Environmental Law

Professor Luke Cole

 

SPRING 2004

Tuesday, 12:40-1:30

Thursday, 12:40-1:30

Friday, 12:40-1:30

 

Office Hours (Room 341): Tuesdays 2:00-5:00 and by appointment

 

The textbook for the course is Percival, et al.’s Environmental Regulation: Law, Science & Policy (4th edition), published by Aspen and available at the bookstore. There is a statutory supplement which is also available. In this syllabus and the syllabi to follow, I will abbreviate the textbook as "ER." From time to time I will have Supplementary Material available; this will be abbreviated "SM" in the syllabi.

 

INTRODUCTORY UNIT:

THEMES IN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

 

Thursday, January 15: Introduction to Environmental Law, and a Framework

Reading: ER 1-9

 

Friday, January 16: Environmentalism & Environmental Justice

Reading: ER 9-21, Supplementary Materials ("SM") 1-8 (Cole & Foster, "A History of the Environmental Justice Movement")

 

Tuesday, January 20: Economics and Other Themes

Reading: ER 24-33, 47-57

 

UNIT 2:

FOUNDATIONS OF

MODERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

 

Thursday, January 22: Common Law: Trespass and Private Nuisance

Assignment: ER 59-73

 

Friday, January 23: Public Nuisance

Assignment: ER 73-85

 

Tuesday, January 27: A History of Statutory Approaches

Assignment: ER 85-100

 

Thursday, January 29: Federalism

Assignment: ER 101-116

 

Friday, January 30: Regulatory Approaches

Assignment: ER 121-133, 135-140

 

UNIT 3:

Administrative Law and Standing

 

Friday, February 6 (double class period): ER 141-161 (particularly 157-161), 973-992.

 

Tuesday, February 10: ER 996-1004, 1006-1019.

 

Unit 4:

The Clean Water Act - REVISED

 

Thursday, February 12: Introduction and History

Assignment: ER 569-581

 

Friday, February 13: Overview of the Clean Water Act

Assignment: ER 581-592 (#3)

 

Tuesday, February 17: Jurisdictional Reach

Assignment: ER 592 (#4)-604

 

Thursday, February 19: Point Sources I, Definitions

Assignment: ER 604-619

 

Friday, February 20: Point Sources II, Technology-based Limitations

Assignment: ER 619-637

 

Tuesday, February 24: Point Sources III, the Law in Action

Assignment: SM 3 (bring SM 1, 2 to class)

 

Thursday, February 26: Water Quality-based Controls I, an Introduction

Assignment: ER 637-651

 

Friday, February 27: Water Quality-based Controls II, State Certification

Assignment: ER 651-662

 

Tuesday, March 2: Water Quality-based Controls III, TMDLs

Assignment: ER 662-673

 

Thursday, March 4: Wetland Protection

Assignment: ER 672-699

 

Friday, March 5: The Law In Action

Assignment: SM4

 

Tuesday, March 9: The Law In Action, redux

Assignment: SM 5

 

UNIT 5:

THE CLEAN AIR ACT- REVISED

 

Thursday, March 11: Introduction and Overview

ER 491-501

 

Friday, March 12: Methods of Pollution Control, NAAQS

ER 501-506

 

Tuesday, March 16-Friday, March 19 - spring break

 

Tuesday, March 23: NAAQS II

ER 506-511

 

Thursday, March 25: NAAQS III

ER 511-521

 

Friday, March 26: no class

 

Tuesday, March 30: Structure of Regulation

SM5 – Statutory Supplement

 

Thursday, April 1: State Implementation

ER 521-532

 

Friday, April 2 - no class

 

Tuesday, April 6: Attainment vs. Non-Attainment

SM6 – CBE v. BAAQMD

 

Thursday, April 8: New Source Review

ER 532-541 and SM7 – NY Times article

 

Friday, April 9: Pollution Trading I: Environmental Justice Concerns

SM8 – La Causa v. SCAQMD

 

Tuesday, April 13: Pollution Trading II: Can it work?

SM9 – Drury et al. article

 

Thursday, April 15: Transboundary Pollution – Acid Rain

ER 541-552

 

Thursday, April 15 (make-up class): Mobile Sources (and review of Clean Air Act)

ER 552-568

 

UNIT 6:

THE NATIONAL

ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT

 

Tuesday, April 20: Statutory Overview and Early Interpretation

ER 783-792

 

Thursday, April 22: When do you prepare an EIS?

ER 792-807

 

Friday, April 23: When do you prepare an EIS, continued.

ER 807-826

 

Tuesday, April 27: Determining the Adequacy of EISs

ER 826-843

 

Thursday, April 29: More on Adequacy of EISs

ER 843-852