Written by: Daniel Larrimer Eight years after the story of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan became front-page news, the legal battles concerning the crisis persist. Civil rights and environmental groups allege that the city of Flint has failed to keep accurate records in compliance with a settlement agreement to […]
Legal Voice
Heating in the United States
Written By: John Silvester As temperatures drop this fall, many Americans will feel the annual pecuniary pang that cold weather brings when they look at their gas or electric utility bill. The yearly spike in utility costs during the winter corresponds with increased energy consumption caused by the need to […]
Battling Climate Change One Rebate at a Time
Written By: Natalie Packert On August 16, 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, a bill that has been long awaited by Democrats.[1] The bill’s purposes are: investing in healthcare by making health care and prescription drugs more affordable, taxing corporations, and battling climate change by […]
Joule Volume 9 – 2021
Joule 2021 – Volume 9
Is the Judiciary Going to Protect our Environmental Rights?
The United States District Court for the District of Oregon recently established, in a landmark decision, the utmost protections for the environment. See Juliana v. United States, 217 F. Supp. 3d 1224 (D. Or. 2016). While this is not a federal circuit court of appeals nor the Supreme Court, it […]
The Falcon Has Landed
The Falcon Ethane Pipeline System [Falcon] is at the center of debate for many local energy supporters and environmental activists. The Falcon pipeline is a proposed 97-mile pipeline that will be built, owned, and operated by Shell Pipeline Company LP [Shell]. The Falcon will connect three ethane source points and […]
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Declines to Recognize ERA Violations
The Mariner East Pipeline Project consists of two phases, the first of which is commonly referred to as Mariner East 1. The second phase of the project, known as Mariner East 2, consists of two new pipelines, to be constructed adjacent to Mariner East 1, sharing much of the same […]
Ocean Clean Up – A Comprehensive Review
In October 2018, the environmental non-profit, Ocean Clean Up, deployed its first cleanup system into the Pacific Ocean to begin removal of plastic from the “great Pacific garbage patch.” Ocean Clean Up is a public interest organization founded by Netherlands native, Boyan Slat, when he was just eighteen years old. […]
The Youth Climate Movement: The Kids Are All (for their Fundamental) Right(s)
The young people of the world are becoming increasingly aware that their quality of life is significantly impacted by the decisions of those before them in regard to climate actions. They have an open view on climate change which allows them to understand the major environmental problems (i.e. destruction of […]
The Clean Water Rule, Its History, and Its Impact on Pennsylvania
In June of 2015, the Obama administration introduced new Clean Water Standards impacting many states, including the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, through Executive Order No. 13778. These new regulations have been the subject of litigation and scrutiny from both environmental groups and industry organizations for the past several years. Additionally, as […]