Environmental Law Commons^™

It's Not Too Late: Applying Continuing Violation Theory To The Designation Of Critical Habitat Under The Esa, Amelia Boone

Washington Law Review

The Endangered Species Act (ESA or the Act) requires the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (the Service) to designate critical habitat for every species it lists as threatened or endangered. Generally, the Service must designate critical habitat within one year of listing the species. If it cannot determine the species’ habitat at the moment of listing, it can issue a finding of “not determinable,” which gives it one additional year to study the species and its habitat needs. At the end of that additional year, the Service must list the critical habitat, using whatever data is available. On close …

"Pollute First, Control Later" No More: Combating Environmental Degradation In China Through An Approach Based In Public Interest Litigation And Public Participation, Christine J. Lee

Washington International Law Journal

As China continues to face severe environmental degradation as a side effect of torrid economic growth and rise in population, the Chinese government has promulgated numerous environmental laws over the past few decades to address this critical issue. The efficacy of these laws, however, has been highly questionable. Although the laws themselves—modeled substantially on United States and European environmental laws—are relatively complete and comprehensive, difficulties in implementation and particularly enforcement have led to the continued deterioration of China’s environment. These failures in implementation and enforcement of environmental laws emerge from numerous factors, most notably from the decentralized structure of China’s …

Preface, William H. Rodgers Jr.

Chapters in Books

In the 2006-07 term, the U.S. Supreme Court gave us a flood of new thought on the topic of environmental law.

Too bad.

[Addresses cases interpreting the Clean Water Act, the Superfund law, the Clean Air Act, and the Endangered Species Act. In the Summer 2008 Pocket Part for Volume 1.]

Picking Up On What's Going Underground: Australia Should Exempt Carbon Capture And Geo-Sequestration From Part Iiia Of The Trade Practices Act, Adam M. Andrews

Washington International Law Journal

Australia has identified carbon capture and geo-sequestration (“CCS”) as a partial solution to the problem of global warming. CCS involves capturing carbon dioxide from large point-source emitters, such as power plants, and injecting it deep below ground level for disposal. Australia has not yet enacted CCS-specific regulations. As it stands now, Australia’s third-party access law, Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act, creates regulatory uncertainty for CCS infrastructure projects and will deter investment in the industry. This regulatory uncertainty results from the ambiguous criteria used to determine whether a piece of infrastructure is appropriate for third-party access. Legislators could address …

Biodiversity, Baking And Boiling, Endangered Species Act Turning Down The Heat, Anna T. Moritz, Kassie R. Siegel, Brendan R. Cummings, William H. Rodgers, Jr.

Articles

Today the Earth faces an extinction event on a scale second only to Earth's largest mass extinction, the Permian-Triassic event, which occurred 250 million years ago. Upwards of 70 percent of the Earth's species could be at risk of extinction with a 3.5°C (6.3°F) rise in temperature, which could occur by the end of this century.

The driver is global warming, caused by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. As such, a rational climate policy is needed immediately to prevent the complete collapse of biodiversity. Yet, the United States—the world's largest cumulative contributor to emissions—is in a state of paralysis when it …