Environmental News and Articles
Environmental Law Courses for both Summer 2007 and Fall 2007
Summer 2007 Classes
617-001 (Hagen) - Intl Business & the Environment: Surveys the current treaties, standards and institutions that affect the environmental aspects of international business transactions.
737-001 (Hunter) - Intl Institutions & Environmental Protection: Surveys the law and policies of international institutions that promote or impede environmental protection and sustainable development.
795-010 (Spring) – Environmental Law & U.S. Congress: introduces the processes and practice relating to the enactment of federal environmental laws and oversight of environmental matters in the U.S. Congress.
795-011 (Feldman) – Alternatives to Environmental Regulation: Explores new and innovative alternatives to environmental regulation in the U.S., including programs such as Xcel, Climate Leaders and iSo 14000.
795-014 (Zaelke & Markowitz) - Environmental Compliance & Enforcement: reviews the principles and practice of making environmental laws work on the ground through stronger enforcement and compliance.
681-001 (Downes) - International Law of Biodiversity: Surveys the major international agreements for the protection of the world’s biological heritage from bacteria to whales, and from rain forests to coral reefs. The course also reviews examples of national laws such as the Endangered Species Act.
Possible Summer Courses
Trade & the environment in the Americas (Alanis): Provides an introduction to the legal issues pertaining to the interplay and conflict between trade law and domestic and international environmental law in the Americas.
The environmental Laws of Mexico (Alanis): Surveys mexico’s environmental laws, institutions and regulatory framework, including its approach to environmental assessment, permitting, and enforcement.
Climate Change and Emissions Trading (Goldberg and Danish): investigates the legal and policy framework and practical considerations for participating in the growing carbon market through emissions trading.
Fall 2007 Classes **Not necessarily a Comprehensive List**
618-001 (Hunter) – International Environmental Law: A contemporary perspective on international environmental law focusing on specific environmental threats and the most recent manifestations of the law. The course will include case studies of actual investigations such as global warming and sea level rise; export and import of hazardous waste; the problem of "ghost" driftnets abandoned in the global commons of our marine environment; the endangered African elephant; continued whaling by Japan and Iceland; and the protection of the aboriginal Penan Tribe in Malaysia. Recent manifestations of international environmental law include the Declaration of The Hague and the proposal for a new organization to be known as GLOBE. Attention also will be given to the considerable body of environmental law in the European Community, the general foundations of international law, and the relationship to human rights law and international trade law.
629-001 (Breen) – Environmental Law: An overview of environmental law with particular emphasis on the administrative law background; the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended; the governance of public lands; and air and water pollution control.
685-001 (Day) – Oil & Gas Law: Nature and ownership of oil and gas interests, conveyancing and leasing of hydrocarbon interests, royalties, implied covenants in oil and gas leases, pooling and utilization, Oil and Gas Conservation Commission practice, and oil and gas lease operational rights and restrictions.
721-001 – Law of the Sea: This course covers the basic principles of international law related to the exclusive and inclusive uses of ocean space, including critical issues involving the U.S. economy and international security. Based on relevant international and national law, students will develop an understanding of the legal regimes governing the oceans, from coastal zones through the regime of the high seas, and an overall appreciation for
U.S. oceans law and policy. Topics will include the physical oceans, maritime zones, rights of passage, living and nonliving resources, determining maritime boundaries, commercial navigation and overflight, protecting the marine environment, naval warfare, mechanisms for setting standards and resolving disputes, and the future of the oceans. Students will research and discuss several case studies involving current issues concerning the use of ocean space, including passage rights, use of the seafloor, shipments of hazardous materials, threats to the marine environment, military testing, interdiction of illegal drugs at sea, piracy, and the laws of naval warfare.
723-001 (Farrell) – International Organizations & World Public Health: Examines world wide and regional organizations concerned with international trade and public health policy in developed and less developed nations. These structures include the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and North American Free Trade Association. The role of non-profit organizations and multinational corporations will also be explored.
739-002 – Human Rights & The Environment: Examines the human rights costs of the war in areas ranging from the erosion of fair trial guarantees in democratic societies to attacks by authoritarian regimes on opponents using “war on terror” justifications.
795-002 (Zaelke) – Advanced Environmental Law: A seminar course on environmental law.
795-008 (Maksoud) – Current Issues in International Orgs.: This course coincides with the beginning of the Conference of the United Nations which will deal with the need for substantial reforms of the UN System, including the Secretariat and the Security Council. It will undertake to examine the roots of long standing conflicts that have and continue to be addressed by the UN- Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel Palestine, Congo, Darfur and Kashmir, and others. Development, environment and human rights, along with the role of specialized agencies, will be among the topics that the seminar will examine. Regional Organizations such as the Organization of African Union, the Organization of American States and the Arab League assume significant roles in various crises around the world such as that in Darfur, Sudan. It will be further discussed how The Arab League engages in issues such as human development and human rights in the Arab World. Issues of development and human rights and the consequences of the negative votes in France and Holland to the proposed constitution of the European Union and how it will affect the prospects of enhanced integration of the 25 countries into the European Union will be discussed.
The seminar will also inevitably address the legal issues emerging from post conflict reconstruction efforts and plans, as well as the degree that UN Security Council Resolutions constituted the sources of international law on the prospects of implementing these resolutions as has taken place in Lebanon. Furthermore, the reasons as to why many resolutions of the UN Security Council have not been implemented will be discussed in an attempt these reasons. During the Semester, the Center for Global South and the WCL plan a major conference to evaluate the declaration of the summit in mid October. Students registered for the class will be required to attend and contribute to the analysis as part of their overall grade. Suggested readings will include the UN Report of the Secretary General of the UN and Charter of the UN. After you register and include your email, Professor Clovis Maksoud will be suggesting further reading materials that are relevant to the course.
852-001 (San Juan) –Law of Non-Profit Organizations: Introduces the regulation of nonprofit organizations from both the federal tax and state fiduciary regulatory standpoints. Students consider the major aspects of nonprofit regulation, including substantive law, and the major public policy controversies over the proper role of tax-exempt nonprofit organizations emerging today.
932-001 (Cohen) – Environmental Impact Assessment & Decision Making: This 3 credit course will analyze requirements for environmental impact assessments under a variety of legal requirements in different counties, international organizations (UN, World Bank, IMF), and states in the United States. The focus will be the U.S. federal law---National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) ---which requires the preparation of an environmental impact statement on proposals for federal action likely to have a significant impact on the human environment. The class will look at the practice as well as the legal requirements in the U.S. and elsewhere, including case law. Sub-topics will include ecosystem analysis, environmental justice, biodiversity, cumulative impacts, public and secret information, socio-economic issues, terrorism, and public involvement. We will see how various governmental bodies have borrowed law from each other. There will be a number of problem solving exercises, including role-playing by the students. Where appropriate, we will have guest speakers. Current NEPA/EIA related activities (court hearings, public meetings, discussion programs, congressional proceedings) are part of the course. You are expected to attend 1 or 2 of these activities which generally run 2-3 hours each. We will have pre and post discussion of these activities. Grades will be based upon a research paper and class participation.
Job Opportunities
Summer Jobs
National Audubon Society - Public Policy Internship - Previous interns have worked with staff to provide comments to EPA and other agencies, provided updates for Audubon board members on current issues in environmental law, attended Capitol Hill and agency hearings, and provided other essential support. Please forward a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to Audubon. Deadline May 31, 2007. Contact: Greer Goldman, ggoldman@audubon.org. Audubon
Attn: Greer Goldman, 1150 Connecticut Avenue NW #600, Washington, DC 20036
Human-Wildlife Conflict Collaboration - Summer 2007 Internship - HWCC is located in Washington, DC. These are unpaid internships that require a firm commitment to a product, but can be designed somewhat flexibly according to availability and schedule of the successful candidate. All interns should have excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent analytical skills; be self-motivated, highly creative, with a strong attention to detail. They should have considerable knowledge or experience in wildlife conservation and especially human-wildlife conflict. HWCC seeks a legal intern. This intern will explore the links between HWC and law/policy. Candidates must be at least second or third year law students, have experience and interest in wildlife conservation, international issues, and the effects of laws and policies on field-level conservation efforts. Focus of analysis will be determined according ro candidate's interest and HWCC's need. Please email resume, cover letter, and a writing sample to fmmadden@comcast.net by April 15, 2007. In subject line, please write the internship position for which you are applying.
Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development – Summer Internship - The Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development in Washington,
D.C., has a limited number of openings for students during the summer of 2007. The internship will give students an opportunity to work with experienced attorneys on a variety of international environmental law and policy issues, including climate change and ozone depletion, illegal logging, illegal transport and disposal of hazardous waste, emissions trading systems, and other key environmental and sustainable development issues. The Institute’s chief activity is the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), a global network of officials from, a global network of officials from governmental institutions and agencies, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations focused on issues relating to compliance with and enforcement of laws that protect the environment and promote sustainable development. We look for students who are intelligent, exercise good judgment, take initiative, and have stamina (as well as a sense of humor). The internships are unpaid and run for all or part of the summer (minimum six weeks). We are willing to assist students in obtaining funding through their school’s public interest grant program or similar organizations and programs. Writing Sample, Cover Letter, Resume. Contact Scott Stone. http://www.igsd.org .
Defenders of Wildlife: Defenders of Wildlife is a North American conservation nonprofit dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. Our programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health.Qualifications: 1.Strong writing, research, media, and communication skills; 2.Demonstrated commitment to the conservation of biological diversity and protection of wildlife; 3.Current law studentstatus, withinterest/experience in environmental issues; and 4.Other relevant experience relevant to the missions of Defenders of Wildlife. The intern will be expected to work 40 hours per week at Defenders of Wildlife’s office in Washington DC. Defenders will provide a stipend of $1000 per month for three months. Interested candidates must be able to make at least a 12week commitment. Tamara Zakim, Law Clerk Search, Defenders of Wildlife, 1130 17th St., NW, Washington, DC 20036. http://www.defenders.org . Writing Sample, Cover Letter, Resume
US Department of the Interior : The Division of India Affairs in the Office of the Solicitor is seeking motivated law students for unpaid intern positions for Summer 2007 and Fall 2007. The Division of Indian Affairs provides legal advice to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Interns may work on one of more of the issues handled by our Division:
1. The Branch of Trust Responsibility provides legal advice on management of Indian trust assets including agriculture and range, forestry, realty, land acquisition and on environmental and cultural resources issues associated with Indian trust lands. 2. The Tribal Government and Alaska Branch provides legal advice on tribal status, tribal jurisdiction, tribal governmental authority and Indian gaming. 3. The Water and Power Branch provides legal advice on Indian water rights adjudications, irrigation issues and other Indian water-related issues. 4. The General Indian Legal Activities Branch provides legal advice on Indian education, Indian self-determination and self-governance and social services. Applicants should have strong research and writing skills, an interest in the Department of the Interior's mission and have completed at least one year of law school. Schedules are flexible to accommodate classes and other responsibilities. Contact Maria Wiseman 202-208-7227. Cover Letter, Resume
Environmental Defense - Summer Nanotechnology Internship - The intern will provide support of Environmental Defense's work to ensure the responsible development of nanotechnology. In particular, the intern will support Environmental Defense’s partnership with DuPont to develop, demonstrate, publish and promote a framework for nanotech risk assessment and risk management. Primary duties will include research on corporate, government, and academic nanotechnology activities including application development, risk research, risk management, and policy development. Research may be conducted through report analysis, literature searches, and telephone interviews. Other duties may include helping prepare for and conduct meetings with government officials and industry
representatives.Qualifications: Looking for candidates with backgrounds in science, business, and/or policy. Combination of all three a plus. Solid research and communications skills a must. Graduate degree or graduate student preferred. Compensation: $12,000 stipend for summer intern (35 hours/week from May to August). Start and end dates are negotiable. Contact: madams@environmentaldefense.org, Maxine Adams, HR/Intern Administrator, Environmental Defense. Email or fax cover letter, resume, transcript and references by March 30th (I know its past, but maybe if you send in app. ASAP!)
World Resources Institute - Legal Research Fellow Institutions and Governance Program - The Institutions and Governance Program (IGP) seeks an enthusiastic law student with excellent research, writing, and analytical skills for a summer legal research position. IGP and its global network of partners carries out research, analysis and advocates for legal and policy reforms that lead to better social and environmental outcomes throughout the world. This intern will work closely with the IGP team to support our ongoing project work. S/he will have the opportunity to work on one of several research projects (please specify which project is of interest upon application). International Instruments to Combat Corruption in Environment and Natural Resources Research will examine the policies and practice of the InterAmerican Convention against Corruption and the UN Convention against Corruption and the potential application of these instruments in exposing and combating corruption in the natural resources and environment sectors. Governance Challenges of a post-Kyoto Climate Regime. Research will examine how allocation schemes and other dimensions of regional, national and subnational emissions permit trading schemes can be designed in such a way that takes into account the concerns of multiple stakeholders, such as consumers, independent power producers, regulators and municipalities; and how these regimes can be linked, and enforced. Environmental and Social Justice in the Context of Parks and Protected Areas. Research will carry out comparative analysis of the law and practice of eminent domain across several developing country jurisdictions to assess how individual rights are accounted for in the context of land use changes that result from the creation of parks and protected areas. Major Responsibilities: Conduct a research project with a view to producing a background paper prior to conclusion of the internship. Compose formal memos, letters, and other correspondence on urgent policy issues. Edit and review materials prepared by colleagues. Please send a cover letter and resume to email address listed by April 15. Spanish skills a plus. Contact: Remi Moncel
rmoncel@wri.org
Terris, Pravlick & Millian LLP Law Clerk - Small public interest law firm specializing in environmental and employment litigation seeks a part-time law student to assist attorneys in research and case management for the Spring and Summer and possibly Fall semester. 10-15 hrs per week during the school year and full time during the Summer. Candidate must be fluent in Spanish and have completed 1 year of law school. Salary: $15.00 per hr. Please send resume, writing sample, and cover letter to Terris, Pravlik & Millian. LJFletcher@tpmlaw.com. Terris, Pravlik & Millian, 1121 12th Street N.W., Washington, DC 20005
Permanent Jobs
Environmental Protection Agency - The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, seeks attorneys to work in the Office of Site Remediation Enforcement (OSRE) in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. OSRE implements the enforcement elements of EPA’s national hazardous waste cleanup programs, including the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), as well as liability issues related to Brownfields and redevelopment. OSRE works with EPA’s Regional Offices, the Department of Justice and the states. OSRE’ s goal is to achieve prompt site cleanup and to have those responsible for the problem perform and/or pay for the cleanup. Attorney Advisor applicants must possess a J.D. degree from an accredited law school and have been admitted to the bar of one state or D.C. Candidates should possess excellent oral and written communications skills and demonstrated proficiency in legal research, analysis and writing, as well as the ability to manage diverse issues, projects and cases. Law firm, judicial clerkship, Government agency or non-governmental organization experience is desirable. Familiarity with any of the following areas is also desirable: real estate transactions, Brownfields, corporate transactions, performance guarantees, or land use controls. Writing Sample, Cover Letter, Resume. Barbara Jackson, Ariel Rios Building, OSRE, Room 4206, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue,
N.W., Washington DC 20460 US
Environmental Defense - Environmental Defense seeks to hire a full-time Attorney in the field of climate change and air quality. The Attorney will work on several issues that include but are not limited to advocacy, policy analyses, public education, and litigation to reduce global warming pollution, to protect local, regional and national air quality, and to secure sustainable energy solutions. The Attorney will work under the supervision of the Climate and Air Program Senior Attorney in the Rocky Mountain Regional Office and will collaborate with Climate and Air Program colleagues throughout the organization. Contact - Cheryl Pickard - 1875 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 1016, Washington DC 20009 US
Writing and Other Contests
Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest: The contest was established in 1970 by prominent environmental lawyer, the late Roscoe B. Hogan of Birmingham, Alabama, and serves to provide law students the opportunity to investigate and offer solutions to the multitude of injustices inflicted on the environment. Any student currently enrolled in an accredited American law school may submit a legal essay for the competition. The 2006 award was presented to Mark Willis, Chicago-Kent College of Law for his essay titled "Striking at the Heart of Coporate Polluters: Resurrescting Quo Warranto Proceedings to Revoke Corporate Charters." The 2007 Roscoe Hogan Environmental Law Essay Contest Topic: Whose Earth is It Anyway? How Far Can Environmental Protections Extend Under the Current 5th Admendment Takings Doctrine Prize: $5,000 cash. For more information visit http://www.poundinstitute.org/new/programs/2006%20Hogan%20page.htm.
Lifecycle Building Challenge: The Lifecycle Building Challenge (http://www.lifecyclebuilding.org) supports the development of new thinking on green building and reuse. We're looking for your innovative ideas, strategies, tools and designs on conserving resources by promoting building materials salvage, reuse, and recycling -- including legal and policy strategies in the Service Category. Lifecycle building is the design of building materials, components, information systems, and management practices to create buildings that facilitate and anticipate future changes to and eventual adaptation or dismantling for recovery of all systems, components, and materials. This free competition is open to students and professionals and registration ends April 15, 2007. Winners will receive free conference registration to West Coast Green and recognition at the conference. The three student winners will each receive $2,500 cash awards from our sponsor, GreenBuildingBlocks.com. The Challenge partners are the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, American Institute of Architects, Building Materials Reuse Association, and West Coast Green. For additional information, contact: Lifecycle Building Challenge info@lifecyclebuilding.org (415) 947-4103.
Recycling at WCL
While not very visible the Washington College of Law does recycle. The Environmental Law Society has visited CWI, the waste management company that serves the law school, and witnessed first hand their recycling process. CWI actually collects all trash from the law school with recyclable and non-recyclables mixed. CWI then employs workers to seperate the two. This job is a difficult one and not all bags are actually inspected. In order to ensure that recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, glass, and aluminum are recycled, please take note of the following information:
Only trash collected in CLEAR plastic bags is inspected for recyclable materials
Bathroom trash bags are NOT inspected for recyclable materials
Trash bags that have been contaminated with coffee grounds or liquids are NOT inspected for recyclable materials.
Though the system is not perfect, we can all help out by pouring liquids out before throwing away soda cans, coffee cups etc. We can also help out by NOT throwing away recyclables in the bathroom trash cans.
Duplex Printing
How to Duplex Print at School:
Want to Help Save Paper? Duplex print!
It is very easy to do and could cut our paper usage by half!
The Yoda , Dilbert , Rocky and Researchtoo printers all have duplexers installed.
First you have to check to make sure that your printer driver is configured for duplexing:
Click on your ‘ Start ’ button, then choose (depending on your start menu setup) ‘ Printers and Faxes’ OR ‘Settings’ -> ‘Control Panel’ -> ‘Printers and Faxes’
You should see a list of installed printers.
Right click on the printer you wish to print to and choose ‘ Properties ’ from the right click menu. Then click on the ‘ Device Settings ’ tab. Towards the bottom of the list of available settings you will see ‘ Duplex Unit ’ this should be set to “ Installed ” then click ‘ OK ’.
Now to print:
Click on ‘ File ’ then choose the ‘ Print ’ option.
Click on the ‘ Properties ’ button near the top right.
Under the ‘ Layout ’ tab there will be options for ‘ Print on Both Sides ’ just choose the style you want either flip on long or short edge. Click on the ‘ OK ’ button to set your choice and click ‘ OK ’ again to send your print job to the printer.
Thanks for your help WCL!
