Written By: Kate Sullivan A local Pittsburgh suburb, Plum Borough, has fought its zoning hearing board (“ZHB”) on its approval of a request by Penneco Environmental Solutions, LLC (“Penneco”) to add another underground injection well on its property to dispose of fracking waste for customers.[1] There are limited means to […]
Legal Voice Blog
The Hidden Threat of Forever Chemicals
Written By: Jack Indzonka Last November, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals heard a class action lawsuit against 3M and nine other manufacturers of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) alleging negligence, battery, and conspiracy claims under laws of Ohio and other states, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief including medical monitoring.[1] […]
The Impact of Held v. Montana on Future Climate Change Litigation
Written by: Daniel Larimer A group of young people have taken the issue of climate change to their state’s Supreme Court in Montana.[1] In 2020, a lawsuit was filed on behalf of sixteen minors between two and eighteen years old challenging a provision of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (“MEPA”) […]
Preventing 2024 From Becoming the Hottest Year on Record
Written By: Alexandra Brooks As 2024 begins, it is important to reflect on the impact that 2023 had on the planet. A report published by Berkeley Earth, an independent climate research group, reported earlier this year that “2023 was the warmest year on Earth since 1850, exceeding the previous record […]
The Inevitable Controversy Around Mitigating the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests
Written By: Lachlan Loudon In 2019, the state of North Dakota sued the federal government for $38 million in damages for the cost of policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.[1] The pipeline, which moves oil from North Dakota to Illinois, has been a subject of controversy for the […]
Unilever’s United Kingdom Woes: Greenwashing Investigation
Written By: Meghan Wright In the United Kingdom, Unilever, which owns many popular brands such as Dove and Hellman’s, is being investigated by the Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) regarding concerns of the use of greenwashing tactics.[1] ‘Greenwashing’ is a term used to describe deceiving efforts by a brand to […]
The Chevron Debacle
The Supreme Court is set to decide the fate of a landmark administrative law case, Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council,[1] during the 2023 term when it hears Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo[2] and determines whether Chevron should be overruled.[3] Chevron, in which the Supreme Court upheld a regulation from […]
The Environmental Effects of the Maui Wildfires
In August 2023, the Island of Maui was ravaged by wildfires that burned over 3,200 acres, destroyed at least 2,200 buildings, left thousands without water or electricity, and took the lives of more than 100 people.[1] As a result, the cost to rebuild the island is estimated at over $5.5 […]
The Technology that Could Reverse Climate Change, In Theory
In 2015, 197 countries attended the Paris Climate Change Conference and negotiated the Paris Climate Agreement – a treaty with the overarching goal of limiting global temperature change to prevent severe climate impacts. [1] In the years since the Agreement, reports have continuously shown that the global community is progressing […]
Cooling Down the Climate Crisis
Written by: Gabriella Godlewski As autumn approaches and the temperatures are finally falling, we can reflect on the extreme heat felt around the world during the summer of 2023. NASA scientists confirmed that July 2023 was “hotter than any other month in the global temperature record,” which dates to 1880.[1] […]