Academia
Cass Sunstein Has Lost His Mind
I’m in the middle of reading Sunstein and Thaler’s Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, and a lot of it is illuminating, if somewhat predictable for those who have followed behavioral economics over the last few years. But so far, by far the worst chapter has been the one on the environment, which …
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CONTINUE READINGAnother one bites the dust (RIP Cannon nomination)
Ann touted the nomination of Jon Cannon to be EPA Deputy Administrator here as “a great appointment,” but last week he became the most recent Obama nominee to fall. Here’s the WSJ coverage. His withdrawal is being met with real sadness in many quarters. At a conference of public and private bar environmental lawyers in Los Angeles on Friday, Cecilia Estolano, CEO of the LA Community …
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CONTINUE READINGAn Invitation to Explore the Connections Between Constitutional & Environmental Law
These days, more and more of the most important environmental law disputes arise in the crucible of constitutional law. Preemption, the Dormant Commerce Clause, the foreign powers doctrine, constitutional principles of standing to sue and the separation of powers doctrine are all doctrines of constitutional law that have been invoked in much of the most …
CONTINUE READINGOcean Law Developments
If you’re interested in ocean issues, you might want to take a look at the new symposium in Issues in Legal Scholarship: Frontier Issues in Ocean Law: Marine Resources, Maritime Boundaries, and the Law of the Sea. Issues in Legal Scholarship is on on-line, peer-reviewed publiation of Berkeley Law, featuring symposiums organized by Berkeley faculty …
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CONTINUE READINGDon’t Judge a Book By Its Title
Some months ago, the publisher sent me a free copy of a book by Fred Pearce, Confessions of an Eco-Sinner. I left it sitting around but didn’t plan to read it — the title sounded unpleasantly self-righteous and simultaneously self-flagellating. I finally did leaf through it and ended up reading the whole thing. It’s not …
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CONTINUE READINGIs Environmental Law Socialist?
Conservatives might be seeking a spiritual leader, organizing principle and fresh identity, but they at least seem to have settled on a favorite rhetorical ogre: socialism. As in, Democrats are intent on forcing socialism on the “U.S.S.A” (as the bumper sticker says, under the words “Comrade Obama”). This trend, as reported by the New York …
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CONTINUE READINGJon Cannon To Be EPA Deputy Administrator
President Obama has nominated Jon Cannon, Professor of Law at University of Virginia, to be the EPA’s new Deputy Administrator, subject to Senate confirmation. Cannon has extensive experience in the federal government, including three years as the EPA’s General Counsel from 1995-98. In my view he’s a great appointment. His background gives him enormous experience, …
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CONTINUE READINGWhy futures markets won’t save species
Conflict, or perceived conflict, between profits and conservation drives much of the controversy over implementation of the Endangered Species Act. Landowners and resource users resist species listing and protection because it comes at their expense. For years we’ve been talking about whether and to what extent to incorporate compensation or other economic incentives for conservation …
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CONTINUE READINGUCLA Working Conference on Nanotechnology Policy
The2009WorkingConferenceonNanotechRegulatoryPolicywillbeheldattheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngelescampusonApril17. TheConferencewillbringtogetheraninterdisciplinarygroupofscholarsandresearchers,policymakers,non-governmentalorganizations,andbusinessesforaction-orientedworkshoppanelsonthescienceandpolicyofnanotechnology. ThegoaloftheConferenceistocriticallyevaluateseveralspecificpolicyproposalsforrespondingtothepotentialpublichealthandenvironmentalimpactsofnanotechnology. TheConferencewillexaminethreecategoriesofpolicyresponsesthroughseveralpanels: ∙ Relianceonexistingregulatoryprograms ∙ Developmentofinnovative“nano-specific”regulatoryprograms ∙ Relianceupon“private”regulation(e.g.,industryinitiatives,insurancemechanisms,etc.) ThepolicyproposalswillbesetoutinaseriesofsuccinctpaperscommissionedbytheConferencesponsorsanddistributedtoallparticipantsinadvanceoftheConference. ThesepaperswillbepublishedintheUCLAJournalofEnvironmentalLawandPolicy. Registration is availableonline. Visit the website at http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/NanoRegulatoryPolicy/
CONTINUE READINGNew Details on Stimulus Research Funding
This is of more interest to a limited audience than the general public so I’m putting all the details after the “keep reading” tag. If you’re a researcher, however, you should keep reading.The American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS) has provided a summary of the R&D items of the appropriations. Below are some of …
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