Digital Commons Network^™

Sepas, Climate Change, And Corporate Responsibility: The Contribution Of Local Government, Catherine J. Lacroix

Faculty Publications

Municipalities in the United States are increasingly active in the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Data suggest that the physical layout of communities and the buildings they contain make significant contributions to greenhouse gas emissions and thus to climate change. One useful tool for municipalities could be the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), pioneered in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) at the federal level and subsequently adopted as a policymaking guide in the State Environmental Policy Acts (SEPAs) of many states. A SEPA requires state governments - and, in six states, local governments as well - to consider the …

Brownfields And Brac: A Surprising "Compatibility", Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

In Part I of this Article, I describe the BRAC process and compare it to the process for remediating abandoned or underused sites in state brownfields programs. I find that while the two systems are different in many significant respects, these differences do not overwhelm the commonalities inherent in comparing two systems that focus on remediating sites and transferring them to their new owners. In Part II, I describe the environmental remediation process of BRAC and positive "surprises" in terms of the statutory preference for finality in remedial actions and for public participation at sites being closed and the more …

A Rising Tide In Renewable Energy: The Future Of Tidal In-Stream Energy Conversion (Tisec), Michael B. Walsh

Villanova Environmental Law Journal (1991 - )

No abstract provided.

United States Supreme Court Rules Epa Must Take Action On Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Massachusetts V. Epa, Saillan De Charles

Natural Resources Journal

No abstract provided.

Sustainable Living: Theme Of The Future Or A One-Hit Wonder, Michelle Hershman

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

Is environmental consciousness in the United States just a popular trend or the beginning of permanent changes? In light of the American government's refusal to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, this comment examines social, corporate and regulatory pressures on environmental policy in the United States. The author concludes by arguing for the implementation of environmentally conscious policies and programs at private and public levels.

Sustainable Living: Theme Of The Future Or A One-Hit Wonder, Michelle Hershman

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

Look out America; we have a "smug alert." No, not smog, "smug." According to the notorious cartoon, South Park, people who buy hybrid cars feel so good about saving the Earth, they become increasingly smug, which leads to all-out disaster.' Fortunately, for the town of South Park, one of its native children, Stan, convinces everyone it's alright to own a hybrid without being smug. Should we pass this episode off as another entertaining late night Comedy Central special, or have Matt Stone and Trey Parker stumbled onto a form of satire that's true in form and educational in its moral? …

Disaster Mitigation Through Land Use Strategies, John R. Nolon

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

The persistent question this book raises is who should decide whether and how to mitigate the damages caused by natural disasters. Our understandable preoccupation with response, recovery, and rebuilding makes it hard to focus on this question as a central, even relevant, one. But it persists, nonetheless. The high-profile “blame game” played following Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of the Gulf Coast is emblematic. In pointing fingers first at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), then at the city of New Orleans, and then at the state of Louisiana, public officials exhibited an appalling lack of understanding of the roles that each …

Brownfields At 20: A Critical Reevaluation, Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

Following a basic description of the New Jersey program, I will discuss two specific developments, the BDA initiative and the recent "Grace Period Rule," that changed some aspects of the program. My aim is more modest than a full-scale re-evaluation of all brownfields programs (or indeed of the New Jersey program in its totality); instead I look at the experience within one program to assess whether there is movement toward the development-centered approach. I find that some developments in New Jersey are positive, notably the BDA's approach to addressing multiple brownfield sites concurrently in the same location. On the other …

Remarks At The Climate Of Environmental Justice: Taking Stock Conference At The University Of Colorado Law School, March 16-17, 2007, Congressman Mike Udall

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Divide: Examining The Role Of The Public Trust In Protecting Coastal And Wetland Resources, Kim Diana Connolly

Southeastern Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Challenges For Private Sector Conservation: Sanderson's The Future Of Conservation In Tierra Del Fuego, Julia Amrock

Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies

To date, global protection of biodiversity has been largely dominated by governmental actors. Ecosystems transcending state boundaries find themselves at the mercy of international agreements, for better or for worse. Steven Sanderson of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) suggested for worse in The Future of Conservation, but he gave hope for more effective environmental conservation, if the private sector could gain more standing globally. The plan that Sanderson created for self-assertion of nongovernmental environmental groups describes approaches typically endorsed not by NGOs but by governments: global alliances, political strategy, human-centered conservation, and economic development. This Note isolates the current use …

Wind Energy And Its Impact On Future Environmental Policy Planning: Powering Renewable Energy In Canada And Abroad, Kamaal Zaidi

ExpressO

With the rising demand for energy from finite conventional sources such as coal and natural gas, the emphasis on modern environmental policy planning for renewable energy is rapidly gaining attention. In particular, wind energy projects that include wind turbine technology is helping drive this trend towards cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable forms of energy that provide electricity to consumers. This paper provides an introductory review of wind energy, outlining its history, technology, and current legislative frameworks adopted by various nations in harnessing renewable energy. This analysis includes a thorough discussion of Canada’s approach, but continues with renewable wind programs in …

Making Main Street Legal Again: The Smartcode Solution To Sprawl, Chad Emerson

ExpressO

No abstract provided.

Towards Principled Oceans Governance: Australian And Canadian Approaches And Challenges, Donald R. Rothwell, David Vanderzwaag

Books

Australia and Canada have been at the forefront of efforts to operationalize integrated oceans and coastal management. Throughout the 1990s both countries devoted considerable effort to developing strategies to give effect to international ocean management obligations.

This key book focuses on principles of marine environmental conservation and management, maritime regulation and enforcement, and regional maritime planning and implementation. With contributions from respected scholars, this informative book collectively assesses the obligations, compliance, implementation and trends in international ocean law, particularly in giving effect to an Oceans Policy, regional maritime planning, international oceans governance, and maritime security. This book will be of …

Beyond The Buzzwords: A Perspective On Integrated Coastal And Ocean Management In Canada, Aldo Chircop, Lawrence Hildebrand

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

It is now more than five years since the Oceans Act came into force as Canada’s modern legal framework for integrated coastal and ocean management (ICOM). Although there have been several integrated management initiatives at the national, regional and provincial level, the assessment of the record to date is not a simple matter.

Impediments To Environmental Justice: The Inequities Of The Maryland Standing Doctrine, Daniel W. Ingersoll Iv

University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Divide: Examining The Role Of The Public Trust In Protecting Coastal And Wetland Resources, Kim Diana Connolly

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

American Cities And Sustainable Development In The Age Of Global Terrorism: Some Thoughts On Fortress America And The Potential For Defensive Disperal Ii, Edward H. Ziegler

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Agenda: Best Management Practices And Adaptive Management In Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Best Management Practices and Adaptive Management in Oil and Gas Development (May 12-13)

Agenda includes summaries of speakers' presentations

Workshop held May 12-13, 2004 at the University of Colorado School of Law and sponsored by the Natural Resources Law Center with support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, BP America and Calpine Corporation

Government agencies, industry and others are beginning to apply the concepts of best management practices and adaptive management to oil and gas development. This free workshop will examine what is going on in the Rocky Mountain Region with these innovative management approaches. This timely workshop will be kicked off with a presentation on the Western Governors' Association Coalbed Methane …

Sustainable Development Scenarios For The Richard B. Russell Parkway, Jesse Fountain, Judith R. Wasserman, Jamie Baker Roskie

Land Use Clinic

For many years local elected officials, the state legislative delegation, and community leaders worked diligently to get Richard Russell Parkway extended to Interstate 75 and provide the Warner Robins area with a second interchange to serve the City and Robins AFB. The project became a reality in the spring of 2002 when the Georgia Department of Transportation awarded a construction contract for the Parkway's extension. During the spring of 2003, with construction work progressing toward an October 31, 2004, completion date, the Mayor and City Council decided to explore alternative development concepts for the Parkway.

The goal of this document …

Regulatory Diversification And The Monitoring State: The Direction Of Environmental Regulation In Taiwan, Beth E. Kinne

Washington International Law Journal

Rapid industrialization in Taiwan in the latter half of the twentieth century resulted in dramatic increases in industrial pollution and municipal waste, leaving few places on the small island spared from severe pollution. Public pollution protests in the 1970s and 1980s both contributed to and increased with the liberalization of Taiwanese society. With the end of martial law in 1987 and subsequent creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, Taiwan adopted a command and control regulatory scheme that achieved limited success. From the 1980s onward, the Taiwanese government came to rely upon the participation of a greater number and variety of …

Toward A National Sustainable Development Strategy, John C. Dernbach

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Introduction: Symposium 2002: Rio + 10: Preparing For The Earth's Environmental Future Today, Brian C. Athey

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Americanizing Sustainability: Place-Based Approaches To The Global Challenge, Timothy Beatley, Richard C. Collins

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

The Precautionary Principle And Marine Environmental Protection: Slippery Shores, Rough Seas, And Rising Normative Tides, David Vanderzwaag

Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press

Law and policy implications of the precautionary principle in the field of marine environmental protection are explored in this paper in a three-part analysis. First, seven slippery aspects of the precautionary principle are highlighted, including confusion in terminology, definitional variations, definitional generalities, the spectrum of precautionary measures available, ongoing philosophical tensions and competing socioeconomic interests, debate over who should be responsible for making precautionary decisions, and limited interpretation by international tribunals. Second, the rather feeble precautionary responses to the tempestuous issues of climate change, hazardous chemicals, and overfishing are described. Third, the potential for the precautionary principle to synergize with …

Environmental Justice In An Era Of Devolved Collaboration , Sheila R. Foster

Faculty Scholarship

Environmental decision-making is undergoing a profound shift. Traditional forums and processes are being displaced by mechanisms emphasizing local, "place-based" decision-making. These emerging decision-making mechanisms are orchestrated through collaborative processes featuring stakeholders from both the public and private sectors. This transformation is evident in a number of recent governmental initiatives, including those by the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA"), most notably its Community-Based Environmental Protection ("CBEP") initiative. Other federal agencies, particularly those with land or species management responsibilities, have similarly advocated a greater role for local decision-makers and collaborative problem-solving. This Article examines the points of convergence and divergence between devolved collaboration …

A Case Study Of Sustainable Development: Brownfields, Joel B. Eisen

Law Faculty Publications

Critiquing how brownfields programs expanded without much attention to developments in the international environmental arena will illustrate some ways to alter them to comport with Agenda 21 and other prerequisites for sustainable development. Another interesting aspect of this analysis for the Rio + 10 review is its timing. The state and federal programs have mushroomed since 1992; for example, while a small minority of states had "voluntary cleanup programs" 10 years ago, virtually every state has one now, and there is considerable and increasing experience with them. If adjustments to these programs should be developed to comport with the prescriptions …

Environmental Movements Since Love Canal: Hope, Despair & [Im]Mobilization?, Allan Schnaiberg

Buffalo Environmental Law Journal

No abstract provided.

Environmental Audit Privilege Laws: Stripping The Public's Right To Know, Jennifer Lukas Jackson

Cleveland State Law Review

This Note argues that because the public places a high premium on its right to know, Congress should enact a federal statute that prohibits a privilege for environmental audits. A federal prohibition on a privilege for environmental audits will make the state statutes unconstitutional under the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution. This Note has six parts. Part II provides background on the traditional environmental regulatory regime and the role that the public plays in enforcing environmental statutes. Part III is an analysis of some of the typical state environmental audit privilege laws, including a discussion of the major …

Racializing Environmental Justice, Eric K. Yamamoto, Jen-L W. Lyman

University of Colorado Law Review

No abstract provided.