Category Archives: environmental law

Anadarko pollution map

Posted on April 7, 2014 by tbach

The Anadarko Petroleum settlement of environmental health claims against its Kerr-McGee subsidiary has rightfully garnered a lot of attention in the last few days:  the biggest environmental cash settlement in Department of Justice history, the $5.15 billion settlement involves clean up … Continue reading →

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Update on the commercial chemicals bill

Posted on March 13, 2014 by tbach

As explored in earlier posts here and here and here, the Chemicals Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate last May to address many shortcomings of the Toxic Substances Chemical Act (TSCA), has been slowly making its … Continue reading →

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PCBs, GE, & FOIA

Posted on March 9, 2014 by tbach

Yesterday’s Albany Times Union published damning information about GE’s PCB contamination of the Hudson River.  The polluted 200-mile stretch from Hudson Falls to the Atlantic Ocean makes it one of the largest Superfund sites, according to the EPA.  PCBs were banned in 1977 and are … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, CERCLA, drinking water, environmental cleanup, environmental law, EPA, fish consumption advisories, FOIA, PCBs, public health, synthetic chemicals | Tagged | Comments Off on PCBs, GE, & FOIA

The Disclosure Debates at Vermont Law School: Part One

Posted on September 28, 2013 by caitlin

The Vermont Law Review hosted its 13th Annual Symposium, the Disclosure Debates: The Regulatory Power of an Informed Public. The event addressed disclosure in the context of environmental laws, financial regulation, food and product labeling, and campaign finance. Professor Pat … Continue reading →

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Panel Discussion on TSCA Reform

Posted on July 11, 2013 by caitlin

On July 10, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) held a panel discussion on the bipartisan Chemical Safety Improvements Act (CSIA), introduced by Senators Lautenberg (D) and Vitter (R) in May.  The panel included perspectives from Richard Denison, the Senior Scientist … Continue reading →

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Tax Carbon for Public Health

Posted on May 6, 2013 by srockwell

I was listening to Vermont Public Radio the other day and heard Thomas Friedman discuss carbon taxes. He is back in the spotlight on this issue because he wrote another op-ed about why the U.S. should adopt this tax. The … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, China, climate change and health, environmental health, environmental law, Fine Air Particulates, public health | Tagged | Comments Off on Tax Carbon for Public Health

The Role of Government

Posted on April 27, 2013 by srockwell

The Sequester is back in the news. People have to wait longer at airports, and federal agencies are putting off hiring new employees because of budget uncertainty. The Sequester is representative of the way the U.S. federal government approaches so … Continue reading →

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U.S. government agreed to clean up its “mess” in Vietnam

Posted on April 16, 2013 by KarenLee

On August 9, 2012, the United States initiated a project to “clean  up” herbicides including Agent Orange used in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. A large amount of toxic chemicals were used in Vietnam by the U.S. government to discover … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, DDT, dioxins, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, environmental law, pesticides, public health, public health law | Comments Off on U.S. government agreed to clean up its “mess” in Vietnam

THE INLAND WATERS RULE: Can Numeric Water Quality Criteria Save Lake Erie?

Posted on April 14, 2013 by mkyle

In the 1960s, pollution in Lake Erie was so extensive that the lake was frequently declared “dead” in the media. In his original 1971 edition of The Lorax, Dr. Seuss referred to the lake’s degraded condition in describing the poor Humming-Fish and their … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, algal blooms, Clean Water Act, dead zones, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental law, EPA, Great Lakes, nonpoint source pollution, water quality standards | Comments Off on THE INLAND WATERS RULE: Can Numeric Water Quality Criteria Save Lake Erie?

The Rehberg Amendment’s $214,775 Price Tag

Posted on April 11, 2013 by ju11

Black lung is a disease that afflicts coal miners. It is both incurable and irreversible in later stages.  It is caused by inhalation of excessive amounts of coal mine dust.  According to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety … Continue reading →

Posted in environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, environmental law, Fine Air Particulates, pollution control standards, public health, public health law, risk assessment, risk management, Uncategorized, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on The Rehberg Amendment’s $214,775 Price Tag