Environmental Law 1 Syllabus

Fall Semester 2007

All students are expected and encouraged to participate in class discussions throughout the semester, and scores will be given for class participation which will be added to your score on the final exam in determining the final grade distribution.  When you are assigned to a Team for a particular topic, you are expected to serve as our lead Experts for that discussion--to be fully prepared to respond to questions, to make thoughtful comments on the assigned readings, and generally to take a leadership role in class discussions.

If for any reason you are unable to be present for class when you are assigned as expert, you must find a classmate to switch coverage days with you so that we can always have teams of the same size leading discussions--and to e-mail your instructors with information about the switch before class.

Note that when you are assigned to a Team, your assignment extends to the topic in question and not to the calendar date listed on the syllabus, which is approximate (some topics will go more quickly than expected, while others will require longer discussion).  If a topic for which you are assigned to be an Expert extends over two class periods, you are expected to be there for both.

The casebook for the course is Glicksman, Markell et al., Environmental Protection Law and Policy 5th edition (Aspen/Wolters Kluwer 2007).  We expect to use this casebook both in Environmental Law 1 and Environmental Law 2, so if you are likely to take the second course, you should keep the casebook.

 

Class Date

(Approximate)

Instructor Readings Team
1. W Sept. 5 BB Movie: The Wilderness Idea: John Muir, Gifford Pinchot, and the First Great Battle for Wilderness (1990)

Download readings: Main Currents in Environmental Thought--Muir, Pinchot and Leopold

Presentation: From Environmental Policy to Environmental Law

 
2. M Sept. 10 BB Presentation: Legal and Political Strategies for Protecting Resources, and the Organizations that Use Them

Use and Nonuse Values--Casebook, pp. 1-27

Daniel Altieri, Douglas Bailey, Rachel Baldassaro, Benjamin Carlisle, Jessica Cavallo
3. W Sept. 12 BB Common Law Remedies--Casebook, pp. 27-45 Daniel Comerford, Craig Deluccia, Heather Denby, Kurt Denniston, William Foley
4. M Sept. 17 BB Common Property, Private Property and the Public Trust Doctrine

Download readings--Platt, Tewksbury and Mono Lake cases

Keith Gorgos, Dan Gruttadaro, Mark Hauck, Ching Huey, Prescott Jones
5. W Sept. 19 BB

Continuation of Property Materials

 
6. M Sept. 24 BB Public Domain and Private Property

Presentation--Evolution of Public Land Law

Download readings--Escalante v, Grand Staircase 

 
7. W Sept. 26 BB Environmental Law and Administrative Law--Casebook, pp. 184-208

http://www.law.buffalo.edu/Academics/courses/672/EnviroAdminLaw.ppt

Erin Macarevey, Patrick May, Julia McCrea, Duane Nowakowski, Andres Ortiz
8. M Oct. 1 BB CL Water Rights (Riparian, Prior Appropriation)--Download Readings Matt Rosno, Josh Sabet, Andy Shapiro-Zysk, Mike Smith, Jenna Strazzulla
9. W Oct. 3 EM NEPA I--Casebook pp. 229-255  (Federal Action, Major Action) Brian Vannella, Christine Vogel, Stephen Wallace, Dan Altieri, Doug Bailey
10. W Oct. 10 EM NEPA II--Casebook pp. 255-279 (Exemptions, Scoping, Alternatives) Rachel Baldassaro, Ben Carlisle, Jessica Cavallo, Dan Comerford
11. M Oct. 15 EM NEPA III-- Casebook pp. 279-294 (Segmentation, Programmatic EIS) Craig Deluccia, Kurt Denniston, Bill Foley, Keith Gorgos, Dan Gruttadaro
12. W Oct. 17 EM NEPA IV--Casebook pp. 295-313 (Adequacy, Cumulative Impacts) Mark Hauck, Ching Huey, Prescott Jones, Scott Kadien, Amy Kedron
13. M Oct. 22 EM  NEPA V (Mitigation) and SEQRA ("little NEPA" )--Casebook pp. 313-329, Download SEQRA readings Amanda Kelly, Adam Krol, Ryan Leonard, Erin Macarevey, Patrick May
14. W Oct. 24   Ownership and Management of Fish and Wildlife--Download readings Julia McCrea, Duane Nowakowski, Andres Ortiz, Matt Rosno
15. M Oct. 29   Biodiversity and ESA I--Casebook pp. 331-349 Joshua Sabet, Andy Shapiro-Zysk, Mike Smith, Jenna Strazzulla, Brian Vannellla
16. W Oct. 31   Biodiversity and ESA II--Casebook pp. 349-368 (Listing, Critical Habitat, Interaction w/CWA)  Christine Vogel, Stephen Wallace, Dan Altieri, Doug Bailey, Rachel Baldassaro
17. M Nov. 5   Biodiversity and ESA III--Casebook pp. 368-387 (Takings) Ben Carlisle, Jessica Cavallo, Dan Comerford, Craig Deluccia, Kurt Denniston
18. W Nov. 7    CWA I--Casebook pp. 579-605 (History and Jurisdiction)

Checklist of Water Acronyms and Nicknames

Bill Foley, Keith Gorgos, Dan Gruttadaro, Mark Hauck, Ching Huey
19. M Nov. 12 BB CWA II--Casebook 603-628 (Navigable Waters and Wetlands--Riverside Bayview, SWANCC, Rapanos)

Navigability Summary

Prescott Jones, Scott Kadien, Amy Kedron, Amanda Kelly, Adam Krol
20. W Nov. 14 BB CWA III--Casebook pp. 628-646 (Technology-Based Permits)  Ryan Leonard, Erin Macarevey, Patrick May, Julia McCrea, Duane Nowakowski
21. M Nov. 19 BB CWA IV--Casebook pp. 646-663 (Variances and Water Quality Standards)  Andres Ortiz, Matt Rosno, Joshua Sabet, Andy Shapiro-Zysk, Mike Smith
22. M Nov. 26 BB CWA V--Casebook pp. 663-684 (TMDLs and 401 Certification) Jenna Strazzulla, Brian Vanella, Christine Vogel, Stephen Wallace, Dan Altieri
23. W Nov. 28 BB CWA VI--Download readings on sewer overflows and malfunctions

Presentation--Combined Sewer Overflows

Doug Bailey, Rachel Baldassaro, Ben Carlisle, Jessica Cavallo, Dan Comerford
24. M Dec. 3 BB  

Private and State Biodiversity Conservation--Download readings on Conservation Easements,

Presentation--The Nature Conservancy, Easements, and Climate Change

Craig Deluccia, Kurt Denniston, Bill Foley, Keith Gorgos, Dan Gruttadaro
Exam      

The examination will be a four-hour timed, in-class, closed-book test consisting of essay and short-answer questions.  Copies of prior examinations are linked through the index page of the course website.  In reviewing prior exams, keep in mind that course coverage and instructors change from year to year, and that particular questions are seldom if ever repeated.