The U.S. Constitution has long been interpreted by the courts and understood by most Americans to support comprehensive environmental protections. However, arguments questioning the constitutional legitimacy of environmental law have continued to gain traction in the federal courts. In response to this trend, ELI, ABA SEER’s Constitutional Environmental Law Committee, and NAELS invite law students to submit papers exploring current issues of constitutional environmental law. Deadline: April 13, 2012.
NOAA said on Sept. 8, 2011, that the La Niña weather pattern has returned already, after the last La Niña cycle ran from June 2010-May 2011, causing extraordinarily frequent and damaging extreme weather. If typical patterns pan out in the new cycle, that could lead to more drought and fires in the south, and blizzards and flooding in the north.
Based on extensive sampling of drinking water wells around the country by USGS, 19% of all tested wells were contaminated with a substance such as arsenic, uranium, or radon at a concentration that poses a health risk, and about 10% of all wells have more than one such substance.
By Sept. 28, 2011, EPA and the US Dept. of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration say they will jointly release proposed standards designed to significantly increase fuel mileage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger cars, light trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles in model years 2017-2025.
The Green Scissors 2011 report was developed by an unlikely coalition of right- and left-leaning advocacy groups: Heartland Institute, Taxpayers for Common Sense, Friends of the Earth, and Public Citizen. They suggest it's possible to save about $380 billion over 2012-2016 while helping the environment.
"Arctic sea ice this summer melted to a record low extent or will come a close second, two different research institutes said on Tuesday, confirming a trend which could yield an ice-free summer within a decade."
"Now that it has scrapped a plan to further tighten the smog limits set by U.S. EPA under President George W. Bush, the Obama administration has told a federal court that it has no problem with reopening the litigation over that standard in court."
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"This week marks two anniversaries of global green campaigning groups that could scarcely be more different, while holding almost identical aims."
"SAN FRANCISCO — One of the deepest fears sweeping a shattered nation following the Sept. 11 attacks was that terrorists might poison the country's food."
"Citing state sovereignty and economic hardship, Republican lawmakers said Tuesday that they wanted to give Congress the authority to veto presidents' national monument designations, a power used by nearly every executive since Theodore Roosevelt."
Links
[1] https://www.sej.org/calendar/seventh-annual-constitutional-environmental-law-student-writing-competition-2011-12
[2] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/la-nina-resurfaces-more-extreme-weather
[3] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/drinking-water-wells-often-pose-health-risk
[4] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/proposed-rule-target-vehicle-greenhouse-gas-emissions-and-mileage
[5] https://www.sej.org/publications/tipsheet/groups-suggest-ways-help-environment-while-cutting-federal-deficit
[6] https://www.sej.org/headlines/summer-arctic-sea-ice-melt-or-near-record
[7] http://planetark.org/enviro-news/item/63255
[8] https://www.sej.org/headlines/epa-drops-objections-court-case-over-bush-smog-plan
[9] http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/09/13/13greenwire-epa-drops-objections-to-court-case-over-bush-sm-8978.html
[10] https://www.sej.org/headlines/greenpeace-and-wwf-anniversaries-highlight-wildly-differing-tactics
[11] http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/sep/14/greenpeace-wwf-anniversaries
[12] https://www.sej.org/headlines/promises-promises-food-anti-terror-plans-costly
[13] http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Nation-s-food-anti-terror-plans-costly-unwieldy-2167744.php
[14] https://www.sej.org/headlines/gop-wants-give-congress-veto-national-monuments
[15] http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/09/13/124016/gop-wants-to-give-congress-veto.html
[16] https://www.sej.org/search_results
[17] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4069
[18] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4066
[19] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4067
[20] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4068
[21] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4071
[22] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4072
[23] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4073
[24] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4074
[25] https://www.sej.org/search_results?page=4888