Law Commons^™

Species Conservation & Recovery Through Adequate Regulatory Mechanisms, Sandra B. Zellmer, Sam J. Panarella, Oliver Finn Wood

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

The world is experiencing its sixth episode of mass extinction of life. In rhetoric typically used by bloggers rather than scientists, the National Academy of Sciences reports that this "biological annihilation" is more dire than previously believed,' and that the decimation of biodiversity and of the ecosystem services resulting from it is nothing less than a "frightening assault on the foundations of human civilization."2

Unlike previous episodes of mass extinction, this one is caused by human overpopulation, overconsumption, and anthropogenic climate change. The United States has been a world conservation leader for over a century, but its commitment to supporting …

Waiving Federal Sovereign Immunity In Original Actions Between States, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

There are tremendous disparities between high stakes original actions between states before the US. Supreme Court, where there is no waiver of federal sovereign immunity, and other types of cases in the lower courts, where a plethora of immunity waivers allow states and other parties to seek relief from the federal government for Fifth Amendment takings, unlawful agency action, and tort claims. Federal actions or omissions are often at the heart of the dispute, and federal involvement may be crucial for purposes of providing an equitable remedy to the state parties, but there is no reliable mechanism for bringing the …

Fish And Wildlife Management On Federal Lands: Debunking State Supremacy, Sandra B. Zellmer, Martin Nie, Christopher Barnes, Jonathan Haber, Julie Joly, Kenneth Pitt

Faculty Law Review Articles

This Article reviews the authority of federal and state governments to manage wildlife on federal lands. It first describes the most common assertions made by state governments regarding state powers over wildlife and then analyzes the relevant powers and limitations of the United States Constitution and federal land laws, regulations, and polices. Wildlife-specific provisions applicable within the National Park System, National Wildlife Refuge System, National Forest System, Bureau of Land Management, the special case of Alaska, and the National Wilderness Preservation System are covered, as is the Endangered Species Act. We reviewed an extensive collection of cases of conflict between …

A Bird In The Hand: Shotguns, Deadly Oil Pits, Cute Kittens, And The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Samuel J. Panarella

Faculty Law Review Articles

This Article is presented in three parts. Part I describes the modern application (and misapplication) of the MBTA and briefly sets out the history of the Act, including the widespread, indiscriminate killing of migratory birds for food and fashion in the 19th century that first spurred Congress to act. Building off this history and the clear Congressional intent behind the MBTA to criminalize industrial activities directed at killing birds, Part II sorts human-caused bird killing activities into three categories and proposes the appropriate MBTA liability treatment for each category based both on the original purpose of the Act and on …

Valuing Sacred Tribal Waters Within Prior Appropriation, Michelle Bryan

Faculty Law Review Articles

Throughout the world water plays a central role in the spirituality of indigenous peoples. Focusing on the American West, this article first describes how tribal water needs touch upon the sacred and then explains how both federal law and state prior appropriation doctrine fail to adequately protect these important sacred views of water. Pivoting away from the classic federal law arguments, the article then advocates for an evolution in state water law regimes to provide yet unrecognized protections for tribal sacred waters. Because international law plays an increasing role in this issue, the article also explores case studies from Ireland, …

Cause For Rebellion? Examining How Federal Land Management Agencies & Local Governments Collaborate On Land Use Planning, Michelle Bryan

Faculty Law Review Articles

This Article examines how well federal agencies and local governments are collaborating in land use planning, with a particular focus on the West.26 Part I provides a brief overview of local government planning as well as the overarching National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”)27 requirements that apply to federal planning. Part II offers a comparative summary of the varied planning approaches across federal agencies, with a particular focus on the role that local governments can play in agency planning.28 Based on case studies and interviews with federal and local officials, Part III then recommends how to improve federal-local planning efforts so …

At The End Of The Day: Are The West's General Stream Adjudications Relevant To Modern Water Rights Administraton?, Michelle Bryan

Faculty Law Review Articles

This article provides a modest starting place for exploring how adjudications in various western states function together with modern permitting and administration of water rights. By locating adjudication within a state’s broader water rights system, the hope is to elevate in our water law discourse the question of whether, at the end of the day, adjudication proceedings are meaningful in the day-to-day world of water use. Part I summarizes in broad strokes the way various western states approach the interrelated functions of adjudication, permitting, and administration. Part II then highlights some common, emerging issues among state water systems as well …

Wilderness Management In National Parks And Wildlife Refuges, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

This Article provides a wilderness scorecard of sorts for the two "dominant use" land management agencies-the National Park Service (NPS) and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). Given that both agencies operate under a similar conservation oriented mandate, one night assume that the imposition of a wilderness mandate would be closely aligned with their organic missions. However, NPS and FWS have both, at times, been surprisingly hostile toward wilderness within their systems. In NPS's case, this is likely because of a concern that wilderness might disrupt visitor use and rein in its management discretion over park activities and …

Treading Water While Congress Ignores The Nation's Environment, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

During the late 1960s, the nation's attention was riveted on graphic images of contaminated resources, such as smoldering rivers and oil-soaked seagulls,' as well as Rachel Carson's haunting prose about the "strange blight"2 of chemical pesticides afflicting land, water, and wildlife. Policymakers recognized the need for strong legal protections for public health and the environment, and Congress responded with sweeping legislation governing the pollution of water, air, and soil, and the demise of threatened and endangered species.3

The Clean Water Act of 1972 (CWA), which regulates discharges of pollutants into waters of the United States, is one of the most …

Wilderness, Water, And Climate Change, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

As the nation searches for climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, the pressure to develop water resources within wilderness areas and to exploit the timber, forage, wildlife, fish, and other virtually untapped components of wilderness will become more acute. This Article makes the case that managers and legislatures should not yield to this pressure and argues that, if anything, the need to preserve untrammeled wilderness characteristics is just as imperative today as it was in 1964 when the Wilderness Act was passed The Article examines the potency of the Wilderness Act and a trio of federal water law doctrines-federally reserved water …

Why Resilience May Not Always Be A Good Thing: Lessons In Ecosystem Restoration From Glen Canyon And The Everglades, Sandra B. Zellmer, Lance Gunderson

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.

State And Local Governments Address The Twin Challenges Of Climate Change And Energy Alternatives, Irma S. Russell, Jeffery S. Dennis

Faculty Journal Articles & Other Writings

This article examines new programs and initiatives that states, local governments, and regional groups have embarked upon to address the issues of climate change and energy alternatives. The article also questions whether these efforts will be overtaken by federal action or whether a tradition of cooperative federalism will continue.

A Tale Of Two Imperiled Rivers: Reflections From A Post-Katrina World, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

Last year, hundreds of thousands of residents of the lower Mississippi River basin were forced to flee Hurricane Katrina.2 Having scattered like leaves before the gale-force winds that pounded the Gulf Coast, many are still displaced by the wreckage caused by storm surges and floodwaters.3 Those who have returned continue to experience the adverse effects of a shattered infrastructure as they attempt to rebuild their homes and their lives. The environmental calamity is profound: drinking water sources polluted by destroyed septic systems and leaking storage tanks; contaminated sediments from the bayous to the residents' backyards; decimated marshes and oyster beds-in …

A Preservation Paradox: Political Prestidigitation And An Enduring Resource Of Wildness, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

The nation's preeminent preservation statute, the Wilderness Act of 1964, is now 40 years old. By authorizing a network of congressionally designated wilderness areas on public lands, the Act has proved invaluable for protecting special areas from the most intensive forms of intrusion by humankind But the Act is facing a midlife crisis, and legitimate questions have been raised about its continuing viability as a conservation tool. This Article concludes that the preservation of wild lands remains an essential component of federal public lands management, but that the Wilderness Act, standing alone, has not fulfilled its promise of securing an …

Biodiversity In And Around Mcelligot's Pool, Sandra B. Zellmer, Scott A. Johnson

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.

The Virtues Of Command And Control Regulation: Barring Exotic Species From Aquatic Ecosystems, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

The Clean Water Act asserts the ambitious goal of eliminating water pollution and protecting the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of U.S. waters. Yet the EPA, in enforcing the Act, currently exempts from regulation a significant source of pollution in U.S. waters: ballast-water discharges from commercial shipping vessels. Ballast water from commercial vessels is a primary vector for the introduction of exotic plant and animal species into U.S. waters. The invasion of these species poses an increasing threat to native biodiversity; the invaders prey directly on native fish and wildlife, compete for food and habitat, and introduce disease and parasites …

Conserving Ecosystems Through The Secretarial Order On Tribal Rights, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.

Indian Lands As Critical Habitat For Indian Nations And Endangered Species: Tribal Survival And Sovereignty Come First, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.

Sacrificing Legislative Integrity An The Altar Of Appropriations Riders: A Constitutional Crisis, Sandra B. Zellmer

Faculty Law Review Articles

No abstract provided.