By Kate Peterson* In 1918, Congress passed the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) as a way to protect different species of migratory birds.[1] This act continues to have serious impacts on industry practices. The MBTA states that it is “unlawful at any time, by any means or in any manner, to pursue, hunt, take, capture, […]

By Andrea Sinele* In Juliana v. United States, a group of twenty-one children ages nine to twenty-one, along with Dr. James Hansen, sued the fossil fuel industry and Executive Branch, specifically the President, the Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.[1] Plaintiffs allege that the offices have violated their fundamental right to a stable […]

By André Rouillard* The refrain is a common one these days: It’s been almost three years since the Flint Water Crisis began, and residents of the city still do not have access to clean drinking water. A nightmare case of municipal mismanagement and negligence, the crisis’ damaging impact on the city’s residents and the region […]

By Allyson Beasley* On February 17, 2017 Congress confirmed former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, an outspoken critic of “federal overreach”[1] as the new Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.[2] The subsequent release of his close ties to major agricultural and oil and gas industry stakeholders[3], put the influence of extractive industries on environmental […]

By Alexandra Noll* Genetically modified foods were approved for human consumption in the United States in 1996. [1] Such products were hailed as revolutionary in the agricultural world. Many were engineered to increase crop yields and to resist the use of pesticides and herbicides. Monsanto’s famed Roundup Ready soybeans came onto the market in 1996.[2] […]

By Matt Carlisle* I.  Introduction: Storm water is a major polluter. As one judge put it, “Storm water runoff is one of the most significant sources of water pollution in the nation, at times ‘comparable to, if not greater than, contamination from industrial and sewage sources.’”[1] Storm water “runoff may contain or mobilize high levels […]