Environmental Law Commons^™

Bioprospecting Legislation In The United States: What We Are Doing, What We Are Not Doing, And What Should We Do Next, Emily J. Stolfer

Cleveland State Law Review

Bioprospecting is a growing worldwide effort to protect knowledge and the environment. With its potential economic benefit and technological advancements, bioprospecting will continue to grow as the world advances. Other nations have begun to protect the information available and continue to develop legislation. However, the United States has been hesitant to ratify international treaties or implement its own legislation. This Note examines both domestic and international efforts to protect both indigenous people and the environment. It analyzes the legislation the United States currently has in place but also examines where the United States is lacking. Regarding the United States’ failure …

Anticipating Endangerment: The Biopolitics Of Threatened Species Lists, Irus Braverman

Journal Articles

The last two decades have witnessed an explosion of national and global lists of threatened and endangered species. This article draws on interviews with prominent list managers and observations of their assessments to explore the scientific practices of list-making in the context of species conservation. Delving into the complex calculations of risk and threat that take place in the process of ranking nonhuman species based on their probability of extinction, the article explores the threatened species list as a biopolitical technology of catastrophe governance. My focus on two prominent lists — the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and NatureServe’s …

Where Oil Is King, Kristen Van De Biezenbos

Fordham Law Review

Donald Trump has won the 2016 presidential election, and, based on his campaign rhetoric, it seems reasonable to anticipate that the next four years will see a rollback of federal rules and regulations originally intended to combat climate change and environmental pollution in favor of increased production of fossil fuels, including coal. This raises the question of where we can look for protection of environmental goals, if not to federal law or agencies. Unconventional solutions to energy and environmental issues may be the only way to move forward on environmental challenges in the near term. This Article suggests one such …

Legal And Institutional Foundations Of Adaptive Environmental Governance, J.B. Ruhl, Daniel A. Decaro, Brian C. Chaffin, Edella Schlager

Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications

Legal and institutional structures fundamentally shape opportunities for adaptive governance of environmental resources at multiple ecological and societal scales. Properties of adaptive governance are widely studied. However, these studies have not resulted in consolidated frameworks for legal and institutional design, limiting our ability to promote adaptation and social-ecological resilience.We develop an overarching framework that describes the current and potential role of law in enabling adaptation. We apply this framework to different social-ecological settings, centers of activity, and scales, illustrating the multidimensional and polycentric nature of water governance. Adaptation typically emerges organically among multiple centers of agency and authority in society …

Clean Power Plant Update, Sean Alteri

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law Symposia

In this session, Sean Alteri gave an update on the Clean Power Plan in Kentucky.

The Impact Of Regulations On The Eastern Kentucky Coal Industry, Noah Friend

Kentucky Journal of Equine, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Law Symposia

In this session, Noah Friend discussed the impact of regulations on the Eastern Kentucky coal industry.

Garbage, Power, And Environmental Justice: The Clean Power Plan Rule, Ana Isabel Baptista, Kumar Kartik Amarnath

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Betraying Formality For False Equity: The Danger Of Transposing Equitable Considerations Into Contract Law To Remedy Regulatory Pitfalls, Elliott Morris

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

State And Local Procedural Injustices In Environmental Regulation: The Experiences Of Tallevast, Florida, Brett M. Paben

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Government decisions made at the local and state level are those that most often directly affect communities. Participatory and procedural protections under state and local, rather than federal law, therefore, largely control the ability of grassroots environmental justice advocates to shape government decisions important to their communities. Thus, significant disparities in the standards of procedural justice differ not only by which state an environmental justice community happens to be located in, but also by the type of local government with authority over that community. Frequently, this diminishes the empowerment efforts of communities found in unincorporated areas. The community found in …

Achieving Emissions Reductions For Environmental Justice Communities Through Climate Change Mitigation Policy, Nicky Sheats

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

The Battle Over Scientific Whaling: A New Proposal To Stop Japan’S Lethal Research And Reform The International Whaling Commission, Laura Hoey

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Room To Grow: A Consumer-Focused Proposal For Revitalizing Ohio’S Renewable Energy Sector Through Sustainable Expansion Of The Market, Mairi Mull

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Recurrent Flooding And Social Vulnerability: A Model Ordinance, Sarah Edwards

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe V. U.S. Army Corps Of Engineers, Jody D. Lowenstein

Public Land & Resources Law Review

The Standing Rock Sioux’s effort to enjoin the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permitting of an oil pipeline was stifled by the United States District Court of the District of Columbia. In denying the preliminary injunction, the court held that the Tribe failed to show that the Corps violated the National Historic Preservation Act, and that the Tribe’s belated effort to litigate was futile after failing to participate in the consultation process.

Alaska Oil & Gas Association V. Pritzker, Benjamin W. Almy

Public Land & Resources Law Review

In Alaska Oil & Gas Association v. Pritzker, the Ninth Circuit reversed the United States District Court for the District of Alaska’s decision to strike down the National Marine Fisheries Service’s (“NMFS”) listing of distinct population segments of the Pacific bearded seal. The court determined that the NMFS was in full compliance with the requirements of the Endangered Species Act and squarely rejected the district court’s demand for highly specific data pertaining to the projected effects of climate change on the bearded seal.

The Clark Fork Coalition V. Tubbs, Jonah P. Brown

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Before landowners may appropriate groundwater in Montana, they must first apply for a DNRC permit pursuant to the Montana Water Use Act. Landowners may qualify for an exemption from the arduous permitting process if their appropriation meets certain criteria. However, the Act provides an exception to the exemption when a “combined appropriation” from the same source is in excess of ten acre-feet per year. The Clark Fork Coalition v. Tubbs affirmed the district court’s invalidation of the DNRC rule defining “combined appropriation” to only include physically connected groundwater wells.

Murray Energy Corporation V. Mccarthy, Sarah M. Danno

Public Land & Resources Law Review

Holding that the widespread effects of environmental regulation on the coal industry constituted sufficient importance, the Northern District of West Virginia ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct analysis on employment loss and plant reduction resulting from regulatory effects. In admonishing the EPA’s inaction, the court ruled that the Agency had a non-discretionary duty to evaluate employment and plant reduction. Furthermore, the court held that the EPA’s attempt to put forth general reports in place of required evaluations was an invalid attempt to circumvent its statutory duty.

The Environment: Everyman's Issue, Charles C. Johnson, Jr.

The Catholic Lawyer

No abstract provided.

Implementation Strategy Report, G Jager, M Musariri

Policy

In essence the Implementation Strategy provides a plan for implementing and maintaining an optimal South African Water Resources Monitoring Network. As such the Strategy includes a number of key aspects considered for each of the surface water, groundwater and water quality monitoring programs, as summarized below:

Finalizing the optimal monitoring network design, including the location, the variables/constituents being monitored, the frequency of observations, as well as the implementation priority for each monitoring site.

Identifying opportunities for the integration of processes involved in the implementation process, such as the coordinated development or upgrading of monitoring sites based on physical location and …

There’S No Such Thing As A Free Trade (Agreement): The Environmental Costs Of The Trans-Pacific Partnership, Paul Nuñez

University of Miami Inter-American Law Review

The global community is quickly approaching the limits of the carbon budget meant to keep the effects of climate change below 2 degrees Celsius. Yet, the Countries involved in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership only incrementally strengthened the environmental protections contained within the agreement compared to other recent Free Trade Agreements. As with most Free Trade Agreements, the environmental community fears that any beneficial effect from the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s environmental provisions will be more than outweighed by its environmentally destructive consequences. The investor protection provisions are especially concerning to many environmental groups as these protections allow companies to sue governments to …