Public Lands
Supreme Court Grants Review in Montana Rivers/Public Trust Case
Understandably, today most U.S. Supreme Court mavens focused their attention on several new opinions the Court issued in key cases–including the major climate change decision (in American Electric Power v. Connecticut) about which Dan, Jonathan and I all blogged earlier today. Not to be overlooked, however, is the fact that today the Court also granted …
Continue reading “Supreme Court Grants Review in Montana Rivers/Public Trust Case”
CONTINUE READINGAssessing the British Ecosystem
The British government has issued a new report assessing the value of the U.K. environment. The assessment is based on an economic evaluation of ecosystem services. For instance, the report found that: • The benefits that inland wetlands bring to water quality are worth up to £1.5 billion per year to the UK; • Pollinators …
Continue reading “Assessing the British Ecosystem”
CONTINUE READINGWolf delisting rule challenged in federal court
Yesterday, Alliance for the Wild Rockies, Friends of the Clearwater and WildEarth Guardians filed a compliant in the federal district court of Montana challenging the wolf delisting rider. You can check out a press release from WildEarth Guardians here. My previous posts describe the wolf delisting rider and the past litigation on the wolf delisting. …
Continue reading “Wolf delisting rule challenged in federal court”
CONTINUE READINGWhy have public lands?
I’ve been part of a very interesting discussion about why we have public lands over at PropertyProf Blog. You can check it out here.
CONTINUE READINGThe Mystery of Sierra Club v. Morton
Sierra Club v. Morton is rightfully viewed as one of the most significant environmental decisions in Supreme Court history. Although it hardly constituted a crimped or anti-environmental decision, it did go a long way to putting the brakes on environmental standing by ruling that the Sierra Club did not have the corporate standing to …
Continue reading “The Mystery of Sierra Club v. Morton”
CONTINUE READINGWhat are the Top 10 Natural Resources Stories?
Lots of folks in legal academia are familiar with Foundation Press’ popular Law Stories series; around here on Legal Planet, we are particularly familiar with Environmental Law Stories (pictured right), edited by Richard Lazarus and Oliver Houck, to which Dan and Holly contributed a chapter. It’s a very useful book, and I’m a fan. But …
Continue reading “What are the Top 10 Natural Resources Stories?”
CONTINUE READINGWhy Economists Are Right and the Tea Party is Wrong About Government
The idea that the government should protect public goods and regulate externalities is just common sense.As I said earlier, economists tend to be fairly hard-nosed in applying these arguments, and they tend to favor cap-and-trade or pollution taxes more than conventional regulation. They also tend (in the view of some of us) to undervalue economic benefits and shortchange long-term human interests. But it would be hard to find a reputable economist, for example, who thinks we should do nothing about climate change, although there’s plenty of disagreement about how much we should do and how quickly.
CONTINUE READINGWild horses in Ecology Law Currents
Ecology Law Currents, the online companion to Ecology Law Quarterly, has just published an article sharply criticizing the Bureau of Land Management’s implementation of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act. Here’s the editors’ synopsis: Currents has just published a touching and fascinating article on wild horse and burro removal from federal lands entitled “A …
Continue reading “Wild horses in Ecology Law Currents”
CONTINUE READINGForest Service releases proposed revised planning rule
On Monday, the Forest Service published its proposed new planning rule. The planning process for national forests has been in a kind of limbo since the end of the Clinton administration. The National Forest Management Act requires the preparation and periodic revision of land management plans for each national forest. The first planning rule was …
Continue reading “Forest Service releases proposed revised planning rule”
CONTINUE READINGAnd now for some good news
If you’re as depressed as I am by the current political climate and attempts on Capitol Hill to roll back everything from clean air protections to food safety, you might be feeling the need for some good news. Here’s at least a small antidote. The San Jose Mercury News reports that fish and birds are …
Continue reading “And now for some good news”
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
