas to establish well. In …

An Analysis Of The Substantive Effectiveness Of The National Environmental Policy Act: Lessons From Ivanpah, Stephanie C. Oehler

CMC Senior Theses

Nearly 45 years ago, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) was signed into law to become the first national policy for the environment of the United States. As it has evolved over time through implementation and litigation, numerous countries and states around the world have emulated NEPA with similar environmental impact assessment requirements. Many scholars have evaluated the success of the legislation in accomplishing its lofty goals. Most commonly, however, these studies address the procedural performance of agencies through the creation of environmental impact statements. This thesis examines the effectiveness of NEPA in accomplishing its substantive, rather than procedural, goals …

The Principle Of Resilience, Lia Helena Monteiro De Lima Demange

Dissertations & Theses

This article departs from the observation of accentuated degradation of ecosystems worldwide to stress the urgency in changing the patterns of occupation of the land, production, consumption and the ecological and ethical goals of environmental conservation. Aiming to achieve these ends, this article proposes the acknowledgement of the principle of resilience in international environmental law. The principle of resilience is articulated herein based on the concept of ecological resilience; the values of land ethic; and the existing principles of international environmental law. Later, the article explains how the principle can be applied to adaptive governance; adaptive management; environmental impact …

Interstate Environmental Impact Assessment, Noah D. Hall

Noah D Hall

This article proposes a new state-based policy – interstate environmental impact assessment – that builds on the National Environmental Policy Act’s Environmental Impact Statement process to address interstate environmental harms. Interstate environmental harms, which occur when decisions or actions in one state produce negative environmental impacts in another state, have challenged American environmental law for over a century. Interstate environmental impact assessment would provide a procedural mechanism for an affected state and its citizens to influence the source state and minimize or prevent interstate environmental harms. The process itself would address the underlying problems of inadequate information, public process bias, …

Political Externalities, Federalism, And A Proposal For An Interstate Environmental Impact Assessment Policy, Noah D. Hall

Noah D Hall

Interstate environmental harms, which occur when decisions or actions in one state produce negative environmental impacts in another state, have challenged environmental law and American federalism for over a century. While even the strongest advocates of state primacy in environmental policy concede that interstate environmental harms necessitate federal governance, federal adjudication and regulation have done little to address the problem. This is due, in part, to a failure to fully understand the causes of interstate environmental harms. This article provides a new framework for understanding interstate environmental harms as political externalities caused by a combination of inadequate information, public process …

Environmental Impact Assessment In Post-Colonial Societies: Reflections On The Expansion Of The Panama Canal, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

Post-colonial societies endowed with abundant natural resources often under-perform economically when these resources are exploited as economic enclaves lacking significant linkages to other sectors of the economy. The Panama Canal, a symbol of Panamanian identity and a reminder of Panama's lengthy colonial history, has historically functioned as an economic enclave akin to the mineral extraction and industrial agriculture enclaves prevalent throughout the developing world. Based on a case study of the contentious decision to expand the Panama Canal, this article examines the ways in which the colonial legacy distorts the development planning process, and discusses strategies that might be deployed …

Watts My Line? Energy Generation Siting Strategies For Urban Areas, Caleb W. Christopher

Caleb W Christopher

The growth of urban areas has historically been both constrained and encouraged by energy and related infrastructure. Varying degrees of regulation have been sought to respond to compelling public safety needs: more recently, modern environmental law system was derived from public conflicts over siting of an energy plant. While the greater urban density offers reduced per-capita energy consumption rates, contemporary urban revitalization has brought a greater amount of people into closer contact with their energy sources. The unique geography, and increased securities needs, of urban areas demand both reliability and local proximity in energy source production. Urban siting issues will …

Groundwater And Growth Management In The New West: Evolving Law And Practice, A. Dan Tarlock

Water and Growth in the West (Summer Conference, June 7-9)

13 pages.

An American Perspective On Environmental Impact Assessment In Australia, Mark Squillace

Publications

No abstract provided.

Environmental Impact Assessments For Major Construction Projects In Taiwan: Problems And Solutions, Ming-Shen Wang, Gow-Liang Huang

Washington International Law Journal

Taiwan's environmental impact assessment (EIA) process offers little opportunity for genuine public participation, lacks systematic decision-making procedures, and inadequately evaluates and communicates perceptions of risk. This article examines EIA models emphasizing public participation, as well as contemporary theories of conflict management and risk communication, in terms of their potential application towards a restructuring of Taiwan's EIA process.

The Case For Integrated Pollution Control, Lakshman Guruswamy

Publications

No abstract provided.

Integrated Pollution Control: The Way Forward, Lakshman Guruswamy

Publications

No abstract provided.