Americans spend nearly 300 times more on bottled water than tap water per gallon, amounting to billions of dollars each year.[1] So, why are Americans spending so much money on something they can get for so much less? One reason for the trend toward choosing bottled water over tap is public opinion. Many believe bottled […]

The Obama administration is taking a preeminent role in improving the environment and combating climate change. One avenue for change, under a directive from President Obama, is an expansion of the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Most recently, the EPA has set forth a plan to regulate GHG emissions from existing power […]

Across the country, there is a growing trend of local governments, businesses, and non-profits taking the lead on addressing climate change by making their communities more sustainable. With the lack of Congressional support for climate change legislation[1] and the challenges facing the EPA’s recent emissions regulations,[2] local initiatives and partnerships may be among the most […]

A video called “How Wolves Change Rivers” was posted on YouTube in February 2014.[1] It was about how wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 completely changed the ecosystem in a very complicated process called trophic cascade. Trophic cascade is “an ecological process which starts at the top of the food chain and tumbles […]

Following the expansion of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and horizontal drilling techniques, the United States has now entered the so-called “shale era”—a period of increased production of oil and gas from shale rock. Accompanying this shift in production is a transformation in production regulatory policies. Questions of which level of authority—federal, state or local—should regulate this […]