Environmental Law Commons^™

University Of Richmond Law Review

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Liabilities Of The Innocent Current Owner Of Toxic Property Under Cercla, Diana L. Mcdavid

University of Richmond Law Review

The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 ("CERCLA") was enacted to facilitate prompt cleanup of property contaminated by hazardous wastes. CERCLA seeks to accomplish its goal in part by placing the financial burden of cleanup on those parties who are responsible for the problem and who benefited from the hazardous waste activity. Because environmental cleanup is a national priority and the cost of cleaning up toxic waste sites is staggering, the scope of liability under CERCLA is broad. A clean environment is a laudable goal and compelling responsible parties to bear the cost of cleanup is fair, …

University Of Richmond Law Review

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Environmental Liens And Title Insurance, Robert S. Bozarth

University of Richmond Law Review

Increased concern for the environment and environmental protection laws have affected title insurance. To understand this effect, it is necessary to examine our environmental problems, the environmental laws and the nature of title insurance. This article also looks at the title insurance industry's reaction to these environmental risks as compared to the reaction of the property/casualty insurance industry.

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Environmental Law, Theodore R. Kingsley

University of Richmond Law Review

This article addresses significant developments in Virginia law pertaining to air and water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, and pesticide regulation which have occurred between the publication of last year's survey and August 1, 1989. Not considered herein are the Chesapeake Bay Preservation Area Designation and Management Regulations promulgated by the Chesapeake Bay Local Assistance Board.

Environmental Liability In Real Property Transactions, Timothy G. Hayes, William J. Dinkin

University of Richmond Law Review

In recent years, the scope of environmental liability has broadened considerably. Cleanup costs are no longer solely the concern of those directly engaged in the generation and disposal of hazardous wastes. Federal and state environmental statutes now create potential liability for parties to a variety of seemingly innocent transactions. Purchasers of contaminated property may be required to pay for hazardous waste cleanup. Corporate entities may also face environmental liability through mergers, consolidations and asset acquisitions. In addition, lenders may risk liability or impairment of collateral when contaminated property is used to secure a loan.

Annual Survey Of Virginia Law: Environmental Law

University of Richmond Law Review

In the past two years Virginia has seen significant legislative changes in its laws protecting public health and the environment. This article addresses not only those changes, but also the implementation of these laws by the responsible state agencies and the court cases construing those laws.

University Of Richmond Law Review

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Criminal Prosecutions In Environmental Law: A Study Of The "Kepone" Case, Ronald J. Bacigal, Margaret I. Bacigal

Law Faculty Publications

The effectiveness of criminal prosecutions in the environmental law area is often disparaged. Some commentators suggest that corporate behavior is not significantly affected by criminal convictions because fines that are adequate to deter individual pollutors often have little impact on multi-million dollar corporations. Such a contention, however is challenged by the history surrounding the prosecution of the Allied Chemical Corporation for the pollution caused by the pesticide Kepone. The successful prosecution of the Kepone case dramatically altered Allied's corporate behavior had a significant impact on legislative and administrative inspection schemes, and led to the establishment of an endowment for improvement …

Federal And State Remedies To Clean Up Hazardous Waste Sites, Janis L. Kirkland, James A. Thornhill

University of Richmond Law Review

Over fifty-seven million metric tons of hazardous waste are produced as a by-product of manufacturing in the United States each year. Only ten percent of this waste is disposed of in an environmentally sound manner. The improper disposal of hazardous waste has given rise to crisis areas of national notoriety such as "Love Canal" and "Valley of the Drums." Although the danger to public health and the environment cannot be precisely calculated, the disposal of hazardous waste presents a problem that can no longer be ignored. Virginia's own experience with kepone contamination in the James River exemplifies the dangers and …

Waste To Energy: Environmental And Local Government Concerns, Kelly Outten

University of Richmond Law Review

"The problem we are confronting here is immense-literally mountains of trash and garbage." With these words, Representative William S. Moorhead accurately described a current American dilemma-what to do with the four billion tons of solid waste annually produced by Americans. Concurrent with the problem of increasing quantities of waste are the problems of decreasing availability of land fill space and an ever-rising demand for energy. The existence of these problems is leading federal, state, and local governments to take a second look at their municipal solid waste and to realize that "waste is something more than an undesirable by-product of …

Taking Precedents In The Tidelands: Refocusing On Eminent Domain, W. Wade Berryhill

Law Faculty Publications

The focus of this article is on the state's power of eminent domain as a means of controlling the use of scarce coastal resources. However, in order to determine whether this rather drastic exercise of governmental power is the most appropriate means of effecting its purposes, the state or its delegate must consider the alternatives. This article therefore will first examine briefly other possible means of control; it will then discuss the substantive and procedural requirements of eminent domain; and finally, it will consider problems of post-acquisition resource management.

Does Nepa Matter? - An Analysis Of The Historical Development And Contemporary Significance Of The National Environmental Policy Act, Kenneth M. Murchison

University of Richmond Law Review

When President Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on January 1, 1970, he declared that the new statute marked the arrival of the time for environmental action. The quantatitive measures of legislative and judicial activity during the ensuing decade suggest that he accurately captured the mood of the times, for the 1970's produced a flurry of new and amended statutes as well as a veritable explosion in environmental litigation. As a result of this burst of energy, environmental law has emerged as an important legal speciality that now commands the attention of law schools, government lawyers, and the …

The Role Of Localities In The Transportation And Disposal Of Nuclear Wastes, Marvin Swift, Mars M. Wicker

University of Richmond Law Review

Transportation and disposal of nuclear wastes brings the apprehensions associated with nuclear power into close physical and psychological proximity to many Americans. The subject of transportation comes with its own set of problems, including potential accidents, packaging, routing, security, sabotage, and special agency actions. Common to all of these problems is the element of the unknown. "Clearly nuclear shipments pre- sent some kind of public health hazard, not necessarily as great as some other activities do and .. .the nature of that hazard is not known precisely."

Executive Privilege: Historic Scope And Use In The Watergate And Environmental Protection Agency Hearings, Jean M. D'Ovidio

University of Richmond Law Review

Executive privilege is "a concept invoked by members of the executive branch of the government to justify withholding evidence and other communicative materials from the legislative and judicial branches." Since the presidency of George Washington, the executive has attempted to withhold information from the other two branches.

Of Crabbed Interpretations And Frustrated Mandates: The Effect Of Environmental Policy Acts On Pre-Existing Agency Authority, Carl W. Tobias, Daniel N. Mclean

Law Faculty Publications

When Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969, the legislation was acclaimed as one of the most important environmental measures ever enacted. States soon followed the federal lead, so that by 1976 thirty jurisdictions had adopted statutes similar to the national legislation. The Montana legislature was in the vanguard, passing the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) in 1971.

The federal agencies now appear to have accepted full responsibility for implementation of NEPA, despite some initial reluctance. Several agencies contended at first that the statute did not authorize them to consider in decisionmaking any environmental factors not expressly …

Guaranteeing Solar Access In Virginia, W. Wade Berryhill

Law Faculty Publications

This article will address in order: the mechanics of a solar energy system; the problem of solar access; the traditional public and private remedies available at common law; Virginia's legislative response to the problem of assuring solar access; and some suggestions for the resolution of anticipated solar access conflicts in Virginia.

The Federal Strip Mining Act: Environmental Protection Comes To The Coalfields Of Virginia, Edward Shawn Grandis

University of Richmond Law Review

Strip mining, for those of us who are touched by it, either as residents of areas affected by the mining or as professionals or bureaucrats concerned with the legal or technical issues involved, conjours up vivid images of land devastation, offsite property damage and high profits with little risk involved for the operator.

Nonpoint Pollution Control In Virginia, John V. Cogbill Iii

University of Richmond Law Review

Congress has established a national goal of "clean water" by 1983 and the elimination of all pollutant discharge into the navigable waterways by 1985. The nation has made great strides toward controlling and eliminating point source pollutants. There has been no corresponding progress in the area of nonpoint pollution control. Such pollution from agriculture, mining, silviculture, and urban runoff is causing lakes to die prematurely and is seriously affecting Virginia's fishing industry. This comment will review the federal requirements for control of nonpoint source pollution, Virginia's role in an implementation program, and, finally, some recom- mendations to aid Virginia in …

State Environmental Protection Versus The Commerce Power, K. Dennis Sisk

University of Richmond Law Review

As commerce and industry have invaded once virgin lands and waters in an era of heightened environmental consciousness, increasing numbers of state legislatures have responded with strict environmental protection measures. Environmental protection is unquestionably a legitimate state interest, but such measures often impede the flow of interstate commerce. This article addresses the tension between state environmental protection statutes and the federal constitution's commerce clause. The essential thesis is that traditional commerce clause analysis has not been applied with sufficient sensitivity to adequately reconcile state environmental interests with federal commercial interests.

The Fate Of Non-Compliant Municipalities With Regard To The Secondary Treatment Standards Pursuant To The 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments- A Problem Of Enforcement, Tom Bondurant

University of Richmond Law Review

Water pollution is a dualistic problem which concerns both water quality and adequacy of supply of water. The failure to maintain a certain standard with regard to quality and/or adequacy leads to detrimental effects in such areas as domestic water supply, industrial water supply, agricultural water supply, wildlife watering, propagation of marine life, recreational activities, and aesthetic enjoyment.

Nepa: Full Of Sound And Fury?

University of Richmond Law Review

Man has been, is, and will continue to be dependent upon the environment for the essential and non-essential components of his existence. In twentieth century America, the inevitable realization that environmental resources are not infinite has fostered an increased interest in stemming the tide of ecological devastation now being carried out in the name of progress and technological convenience.

Automobile Noise- An Effective Method For Control

University of Richmond Law Review

The automobile as a contributing factor to air pollution has in recent years received widespread attention. Deserving of similar attention is the automobile's contribution to another increasing environmental problem, "noise pollution."