Environmental Law Toolkit Webinar: Common Law Tools for Protecting the Environment

The Environmental Law Toolkit Webinar Series presents Richard Lindgren of CELA on Common Law Tools for Protecting the Environment. This webinar will take place online on Tuesday July 30, 2019 at 1:00pm EDT. For those who cannot make it a recording of the webinar will be made available to all those who register (available until September 30, 2019).

Landmark Court Decisions Acknowledge Citizen Rights to a Healthy Climate (Video)

Ordinary citizens including children are using the courts to force governments to act on climate change. A number of lawsuits and some early judgements suggests that the courts may be able to spur significant climate action.

In August a group of 21 children, supported by renowned climate scientist James Hansen, filed a landmark constitutional climate change lawsuit against the federal government.

US Supreme Court Ruling Makes it Easier to Buy Election Outcomes

A recent ruling by the Republican-appointed majority on the US Supreme Court has freed uber-wealthy to flex their financial muscles so that they can buy electoral outcomes. The ruling on the McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission case upholds the $2,600 limit per candidate, however, limitations on the number of candidates that can be given money has been lifted. This means that those with the financial means can now interfere with the democratic process.

US Senators Climate Change Slumber Party

On the night of March 10 into the morning of March 11, Democratic and Independent US Senators pulled an all-nighter to discuss climate change. A total of 28 Senators spoke all night to urge action on climate change.

Democrats May Have Renewed Interest in Tackling Climate Change

We may be seeing renewed interest in climate change advocacy from Democrats. While Republicans have made their contempt for climate change legislation known, many Democrats are also guilty of dereliction of duty on the subject of climate change. Four years ago there were not enough votes in the Democrat controlled Senate to move forward with climate change legislation.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid recently told reporters that, "Climate change is the worst problem facing the world today." This is a reiteration of comments he made last June, when he said in a speech on the Senate floor that "we have no more important issue in the world than this issue, period."

Event - Making Waves: The Second Annual Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies (CAELS) Conference

The Environmental Law Conference will take place on February 21 - 22, 2014 at the University of Ottawa’s new Faculty of Social Sciences building in Ottawa, Ontario. The Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies (CAELS) is an exciting new networking project connecting environmental law students across the country.

The second annual CAELS conference will focusing on Canadian environmental law issues. The conference will bring together law students, academics, and practitioners from around the country to learn and network. This student-run conference will feature keynote addresses from Gord Miller (Environmental Commissioner of Ontario) and Maude Barlow (Council of Canadians). In addition, the conference will have multidisciplinary panels of speakers featuring graduate students, practitioners, and academics.

The Environmental Implications of the US Omnibus Spending Bill

A new spending bill may have bipartisan support but it has both good and bad implications for the environment. On Monday January 12, 2013, the House and Senate appropriations committee chairs announced that they had agreed on an omnibus appropriations bill (FY14). The bilateral agreement put together by House Appropriations Chair Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) and Senate Appropriations Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) allocates $1.012 trillion in federal spending.

Supreme Court to Review EPA's Right to Limit GHGs

The United States Supreme Court has indicated that it may limit the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) efforts to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. On Tuesday, October 22, 2013, the US Supreme Court indicated that it would hear arguments against the EPA's right to regulate GHGs under the Clean Air Act (CAA).

This is in response to six separate petitions for ‎certiorari (a writ or order by which a higher court reviews a case tried in a lower court). The litigation is titled Coalition for Responsible ‎Regulation, Inc. et al., v. Environmental Protection Agency (D.C. Cir. Index No. 09-1322). Those who filed the petitions are putting the interests of the old energy economy ahead of efforts to combat climate change. They include the State of Texas, the US Chamber of Commerce, and predictably industry associations ‎of energy producers and users.‎

Event - Regulating Climate Change: The Supreme Court, Clean Air Act and EPA's Upcoming Greenhouse Gas Rules

Regulating Climate Change: The Supreme Court, Clean Air Act and EPA's Upcoming Greenhouse Gas Rules October 30, 2013 12 p.m. -1:15pm Faculty Club, D’Agostino Hall New York University School of Law 108 W 3rd St, New York, NY Registration is free, but required: RSVP.

Event - 2013 Annual National Environmental, Energy And Resources Law Summit

The 2013 Annual National Environmental, Energy And Resources Law Summit will take place on Thursday Jun 20 to Fri Jun 21, in Yellowknife, NT. at The Explorer Hotel, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. This summit is set against the backdrop of Canada’s arctic region. This engaging program is designed to provide private practitioners, in-house corporate and government counsel, regulators, and other professionals with an annual update on the hottest issues in the environmental, energy and resources law field.