Law Commons^™

The Ocean Dumping Deadline: Easing The Mandate Millstone, Julian H. Spirer

Fordham Urban Law Journal

This Article examines the development the "mandate millstone," the inflexible federal rules and regulations directed at state and local governments in the environmental arena. It surveys how the mandate millstone has burdened or threatened to burden the ocean dumping of sewage sludge by New York City. The Article reviews the method by which the city has traditionally disposed of its sewage sludge in the ocean waters surrounding the city, and how the city's disposal practices would have been altered radically had the city been forced to implement a plan, pursuant to United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations, to end …

Environental Impact Statements: Instruments For Environmental Protection Or Endless Litigation?, Fran Hoffinger

Fordham Urban Law Journal

Congress enacted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on January 1, 1970. NEPA's purpose is to "declare a national policy which will encourage productive and enjoyable harmony between man and his environment." In an effort to achieve this national policy, NEPA requires federal agencies proposing certain major federal actions that affect the environment to include an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in their proposal or recommendations. The EIS must include both an assessment of the beneficial and adverse environmental impacts of the proposed actions and an analysis of the impacts in light of other circumstances. This Comment discusses the historical background …

Surface Mining In Kentucky, Carolyn S. Bratt

Law Faculty Scholarly Articles

In 1977, Congress enacted the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The Act, designed to protect the environment and society from the adverse effects of surface coal mining and to insure uniform minimum nationwide regulatory standards, established a comprehensive regulatory scheme for surface mining and reclamation operations of both federal and non-federal lands within the United States.

The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Office of Surface Mining and Reclamation within the Department of the Interior, is charged with administering and implementing the Act. Implementation is divided into two stages. During the initial, or interim phase, all surface mining …