Law Commons^™

A Federal Obligation, Robert R.M. Verchick

Robert R.M. Verchick

No abstract provided.

From Cooperative To Inoperative Federalism: The Perverse Mutation Of Environmental Law And Policy, Robert L. Glicksman

Robert L. Glicksman

Beginning in 1970, Congress adopted a series of statutes to protect public health and the environment that represented an experiment in cooperative federalism. The operative principle of cooperative federalism is that the federal government establishes a policy - such as protection of public health and the environment and sustainable natural resource use - and then enlists the aid of the states, through a combination of carrots and sticks, in pursuing that policy. The result is a system in which both levels of government work together to achieve a common goal. If the process works well, the synergism of related federal …

Responsibility Of Transnational Corporations In International Environmental Law: Three Perspectives, André Nollkaemper

André Nollkaemper

This chapter examines recent developments pertaining to the international responsibility of transnational corporations for activities that may cause harm to the environment. While the position of transnational corporations in international law has been subjected to previous analyses, also in regard to international environmental law, there are reasons for a new consideration of the topic.

First, transnational corporations substantially contribute to the worldwide stress on the environment. Many acts that deplete natural resources, contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer and to climate change, deplete fish stocks, clear-cut forests, move waste across boundaries, and so on, are not performed by …

Responsabilidad Por Daños Al Medio Ambiente Y Por Contaminación De Suelos: Problemas De Relación, Fernando Gómez, María Àngels Gili Saldaña

Fernando Gómez Pomar

El Anteproyecto de Ley de Responsabilidad Medioambiental, de 17.1.2006, ha incluido en su ámbito de aplicación materias que se encuentran sujetas, a su vez, a las reglas de responsabilidad civil general para los daños causados a bienes o intereses ajenos (arts. 1902 y ss. Código Civil), así como a las disposiciones sobre responsabilidad por limpieza y recuperación que resultan de la declaración de un suelo como contaminado (arts. 27 y ss. Ley 10/1998, de 21 de abril, de Residuos). En este trabajo se apuntan los problemas de interrelación entre los regímenes de responsabilidad previstos por estas normas y se analizan, …

Vantage Point & Issue Editor, Transboundary Conflicts Issue, David R. Hodas

David R. Hodas

No abstract provided.

A Boundary Dispute’S Effect On Siting An Lng Terminal, Kenneth T. Kristl

Kenneth T Kristl

No abstract provided.

Committee On Climate Change And Sustainable Development: 2005 Annual Report, John Dernbach

John C. Dernbach

No abstract provided.

Climate Change And Land Use In Africa, David Hodas

David R. Hodas

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a major development crisis due to the global climate crisis and rising prices for fossil fuels. By 2030, the world’s energy needs will be 30 percent greater than they are now. This will frustrate Africa’s plans for rapid economic and technological expansion, which are based on the dominant low-cost fossil fuel model. Climate change is also become pressing policy issues. Although Sub-saharan nations emit very little carbon dioxide, their reliance on livestock and agriculture as commercial resources, results in relatively high level of methane and nitrous oxide emission rate. The IPCC has predicted that climate change will …

Clean Water Act Developments: The Aftermath Of Tmdl Litigation: Consent Decrees And Settlement Agreements, James R. May

James R. May

This article provides the latest developments about TMDL lawsuits nationally. It concludes that the results of TMDL settlements are mixed, least so where it matters most. The glory is that EPA has reviewed anew, or had the states review, readily existing and available water quality related data and information for 40,000 waters, finding 20,000 more ones impaired, bringing the national total to 60,000. EPA has agreed to "backstop" TMDL development for about 20,000 of these, and set or approved TMDLs for 10,000 impaired waters. EPA has for the first time reviewed and evaluated CPPs in six states. It has conducted …

Clean Water Act Npdes Developments In The Courts, James R. May

James R. May

Although the Clean Water Act has been in effect for over thirty-three years, many aspects of the Act remain for the Supreme Court to define. In fact, the Court is still called upon to determine certain threshold questions about the Act’s scope and jurisdiction, permits, water quality standards and enforcement. One central question has been the definition of “navigable waters” as it relates to wetlands. The purpose of the Act is to protect the nation’s waters, and a logical question that the Court must address is “to what extent can wetlands be included as navigable waters?” Two cases have been …

Constituting Fundamental Environmental Rights Worldwide, James R. May

James R. May

This article discusses the extent to which nations worldwide have constituted such “fundamental environmental rights” (FERs). Constitutions provide a framework for social order. They also reflect a paradox. While constitutions are usually the product of a convulsive event of majoritarian democracy, most contain antimajoritarian features designed to protect so-called fundamental rights against the tyranny of the majority. Traditional fundamental rights, such as those found in the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States, include protecting for its citizens free speech, religious exercise and voting rights. Does a fundamental, enforceable, individual right to a clean and healthy environment …

Markets, Monocultures, And Malnurition: Agricultural Trade Policy Through An Environmental Justice Lens, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

Much of the literature on environmental justice struggles in the United States and in the Global South has highlighted the disproportionate concentration of environmental hazards in poor communities and communities of color. However, it is equally important to evaluate how human societies distribute access to environmental necessities , such as food and water. Food is a quintessential environmental necessity that is critical human survival, and the right to food is recognized under under a vareity of international human rights law instruments. This article examines the complex ways in which the rules governing international trade in agricultural products affect the fundamental …

Deconstructing The Mythology Of Free Trade: Critical Reflections On Comparative Advantage, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The theory of comparative advantage serves as the theoretical justification for the neoliberal economic reforms promoted by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and multilateral and regional free trade agreements. This article employs insights from both neoclassical and heterodox economics in order to critique the theory of comparative advantage as applied to the agricultural sector. In particular, the article takes aim at the illusory notion that eliminating distortions in international agricultural trade caused by the lavish agricultural subsidies of wealthy nations will be sufficient to “level the playing field” and promote prosperity in both developed and developing countries. The …

“Addition,” “Pollutant,” “Point Source”: Recent Case Developments Affecting The Scope Of Activities Covered By The Cwa, James R. May

James R. May

This article examines recent developments in the interpretation of the words “addition,” “pollutant,” and “point source,” as used in the Clean Water Act. These words have been the subject of much controversy and many interpretations as the CWA leaves them undefined. The Supreme Court has concluded most notably that the transfer of polluted water within the same body of water does not constitute “addition,” however the transfer of pollutants from one body of water into another is addition. Similarly, much controversy has surrounded the possibility of pesticides, lead shot and erosion as additions. Most recently courts have found that pesticides …