Environmental Justice
Environmental Law in Canada
Americans (especially liberals) often have a warm and fuzzy vision of our neighbors to the north as a kinder, gentler version of the United States. (Remember this map after the 2004 election?) But when it comes to environmental issues, that really isn’t the case. The conservative Canadian government led by Prime Minister Harper has recently introduced its …
Continue reading “Environmental Law in Canada”
CONTINUE READINGTunnel vision in environmental law and policy
One of the reasons that environmental law and policy is so interesting, and so challenging, is that it is very, very difficult to reduce what we mean by “environmental quality” to one single metric. A couple of recent posts by a leading progressive policy blogger (Matt Yglesias) make this point very well.
CONTINUE READINGTea Party activist wants to repeal all California environmental laws
A number of other posts on Legal Planet have noted various efforts by Republicans in Congress to stop or repeal EPA regulations. Those efforts are part of a broader movement by Tea Party organizations (organizations that are overwhelmingly Republican) to effectively eliminate environmental regulations in the United States. If there was any doubt about that …
Continue reading “Tea Party activist wants to repeal all California environmental laws”
CONTINUE READINGExtra! Extra! Read All About it!
Here’s a scary thought. There’s an important new development in environmental law. OK, that could be scary, especially if it involves the current Congress. But the really scary thought is this: what if you don’t find out about it because you forgot to check Legal Planet that day? Fortunately, the remedy is at hand. If …
Continue reading “Extra! Extra! Read All About it!”
CONTINUE READINGCEQ finalizes guidance for categorical exclusions
Cross-posted at CPRBlog. The White House Council on Environmental Quality has issued the first of three expected final guidance documents for federal agencies implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. This one, which covers the use of categorical exclusions, is an excellent start. NEPA is the “look before you leap” environmental law. It requires that federal …
Continue reading “CEQ finalizes guidance for categorical exclusions”
CONTINUE READINGAnti-AB 32 Campaign Should Be Interesting
The ballot initiative to suspend the implementation of California’s landmark greenhouse gas legislation — which qualified for the ballot last week — should garner huge amounts of attention and spur job growth at least in the world of ballot campaigns. The California Public Policy Institute is predicting that proponents and opponents of the initiative (which …
Continue reading “Anti-AB 32 Campaign Should Be Interesting”
CONTINUE READINGPetitions, agency expertise and dispersed information in environmental law
“Agency expertise” is a familiar phrase to anyone who has had any significant experience in environmental law. Courts defer to agencies in part because of the perception that agencies have more expertise in technical matters than the courts or the plaintiffs who might be challenging agency decisions. One of the criticisms of various forms of …
Continue reading “Petitions, agency expertise and dispersed information in environmental law”
CONTINUE READINGExploring Climate Change and the Law
Looking for a way to pass the time over the long Labor Day weekend? Want to learn more about the legal and policy dimension of climate change? Check out Berkeley’s course on climate law, now available here on YouTube. Scholars discuss everything from the economics of climate change to WTO issues raised by biofuels ,and …
Continue reading “Exploring Climate Change and the Law”
CONTINUE READINGLooking Back: Three Decades of an Environmental Law Casebook
Ann Carlson and I have just sent West the manuscript for the 8th edition of“Environmenal Law: Cases and Materials.” (The third member of our author team, Jody Freeman, didn’t participate in the revision because of her White House duties.) Some thirty years ago, Roger Findley and I started work on the first edition of the …
Continue reading “Looking Back: Three Decades of an Environmental Law Casebook”
CONTINUE READINGPublic Enemies: EPA’s Most Wanted List
EPA has a list of fugitives, all of them wanted in connection with environmental crimes. Defendants charged with environmental crimes or violations of the U.S. Federal Criminal Code sometimes flee the court’s jurisdiction and/or the USA rather than face prosecution or to serve a sentence. When these circumstances occur, the defendants become fugitives from justice. …
Continue reading “Public Enemies: EPA’s Most Wanted List”
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
