U.S. Highway 281 commuters to gain some congestion relief Sep 30, 2009
The Federal Highway Administration granted the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority what s called a categorical exclusion to make traffic and safety improvements along 281 while staying within the requirements of federal environmental law. Today is a win for our community, one of the most heavily traveled corridors will have congestion relief soon, says William Thornton, chairman of the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority s board of directors. (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
Zimbabwe: Police Shoot Striking Mine Workers in Zvishavane Sep 26, 2009
Police accused Patrick Ochieng of making 'undesirable political statements' during a workshop organized by the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA). Ochieng was being held at the Mutare Central Police Station as of Thursday night. (allAfrica.com)
Ruling may impact local industry Sep 25, 2009
U.S. District Judge Jeffery White, San Francisco, ruled that allowing the use of Roundup Ready beets violated environmental law by failing to take a hard look at whether those beets would share their genes with other crops. He ordered the USDA s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to write an environmental impact statement, he said. (Ontario Argus Observer, OR)
Law school adds new graduate degree Sep 25, 2009
The school also implemented a new specialization within an existing program, adding a focus in energy and environmental law into its Environmental Law program. The new focus requires students to take classes like International Law of Climate Change and Air Pollution Control. (GW Hatchet, Washington DC)
End fossil fuel subsidies? Obama touts idea Sep 24, 2009
In the U.S. alone, the federal government gave $72 billion in subsidies to the fossil fuel industry between 2002 and 2008, according to a study by the Environmental Law Institute ... 4 billion over six years, according to the Environmental Law Institute report. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Judge blocks Roundup Ready beets Sep 24, 2009
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White in San Francisco found the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service violated environmental law by failing to take a "hard look" at whether "Roundup Ready" sugar beets would eventually share their genes with other crops. Noting that pollen from genetically altered sugar beets could be blown by the wind long distances to related crops, such as chard and table beets, the judge ordered the agency to produce an environmental impact... (MSNBC -- Environment)
Newton Notables Sep 23, 2009
The attorneys were selected as leaders in their fields of: bankruptcy and creditor-debtor rights law (Victor Bass); family law (Brian D. Bixby and Lisa M. Cukier); commercial litigation (Dennis J. Kelly); environmental law (David P. Rosenblatt and Sean O. Coffey); intellectual property (Jerry Cohen); labor and employment law (Laura R. Studen); personal injury litigation (Thomas D. Burns); and trusts and estates (Brian D. Bixby). Best Lawyers is based on a peer-review survey in which more than... (Newton Tab, MA)
Environmental advocate guest speaker at Grass River Natural Area board meeting Sep 23, 2009
A principal in the Traverse City-based firm of Olson, Bdzok & Howard, P.C., he earned an undergraduate degree from Michigan State University; juris doctorate from the Detroit College of Law (now Michigan State University College of Law); and a master of laws (LLM) degree in natural resources and environmental law from the University of Michigan. - Advertisement - Olson and his firm have been involved in a variety of state and federal court decisions affecting land and water. (Gaylord Herald Times, MI)
Conference explores alternate power sources Sep 19, 2009
The other speakers Friday morning were Matt McGovern of Sioux Falls, director of Repower South Dakota, and Allen Grosboll, a senior policy analyst in Illinois for the Environmental Law and Policy Center. McGovern leads the advocacy effort in South Dakota for the reform plan in Congress. (Rapid City Journal, SD)
Court should clarify worth of years-old EIS Sep 16, 2009
If the high court decides to take the appeal, as it should, the state will get clearer direction of how environmental law should apply to development that has languished on the drawing boards for years. And although the Kuilima Resort Co. project is at the center of this case, there are other projects with environmental impact statements prepared long ago. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Dems will waive rules, for some Sep 15, 2009
The environmental law under assault was the California Environmental Quality Act, not the federal Endangered Species Act. And state lawmakers -- an overwhelming majority in the Assembly, anyway -- were looking to clear the decks so that Ed Roski Jr. could fast-track a 75,000-seat stadium in the City of Industry to lure a National Football League team to greater Los Angeles. (Fresno Bee)
Tenn.'s Waller Lansden Retreats From Los Angeles Sep 11, 2009
Johnson-Hartwell, Hane and Lubega are labor and employment attorneys and McOsker specializes in environmental law. Waller Lansden, with fewer than 200 attorneys, has a primary office in Nashville, with a small outpost in Birmingham, Ala. (Law.com)
Mich. coal plant proposals get negative reviews Sep 10, 2009
"This report shows that clean energy can power Michigan's future," said Faith Bugel, senior attorney at the Environmental Law and Policy Center. But Holyfield said failure to build replacements for Michigan's aging coal plants could backfire. (Ionia Sentinel-Standard, MI)
Echo Lake Brownfield project gains P&Z approval Sep 10, 2009
In an attempt to alleviate concerns, ELB and its legal representation have made efforts to assure the project will be within compliance of relevant environmental law. While landfill closure plans, soil investigations and approved schedules are currently in the balance of other state and federal agencies, their influence on the project's execution is written into the approval letter. (Town Times, CT)
The Right Honourable Computer, Barrister-at-law Sep 9, 2009
4, 2009) International environmental law on biological diversity is now being called into question by new research. Unclear legislation entails that biological diversity falls under an old legal system, and. (Science Daily)
Brownfield of dreams Sep 7, 2009
Michael Goldstein, an attorney at in Miami, has leveraged his expertise in environmental law to create an investment group to raise money for cleaning up brownfields industrial or commercial property that is abandoned or underused. It is also often environmentally contaminated. (South Florida Business Journal, FL)
Downturn offers opportunity, Lingle says Sep 6, 2009
Saturday, September 5, 2009. Breaking News/Updates. (Honolulu Advertiser)
Wal-Mart files site plan for Kerman superstore Sep 5, 2009
Even before the chain was announced as a tenant, a lawsuit was filed that alleged Clovis violated state environmental law by approving a shopping center. Reedley residents blocked the company at the ballot box, but Dinuba and Sanger embraced Wal-Mart. (Fresno Bee)
Law firms hire non-attorneys to expand practice offerings Sep 4, 2009
For instance, an environmental law firm might employ a scientist who is an expert on cleaning up toxic waste sites. We sometimes think of legal representation as drafting a will or representing a client in a court case, said Munneke, a professor at Pace Law School in White Plains. (Albany Business Review, NY)
Charlemagne: Turkey's circular worries Sep 4, 2009
Complying with EU environmental law could cost 140 billion ($200 billion), says Cengiz Aktar, a professor at Bahcesehir University. No country would spend that without a clear path to membership. (The Economist)
Wolf hunts set to open, judge eyes injunction Sep 2, 2009
Doug Honnold of the environmental law firm Earthjustice said wolves remained at risk because the states had insufficient safeguards to ensure their safety. "It's the endangered species that need to be protected, not the states' rights to kill wolves," Honnold said during the hearing. (Bismarck Tribune, ND)
Duke eyes power sales to S.C. co-ops Sep 1, 2009
The N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network and the Southern Environmental Law Center plan to file objections. Others are expected to follow suit. (Charlotte Business Journal, NC)
Cattlemen seek say in stockwater suit Sep 1, 2009
Jack Field, the association s executive vice president, said a group of dryland wheat farmers and environmentalists Five Corners Family Farmers, Scott Collin, the Center for Environmental Law and Policy, and Sierra Club in late June filed a lawsuit against the state Department of Ecology and Easterday Ranches Inc. of Franklin County. The lawsuit aims to overturn the DOE s approval of transferring a water right to the Easterday operation that plans a 30,000-head cattle feed lot. (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)
Gray wolf hunts set to begin in Idaho Sep 1, 2009
"There's got to be a balance and our game populations have taken a terrible beating.In arguing to stop the Idaho and Montana hunts, Doug Honnold with the environmental law firm Earthjustice said wolves remained at risk. The government had twisted the Endangered Species Act to suit its own purposes, and there were insufficient safeguards to ensure the gray wolf's survival under state jurisdiction, he said."It's the endangered species that need to be protected, not the states' rights to kill... (MSNBC -- Environment)
Public hearing schedule Monday to determine wolf hunt status (38) Aug 31, 2009
"We have to move quickly and hope the court can accommodate our request," said Doug Honnold with the environmental law firm Earthjustice, which is representing the plaintiffs. "From our standpoint, we would prefer that not a single wolf is shot in the hunts.". (Great Falls Prairie Star, MT)
Huckabee: ObamaCare would have abandoned Kennedy Aug 30, 2009
Last month, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Citizens Against Ruining the Environment, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago and Sierra Club, initiated the legal process towards a Clean Air Act citizen suit against Midwest Generation LLC (a subsidiary of the energy giant, Edison International), who are the folks responsible for the filth spewing, coal burning relic that is the Fisk Generating Station in Pilsen and its ugly... (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Opinion)
Federal appeals court OKs 2007 Beaufort lease sale Aug 29, 2009
An appeals court has ruled that the federal government did not violate environmental law when it conducted a 2007 oil and gas lease sale in the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's northern coast. Story tools. (Anchorage Daily News)
S.C. utility votes to drop coal-fired power plant Aug 25, 2009
The Southern Environmental Law Center challenged those permits, asking a special court to require the Department of Health and Environmental Control to reconsider its decision ... Blan Holman, a Southern Environmental Law Center attorney who had expressed concerns over the amount of mercury the plant could have emitted into nearby bodies of water, said the vote represented a positive step for Santee Cooper. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
U.S. Wolf Hunts May Kill Hundreds -- Spurs Demand, Ire Aug 25, 2009
The groups, represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice, argue that wolf populations in Idaho, Montana, and are isolated from each other and thus unable to interbreed. (See ). (National Geographic)
Reports: Beluga coal mine would hurt streams Aug 18, 2009
BELUGA -- Salmon streams near a proposed coal mine on the west side of Cook Inlet would never fully recover from damage if the mine was developed as designed, according to reports commissioned by an environmental law firm. Story tools. (Anchorage Daily News)
Wind-turbine maker moving to Denver Aug 15, 2009
"Over the past few years, Colorado Frontier aims to emerge from bankruptcy next month The wild animals on the tails of Frontier Airlines planes aren't going away, and for now, neither are 00000798 most of their employees. Republic won an auction to buy Frontier out of bankruptcy Thursday as the underdog with a $108.8 million bid that had been sweetened to offer creditors other than Republic about 18 cents on the dollar. And Republic Chairman, President and CEO Bryan Bedford said Friday that... (Fresno Bee -- Business)
DEQ: Clean it up Aug 13, 2009
DEQ environmental law specialist Bryan Smith said the PEN notice was sent by certified mail. They attempted to deliver it for three days (April 14, 20, and 29) and it kept coming back unclaimed, he explained. (Lebanon Express, OR)
TX among most oil-vulnerable Aug 12, 2009
which produced the report in conjunction with environmental law firm , ranks Texas No. 7 among U.S. states for oil vulnerability. The report, released Tuesday, is based on 2008 data. (Houston Business Journal, TX)
Who are the 'Best Lawyers'? Aug 12, 2009
Linda Rockwood, environmental law ... James Spaanstra, environmental law. (Denver Business Journal, CO)
Supreme Court Argument Cycle Dominated by Veterans Aug 11, 2009
By rough count, experienced high court practitioners argued in at least half of the 78 cases, and they broke into an area long represented by legal specialists -- environmental law. The two titans of the term were , managing partner of the Washington office of Sidley Austin, and , co-chairman of the appellate and constitutional law group in the Washington office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. (Law.com)
Local schools going greener Aug 11, 2009
I went to places I ve never been before, said Michael Lee Jr., 15, of Stone Mountain, who is considering a career in environmental law. It was actually pretty fun. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
Land swap to improve Candlestick Point park Aug 11, 2009
As a result, the legislation requires a level of environmental and public review above and beyond what is required by state environmental law. Yet, in spite of the expressed will of San Francisco voters, and the desires of the neighborhood for better open space and new jobs, a small but vocal band opposes the bill. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Opinion)
Water project could boost Stumphole into prime lake residential location Aug 11, 2009
The Southern Environmental Law Center challenged studies by the S.C. Department of Transportation that have endorsed the bridge, saying the studies downplayed the project's environmental impact. In the meantime, Calhoun County Council Chairman David Summers said that with Jafza South Carolina's plans to build a distribution/logistics park near Santee, the water project could be a boom. (Orangeburg Times and Democrat, SC)
Hutchison & Steffen Takes Lead Role in Negotiating MGM Mirage City Center Condo Buyer Modifications Aug 7, 2009
Hutchison & Steffen, a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated law firm, provides a wide variety of legal services, including business and commercial litigation, real estate, appellate litigation, creditor's rights, construction law, employment law, insurance litigation, landlord/tenant law, physician advocacy, personal injury, immigration law, and environmental law. For more information about Hutchison & Steffen, please contact Teresa Tokumon-Phillips at 702. (PR Newswire)
Underwater warfare range to be built on Fla. coast Aug 4, 2009
Some of the groups that opposed the training area were Defenders of Wildlife, Earthjustice, The Humane Society of the United States, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center. "The Navy's decision to pass off an undersea warfare training range as just a construction project is an obvious dodge of environmental protections for right whales and commercially valuable marine life," said Catherine Wannamaker, an attorney with Southern Environmental Law Center. (North County Times)
Analysis: 2007 legal opinion is a threat to imperiled species Aug 4, 2009
Their research was published earlier this year in the Virginia Environmental Law Journal, and in a recent issue of the journal Human Dimensions of Wildlife. Congress passed the Endangered Species Act in 1973. (EurekAlert!)
Perdue plots a water strategy Aug 3, 2009
But the preponderance of congressional and federal correspondence over the years supports Magnuson s decision, said Gil Rogers, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. The judge did a good job of really going through that history and making the call that, no, the reservoir was never officially authorized for water supply, Rogers said. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
What Sarah Palin got wrong about energy Aug 2, 2009
Whether it was the debate over the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Superfund law or any other landmark environmental law, one pattern has always been clear: Time and again, pessimists often affiliated with polluting industries 00003BDF h; predicted job losses and great costs to taxpayers. Each time, our environmental laws have cleaned the water we drink, the air we breathe and the communities we live in at far lower cost than initially expected. (Herald Online, SC -- Opinion)
Alcoa Destroying Rain Forest in Court Battle Sparked by Brazil Prosecutors Aug 1, 2009
Brazils constitution says minerals are national resources that should be overseen by tougher federal agencies, says Daniel Azeredo, a federal prosecutor in the Amazon port of Belem, who specializes in environmental lawsuits ... Pontes, the federal prosecutor, says Cargill bypassed federal environmental law to build a port without properly studying how it would affect the Amazon ... Marfrig has never bought regularly from ranches that dont follow Brazils environmental law, says... (Bloomberg -- Latin America)
County names new assistant Aug 1, 2009
Sleeper also said Sides is very knowledgeable about erosion control and environmental law. "Greg is really on top of it," he said. (Altivista Journal, VA)
Democrats are urging a change of direction9:26 pm | (No comments posted.) Aug 1, 2009
Another key player in the Democrats energy strategy is the Environmental Law and Policy Center, based in Chicago. Matt McLarty, a former South Dakota Democratic Party staff member and a former lobbyist for South Dakota Farmers Union, is now on its staff in South Dakota. (Watertown Public Opinion, SD)
Lawsuit: Pebble permits violate state law Jul 31, 2009
The agency has failed on numerous levels, dating back two decades, said Steve Cotton, executive director of Trustees for Alaska, an environmental law firm representing plaintiffs. Cotton - standing in front of easels displaying photos of mud-filled mining pits that are among the lawsuit's 114 exhibits - said the agency's own records are convincing evidence of the adverse impacts exploration is having on state land and water at Pebble. (Juneau Empire)
Wanted: Environmental Crime Fighters Jul 31, 2009
This spring, Obama nominated Ignacia Moreno to helm DOJ's , which is tasked with enforcing environmental laws and defending federal regulations in lawsuits ... "You can tell the committment of an administration by the funding for enforcement and there's never been, at least in my view, the funding that would allow federal investigators and prosecutors to develop the sort of deterrent effect of criminal law that I think Congress intended," said Patrick McGinley, an environmental law professor at... (Scientific American)
Coalition sues to block Pebble mine permits Jul 30, 2009
The case is being handled by Trustees for Alaska, an Anchorage environmental law firm. DNR's position, however, is that consulting with the public before approving mineral exploration permits and temporary water-use permits is not required. (Anchorage Daily News)
20,000 mercury meters Jul 27, 2009
The Tulane Environmental Law Clinic earlier this month settled a lawsuit it filed on behalf of the Sierra Club, the Audubon Council, the Gulf Restoration Network and the Louisiana Environmental Action Network against EnerVest Operating LLC for mercury contamination from meters the company owned in the Monroe Gas Field. EnerVest, though not conceding liability, agreed to more stringent standards of cleanup than the state Department of Environmental Quality requires for contaminated soil,... (New Iberia, LA)
3-year countdown begins for Atlanta's water future Jul 22, 2009
"It's a definite signal to Atlanta to examine the way it's been growing the past 30 years and whether that's keeping with the water resources," said Gil Rogers of the Southern Environmental Law Center. "I think this ruling is a signal we can't afford that kind of attitude anymore.". (WSVN-TV Miami, FL)
Don't have a cow, man - it's got rights Jul 21, 2009
"It's an area where you can really make a difference and see it. You could compare it with environmental law back in the day. No one really cared about it, and it's now among the most important issues we talk about.". With parents - both PhDs - who work on the chemistry and engineering of wool, and a variety of vegetarian and vegan friends, Mr Wang is no stranger to the issues that bedevil food and textile production. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Live-fire military training to resume at end of August Jul 19, 2009
Malama Makua sues the Army, arguing federal environmental law required the Army to complete an environmental study before it could continue to use the valley for live-fire training ... Malama Makua sues the Army, arguing federal environmental law required the Army to complete an environmental study before it could continue to use the valley for live-fire training. (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
Should nature be able to take you to court? Jul 19, 2009
In 2008, Francisco Benzoni, then a business professor at Duke, published an article in the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Forum, citing Tribe s paper and reviving the point. The current jurisprudence on standing embeds a value theory without any articulation or discussion about whether that s the value theory we should adopt, says Benzoni. (Boston Globe)
EPA wants to revisit gold mine waste plan Jul 18, 2009
Federal environmental law requires the Corps to choose the least damaging alternative that's practical when issuing construction permits. But the EPA says "new information" has come to light since the last time the Corps looked at the mine's tailings disposal options. (Anchorage Daily News)
Congress to decide water case Jul 18, 2009
Gil Rogers, senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the ruling puts Georgia in a much weaker negotiating position with respect to Lake Lanier water rights. This is a real wakeup call for the metro Atlanta area, he added. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- Metro)
EPA: Reevaluate Kensington mine alternative Jul 18, 2009
That's important because federal environmental law requires the Corps to choose the least damaging alternative that's practical when issuing construction permits. The EPA doesn't quibble with the court's decision or the Corps' past analysis. (Juneau Empire)
Water Wars: Judge Rules Against Atlanta Jul 18, 2009
"It's a real wake-up call for this part of Georgia to really examine how it's using water and what's really sustainable in the long run," said Gil Rogers, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Sally Bethea, executive director of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeepers, was stunned by the ruling. (Time.com)
Upper County well closure: criticized, praised Jul 18, 2009
The group, along with the Spokane-based Center for Environmental Law and Policy, petitioned the DOE in fall 2007 for a moratorium on all, new exempt wells in the county believing developers were abusing exempt well provisions and harming stream flows and surface water rights. Bates said the group s petition came after efforts were made to correct the abuses but the county was unwilling to act. (Ellensburg Daily Record, WA)
Laid-off DLNR worker files suit Jul 10, 2009
A policy specialist who was laid off from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources last month maintains he was illegally fired because he repeatedly raised concerns about the agency not complying with the same environmental law that sank Hawaii Superferry. David Weingartner says, in a whistleblower lawsuit filed yesterday, that the department's Division of Aquatic Resources failed to comply with the Hawai'i Environmental Policy Act as it approved nearly 100 permits since December 2006... (Honolulu Advertiser)
A light at the end of the tunnel? Jul 9, 2009
Lange said to find the best remedy for contamination in and around Lake DePue, the IEPA has to comply with federal public health and environmental law, as well as regulations set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. He said that will be a long, meandering process. (Princeton Bureau County Republican, IL)
Two states ready for first open wolf hunts Jul 9, 2009
Doug Honnold, an attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law firm handling the legal action, said he was waiting to learn what Idaho's quota will be before deciding on the next legal step. "We don't think hunts should be allowed until there's legitimate recovery," he said. (MSNBC -- Environment)
Study: No increased fire threat in owl habitat Jul 7, 2009
"I am hopeful that this is the last nail in the coffin to (President George W.) Bush's assault on our public forests," said Pete Frost, an attorney for the Western Environmental Law Center in Eugene, which represented plaintiffs in one of two cases challenging the rule. Supreme Court takes up timber dispute. (Fresno Bee -- Nation)
Gard, Eadington wed Jul 7, 2009
She holds two honors bachelor's degrees from the University of Nevada Reno, a Master of Environmental Law from Vermont Law School, and she just completed a secondary teaching credential with multiple endorsements through Sierra Nevada College. The groom is the son of Bill and Margaret Eadington. (Juneau Empire)
Always a maverick Jul 5, 2009
After the war, McCloskey set up an environmental law partnership in Alameda. Think about that for a minute: environmental law advocacy at a time when "environment" wasn't even part of usual political discourse. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Entertainment)
