Category: Uncategorized

Incorporating Carbon Offsets into Agencies’ Sustainability Strategies Joseph Honeycutt In December 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14057, directing all federal agencies to adopt emissions reductions goals and measures “in order to achieve a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy-wide by no later than 2050.”[i] While ambitious, the order lacks any… Continue reading Honeycutt – Fall 2023

The Rise of Greenwashing Litigation against Airlines and the Impact of Conscious Consumerism Giovanni Lavoile Recently, there has been a rise of conscious consumerism, a trend defined by buying practices that are “driven by a commitment to making purchasing decisions that have a positive, social, economic, and environmental impact.”[i] This rise had led to more… Continue reading Lavoile – Fall 2023

Whales, Monkeys, and a River – the Future of Environmental Standing? Nate Lyon A Palila is a small, finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreeper that successfully obtained injunctive relief against the state of Hawaii when it “wing[ed] its way into the federal court as a plaintiff in its own right” in 1988.[i] The Palila IV decision, which seemingly… Continue reading Lyon – Fall 2023

Conscious Consumerism, Class Actions, and Carbon Offsets Rina Zhang A growing segment of environmentally-minded consumers choose to spend their money on brands and products that signal their commitment to sustainability.”[1] However, as more companies label their products with environmental sustainability claims like “green,” and “carbon neutral”, there are increasing concerns that some of these terms… Continue reading Zhang – Spring 2023

Extended Producer Responsibility in Ontario: A Model for the U.S.? Wyatt Zimbelman On July1, 2023, municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario will begin the transition to full producer responsibility for Blue Box (product packaging, paper products, and packaging-like[1] products) recycling.[2] This transition, authorized under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016[3], will move… Continue reading Zimbelman – Spring 2023

Transfer of Development Rights in Urban-Rural Settings: A Conservation and Pro-Housing Strategy for Michigan Jessie Williams By “moving” development rights from preserved land parcels to provide density increases elsewhere, transfer of development rights (“TDR”) programs combat urban sprawl and preserve natural and agricultural open space, while incentivizing urban planning best practices such as increased housing… Continue reading Williams – Spring 2023

Mifepristone & the FDA Post-Dobbs: States Sue & Potential Preemption Sara Shapiro Introduction Last summer, after an unprecedented leak leading to an eruption of nationwide protests,[1] the United States Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade,[2] Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey,[3] and their progeny in its bombshell Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health[4]ruling. Shortly thereafter,… Continue reading Shapiro – Spring 2023

The Role of Electric Vehicles in Michigan Eric A. Shalloway In the state of Michigan, gas taxes contribute funds to improve roads and infrastructure, but between 2019-2021 it is estimated that there was a $50 million decrease in revenue due to electric vehicle owners not paying the tax.[1] The Michigan County Road Association explained that… Continue reading Shalloway – Spring 2023

The Impact of “Schedule F” on Environmental and Administrative Governance Arian Rubio In The Fifth Risk, Michael Lewis notes: The United States government might be the most complicated organization on the face of the earth. Its two million federal employees take orders from four thousand political employees. Dysfunction is baked into the structure of the… Continue reading Rubio – Spring 2023

The Supreme Court Case that Threatens to Upend U.S. Labor Law Priyanka Podugu Within the next few months, the Supreme Court will release its decision for Glacier Northwest v. Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters, a case that has held the attention of union activists and corporate leaders, alike. The case reached the Supreme Court in the… Continue reading Podugu – Spring 2023