Law Commons^™

Environmental Justice And The Possibilities For Environmental Law, Sarah Krakoff

Publications

Climate change and extreme inequality combine to cause disproportionate harms to poor communities throughout the world. Further, unequal resource allocation is shot through with the structures of racism and other forms of discrimination. This Essay explores these phenomena in two different places in the United States, and traces law’s role in constructing environmental and economic vulnerability. The Essay then proposes that solutions, if there are any to be had, lie in expanding our notions of what kinds of laws are relevant to achieving environmental justice, and in seeing law as a possible tactic for instigating broader social change but not …

Mine Reclamation's Reliance On King Coal: Meeting Legacy Environmental Obligations With A Declining Industry, Claire Jarrell

University of Colorado Law Review

Coal mines throughout Appalachia have left the land scarred and the water damaged. Although mine reclamation programs are the only major system of recourse for addressing environmental degradation caused by mining, the downturn of the coal market has put reclamation programs in a precarious position for achieving that end. Funds for coal mine reclamation are derived from the current coal industry's profits. As coal profits continue to atrophy, so too does the pot of money designated for reclamation efforts. These dwindling financial resources are particularly problematic because there is still significant need for reclamation funding throughout Appalachia.

This Comment explores …