On June 20, 2024, four days before the case was set to go to trial, Hawaiʻi’s First Circuit Court approved a landmark settlement that resolved claims brought by thirteen Hawaiʻian youth plaintiffs against Hawaiʻi’s Department of Transportation (HDOT) and other defendants, including the department director and Governor. That case, Navahine F. v.
The Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR) is published annually in the August issue of The Environmental Law Reporter (ELR) in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Law School (VULS) and ELI. Each year, Vanderbilt Law students work with an expert advisory committee, senior staff from ELI, and Vanderbilt law professors to identify some of the year’s best academic articles that include creative and feasible law and policy proposals.
Today’s Supreme Court is, to borrow a phrase from a recent discussion, reshaping American life. It’s doing so across numerous areas of law, prompting commentators, professionals, and everyday citizens to adapt to a rapidly evolving legal landscape.
World Water Day is an annual event celebrated on March 22nd, dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of water resources worldwide. In the face of escalating water crises and environmental degradation, the call for innovative solutions to ensure sustainable water management has never been more urgent.
Yesterday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument in a pair of cases—Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v. Department of Commerce—that by all accounts have the potential to result in a seismic shift in administrative and regulatory law, including changes for courts, the President and federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
Although water covers 70% of the earth’s surface, only 1 percent is available for human use. While freshwater supplies remain relatively finite, demand for water in the United States has tripled over the past 50 years.
Starting with the January/February 2024 issue, the Environmental Forum has a change: “The,” capitalized and in italics, is no longer part of our name—too 20th century, to be frank. This change comes as a result of celebrating our 40th anniversary with this issue, a time for reflection as to the foundational purposes behind this publication and to honor the roster of leading professionals who have made it possible.
Household recycling can reduce demand for virgin materials, limit waste sent to landfills, and lessen the cost of producing metal-, glass-, and paper-containing products. Understanding the policies most conducive to promoting recycling is key to success. The November 2023 issue of ELR—The Environmental Law Reporter looks at the efficacy of state and local recycling policies and identifies contexts where the greatest improvements are possible. Using the most comprehensive data set on U.S. household recycling behavior, authors Joel Huber, W.
On May 25, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated a major swath of CWA protections when it issued its decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency. In the Court’s view, the CWA extends to only those "wetlands with a continuous surface connection to bodies that are 'waters of the United States' in their own right," such that they are indistinguishable from those waters.
Each year, the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR)—a collaboration between Vanderbilt University Law School (VULS) and ELI— identifies some of the year’s best academic articles that present legal and policy solutions to pressing environmental problems.
