Two months ago, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania heard arguments in what may prove to be one of the state’s most consequential environmental law cases in recent years. The case involves a leak from a frack water impoundment pit located in Tioga County. The impoundment was located near a natural […]
Legal Voice
Environmental Rights Amendment in Pennsylvania
In the early 20th century, Pennsylvania suffered from extreme environmental pollution. Suffering from orange streams, black snow, and other problems, Pennsylvania realized that it needed to take steps to combat pollution. In the 1970s, the federal government began taking steps to deal with the problem by passing the National Environmental […]
Pittsburgh’s Lead Crisis and Funding Solutions
Pittsburgh is currently in a water crisis. The June 2017 lead compliance test results released by the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (“PWSA”) showed that the lead levels of Pittsburgh’s drinking water now meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) action level for lead. The Lead and Copper Rule was […]
EPA Unlawfully Fails to Designate Areas for Ozone
In 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), under the direction of the then-administer Gina McCarthy, began a series of rulemaking actions aimed at reducing the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone. The ozone levels had been set at 75 parts per billion, but under the final […]
Strategy or Tragedy: The U.S. Environmental Policy
The Tragedy of the Commons is perhaps one of the most profound and most commonly referenced writings on property rights ever developed, including that of those resources provided by the environment, renewable or not.((Garret Hardin, The Tragedy of the Commons, 162 SCIENCE 1243 (1968).)) As a result of this and […]
How President Donald Trump Has Changed the Environment… So Far.
Since his victory on November 8, 2016 Donald Trump’s presidency has been full of both ups and downs. One area in particular that has been through much change in the recent months is the U.S. environmental policy, and depending on who you listen to this too has been both good […]
Who Owns the Right to Store Gas: A Survey of Pore Space Ownership in U.S. Jurisdictions
Who Owns the Right to Store Gas- A Survey of Pore Space Ownership in U.S. Jurisdictions
Unprecedented Bankruptcies in the Oil and Gas Sector
It does not seem that long ago that the Marcellus Shale was discovered in Pennsylvania and the oil boom began. Range Resources – Appalachia, LLC drilled the first Marcellus Shale well in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 2003. By 2007, more than 375 permits were issued in Pennsylvania for the purpose […]
Facing Our Food: The Environmental Implications of Animal Agriculture
Last November, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) published a controversial report labeling processed meats—such as salami, sausages, and hot dogs—as carcinogenic and red meats as “probably carcinogenic.” For many, the report came as a small step in acknowledging a larger truth: that our most basic food choices have far weightier […]
The Clean Power Plan and Judge Scalia
On February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court in an unprecedented 5-4 vote decided to stay the lean Power Plan before a judgement by the lower Court of Appeals. This vote effectively ordered the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) to halt enforcement. The EPA’s Clean Power Plan (“Plan”) has a primary goal […]