Environmental Law Commons^™

Land Use Regulation: The Weak Link In Environmental Protection, A. Dan Tarlock

All Faculty Scholarship

Professor William Rodgers is one of the handful of legal academics who have shaped and influenced environmental law since it was created out of whole cloth in the late 1960s. The staggering quantity, quality, breadth, and creativity of his scholarship are perhaps unrivaled among his peers. It is easy to criticize the gap between the environmental problems that society faces and the inadequate legal tools and institutions that we have created to confront them. Professor Rodgers has always been able to see both the deep flaws in environmental law and the possibilities for more responsive legal regimes.

Eesi Newsletter, No. 2, Aug. 2007, Energy & Environmental Security Initiative (University Of Colorado Boulder)

EESI: The Energy & Environmental Security Initiative [Newsletter] (2007)

No abstract provided.

A Basin-Wide Approach To Water Management In The Middle Rio Grande Valley, Rolf Schmidt-Petersen

Publications

No abstract provided.

Justice Kennedy And The Environment: Property, States' Rights, And A Persistent Search For Nexus, Michael C. Blumm, Sherry L. Bosse

Washington Law Review

Justice Anthony Kennedy, now clearly the pivot of the Roberts Court, is the Court's crucial voice in environmental law cases. Kennedy's central role was never more evident than in the two most celebrated environmental cases of the last few years, Kelo v. City of New London and Rapanos v. United States, as he supplied the critical vote in both. Kennedy has in fact been the needle of the Supreme Court's environmental law compass since his nomination in 1988. Although he wrote surprisingly few environmental law opinions over his first eighteen years on the Court, Kennedy was in the majority …

Piecemeal Delisting: Designating Distinct Population Segments For The Purpose Of Delisting Gray Wolf Populations Is Arbitrary And Capricious, Nicole M. Tadano

Washington Law Review

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) protects species that are in danger of extinction "throughout all or a significant portion of its range." After thirty-three years of protection by the ESA, the gray wolf is gradually recovering from the brink of extinction. Pressure to remove protections for existing gray wolf populations has mounted as human interests have increasingly conflicted with the gray wolfs resurgence. Most courts have defined the phrase "significant portion of its range" in the ESA to mean the historical range of a species. This interpretation is consistent with the legislative history of the ESA and the historical listing …

Beauty And The Beast Within: On The Special Nature Of Natural World Law, Oliver A. Houck

Washington Law Review

We are here to celebrate Professor Rodgers and his life in environmental law. As it happens, they grew up together. The new notion of environmental protection gave Bill the chance of his lifetime, to which he returned his full energies, ideas, and writings. In a world of failed relationships, this one was a howling success. Although we have not seen each other more than twice in forty years, I feel a kinship with Bill that seems particularly close. The link is not simply our ages, nor our passion for environmental law, nor even the activism in which both of us …

Teaching Environmental Law In The Era Of Climate Change: A Few Whats, Whys, And Hows, Michael Robinson-Dorn

Washington Law Review

One of our key objectives at this celebration has been to explore the future of environmental law. To continue the exploration, I've chosen to address not an area of environmental law or environmental practice, but rather the teaching of environmental law. I hope to provoke the dialogue toward answering fundamental questions about what we should teach, why we should teach it, and how we should go about that task. It is an effort that I hope will engage not only the usual suspects for such pieces, a few fellow teachers and the watchful eye of a student law review editor, …

Murky Waters: Courts Should Hold That The "Any-Progress-Is-Sufficient-Progress" Approach To Tmdl Development Under Section 303(D) Of The Clean Water Act Is Arbitrary And Capricious, Kelly Seaburg

Washington Law Review

Congress enacted the 1972 Amendments to the Clean Water Act (CWA) to combat water pollution stemming from both discrete and diffuse sources. Section 303(d) of the CWA reduces both types of pollution by requiring each state to promulgate "total maximum daily loads" (TMDLs) of pollutants for all waters that are unable to meet water quality standards. A TMDL is the maximum amount of a pollutant that can be discharged from all combined sources into a given body of water if that water is going to comply with water quality standards. Although section 303(d) required states to promulgate TMDLs by 1979, …

Climate Change As A Global Challenge, Nicholas A. Robinson

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Environmental Law At Maryland, No. 24, Summer-Fall 2007

Environmental Law at Maryland

No abstract provided.

Environmental Law, Travis M. Trimble

Mercer Law Review

In general, 2006 was a good year to be a defendant in environmental cases that reached the Eleventh Circuit. The court placed a narrow construction on operator liability for corporate parents under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act ("CERCLA") and backed agency interpretations of the Clean Air Act ("CAA") regulations in the face of challenges to their interpretation and use. In an issue of first impression, the court held that the agency's failure to carry out a nondiscretionary duty under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA") constituted a one-time, and not a continuing, violation for purposes of applying the …

The Role Of Local Governments In Great Lakes Environmental Governance: A Canadian Perspective, Marcia Valiante

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Restoration of environmental integrity in the Great Lakes Basin has been only a qualified success after thirty-five years of efforts pursuant to policies developed by federal, state, and provincial governments. Many unresolved problems stem from activities under local government control, yet in the past local governments were excluded from Great Lakes policy-making. By looking at recent changes in the powers, interests, experience, and influence of local governments in Ontario, this Essay concludes that local governments now have the ability to participate meaningfully in Great Lakes policy formation and implementation. To include local governments would improve the chances of successful restoration …

From "Navigable Waters" To "Constitutional Waters": The Future Of Federal Wetlands Regulation, Mark Squillace

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Wetlands regulation in the United States has a tumultuous history. The early European settlers viewed wetlands as obstacles to development, and they drained and filled wetlands and swamps at an astounding rate, often with government support, straight through the middle of the twentieth century. As evidence of the ecological significance of wetlands emerged over the last several decades, programs to protect and restore wetlands became prominent. Most notable among these is the permitting program under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. That provision prohibits dredging or filling of "navigable waters, " defined by law to mean "waters of the …

The Great Lakes As An Environmental Heritage Of Humankind: An International Law Perspective, A. Dan Tarlock

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Since 1985, the eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec have cooperated to prevent almost all diversions of water from the Great Lakes basin. In 2005, the eight states signed an Agreement to create a tiered system of reviews for diversions and a draft interstate Compact, which creates a binding process to regulate diversions. This cooperation is primarily a state initiative, supported by the federal governments in both countries, which has paid little attention to the international character of the lakes. This Essay argues that there are three major benefits to the region from the …

Water Wars -- Will Georgia, Alabama And Florida Ever Agree?, Peter A. Appel

Popular Media

Associate Professor Peter Appel outlines the current status of the ongoing water wars between Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

The Power Structure: Energy, Politics, And The Public Interest In The Lng Debate, Irma S. Russell

Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

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 …

Transboundary Pollution: Harmonizing International And Domestic Law, Noah D. Hall

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Addressing transnational pollution requires both international and domestic law. Transnational pollution is an international problem that demands and deserves the attention of international legal mechanisms such as treaties, agreements, arbitration, and international management and governance. At the same time, transnational pollution problems can often be addressed more effectively and efficiently through the domestic legal system. An ideal approach is to harmonize transnational pollution management and dispute resolution under international and domestic law. This Article seeks to provide pragmatic, feasible, and politically realistic solutions to transnational pollution by harmonizing international and domestic law. However, given the diversity in geography, domestic legal …

International Law's Lessons For The Law Of The Lakes, Joseph W. Dellapenna

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The eight Governors of the Great Lakes States signed a proposed new compact for the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence basin on December 13, 2005, and they joined with the Premiers of Ontario and Québec in a parallel agreement on the same topic on the same day. Neither document is legally binding-the proposed new compact because it has not yet been ratified by any State nor consented to by Congress; the parallel agreement because it is not intended to be legally binding. Both documents are designed to preclude the export of water from the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin apart from …

The Public Trust In Surface Waterways And Submerged Lands Of The Great Lakes States, Bertram C. Frey, Andrew Mutz

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

The modern public trust doctrine compels each Great Lakes state to protect the sustainable future of the Lakes and to preserve traditional public uses. At the same time, the doctrine constrains the states' powers to allow exploitation of trust resources. This Article provides a brief historical overview of the public trust doctrine in waterways and their submerged lands. It next explores how the eight Great Lakes states have applied the doctrine, discusses the surprising number of differences in the doctrine's development from state to state, and provides comparison charts. After analyzing the variety of approaches used by the eight states …

Age Differences In The Value Of Statistical Life: Revealed Preference Evidence, W. Kip Viscusi, Joseph E. Aldy

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Revealed preference evidence, especially based on wage-risk tradeoffs in the labor market, provides the primary empirical basis for analyses of the value of statistical life (VSL). This market evidence also provides guidance on how VSL varies with age. While labor market studies have generated conflicting evidence—some showing that VSL rises with age and others showing that VSL declines with age—more refined estimates that take into account the age variation in job fatality risks or life-cycle patterns of consumption show an inverted U relation between the VSL and age. The value of a statistical life-year shows a similar pattern and is …

Slides: Forest And Rangeland Planning, Nepa Analysis And Decisions, Glenn Casamassa

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Glenn Casamassa, Forest Supervisor, Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest

17 slides

Slides: Forests And Grasslands, Federico Cheever

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Professor Federico Cheever, University of Denver Sturm College of Law

30 slides

Slides: Nepa And Public Participation In Grazing Management On Federal Public Lands: The 40-Year Struggle, Joe Feller

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Joe Feller, College of Law, Arizona State University

22 slides

Currents In Water Resources Law And Policy: How Is “Prior” Coping With New Stresses? [Outline], A. Dan Tarlock, David H. Getches

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

3 pages.

Includes bibliographical references

"A. Dan Tarlock, Distinguished Professor of Law and Director, Program in Environmental and Energy Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law"

"David H. Getches, Dean and Raphael J. Moses Professor of Natural Resources Law, University of Colorado Law School"

A Decade Of Colorado Supreme Court Water Decisions, 1996-2006: Special Report, Colorado Foundation For Water Education

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Justice Greg Hobbs, Colorado Supreme Court

31 pages.

Includes color illustrations and map

"Acknowledgments: This special report highlights important features of Colorado Supreme Court water decisions handed down between 1996 and 2006. It contains excerpts from opinions authored by Justices Lohr, Vollack, Mullarkey, Kourlis, Hobbs, Martinez, Bender, Rice, Coats and Eid. It is adapted from an article that first appeared in The Water Report (www.thewaterreport.com), February 15, 2007, used with permission."

Slides: The Roadless Rules And The Roles Of States And Communities, Sharon Friedman

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Sharon Friedman, Director of Planning, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region

13 slides

Slides: Dam Building And Removal On The Elwha: A Prototype Of Adaptive Mismanagement And A Tribal Opportunity, William H. Rodgers, Jr.

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: William H. Rodgers, Jr., Stimson Bullitt Professor of Environmental Law, University of Washington School of Law

77 slides

The Role Of Case Studies In Natural Resources Law [Summary], John Copeland Nagle

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

4 pages.

"John Nagle, Univ. of Notre Dame Law School" -- Agenda

Slides: Reclamation: Managing Water In The West: Elwha River Restoration Project, Tim Randle

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Tim Randle, Manager, Sedimentation and River Hydraulic Group, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation

58 slides