Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Water Law

University of Michigan Law School

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

Environmental protection

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

The Wild And Scenic Rivers Act At 50: Overlooked Watershed Protection, Michael C. Blumm, Max M. Yoklic Mar 2020

The Wild And Scenic Rivers Act At 50: Overlooked Watershed Protection, Michael C. Blumm, Max M. Yoklic

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (WSRA) marked its fiftieth anniversary in 2018 without much fanfare. The WSRA has been somewhat overshadowed by the Wilderness Act, which preceded it by four years, and by the National Environmental Policy Act and the pollution control statutes which followed in the 1970s. But the WSRA was a significant conservation achievement, has now extended its protections to over 200 rivers, and has the potential to provide watershed protection to many more in the future. This article explains the statute and its implementation over the last half-century as well as a number of challenges to …


Legal Protection For Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems, Collin Gannon Oct 2014

Legal Protection For Groundwater-Dependent Ecosystems, Collin Gannon

Michigan Journal of Environmental & Administrative Law

This Note concerns the legal protection of groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the United States and abroad. By first describing the science and ecology of ecosystems that are dependent on groundwater and then surveying the current American legal system that fails to adequately protect groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs), this Note proposes legal reforms that could vastly improve groundwater management systems. State protection of GDEs is sparse and often only operates indirectly as a result of states’ water policies focused on water quantity upkeep for consumptive purposes. Part I provides an overview of GDEs. Part II discusses state legal protection, including indirect state protection …