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Full-Text Articles in Law
Agencies Running From Agency Discretion, J.B. Ruhl, Kyle Robisch
Agencies Running From Agency Discretion, J.B. Ruhl, Kyle Robisch
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
Discretion is the root source of administrative agency power and influence, but exercising discretion often requires agencies to undergo costly and time-consuming pre-decision assessment programs, such as under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Many federal agencies thus have argued strenuously, and counter-intuitively, that they do not have discretion over particular actions so as to avoid such pre-decision requirements. Interest group litigation challenging such agency moves has led to a new wave of jurisprudence exploring the dimensions of agency discretion. The emerging body of case law provides one of the most robust, focused judicial examinations …
In Defense Of Ecosystem Services, J.B. Ruhl
In Defense Of Ecosystem Services, J.B. Ruhl
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
The path of ecosystem services as a theme in environmental law and policy spans my practice (1982-1994) and academic (1994-present) careers. The importance of nature to human well-being seems so obvious one would think it has been front and center in environmental law and policy since the beginning, but, until recently, that has not been the case. Lately, however, the ecosystem services framework has catapulted this theme into prominence, if not dominance, in environmental discourse.
The Brave New Path Of Energy Federalism, Jim Rossi
The Brave New Path Of Energy Federalism, Jim Rossi
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
For much of the past 80 years courts have fixated on dual sovereignty as the organizing federalism paradigm under New Deal era energy statutes. Dual sovereignty’s reign emphasized a jurisdictional “bright line,” with a fixed, legalistic boundary between federal and state regulators. This Article explores how recent Supreme Court decisions limit dual sovereignty’s role as the organizing federalism principle under energy statutes.
These recent decisions do not approach federal-state jurisdiction as either/or proposition, but instead recognize it is concurrent in certain contexts. Concurrent jurisdiction opens up a brave new path of possibilities for energy federalism but also has been target …
The Presidential Memorandum On Mitigation, J.B. Ruhl
The Presidential Memorandum On Mitigation, J.B. Ruhl
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
On November 3, 2015, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum aimed at unifying the mitigation practice and policy for activities carried out and approved by the Departments of Defense, Interior, and Agriculture, the EPA, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration... See Mitigating Impacts on Natural Resources from Development and Encouraging Related Private Investment, 80 Fed. Reg. 68743 (Nov. 6, 2015). The broad policy goal of the Memorandum is to ensure that the agencies mitigation policies are clear, work similarly across agencies, and are implemented consistently within agencies. Id. at 68743. The Memorandum also emphasizes the need for transparency, measurable …