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 […]
Miscellaneous
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 […]
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 […]
What’s in Store for America’s Energy and Climate Policies Going Forward?
As Primary season continues to heat up, presidential hopefuls from both the GOP and Democratic parties are doing everything they can to distinguish themselves from the rest of the field. In an age of political polarization, this can lead to big splits, even between party members. Here is how the […]
Sierra Club Sues Oil and Gas Companies for Allegedly Causing Earthquakes By Fracking
A one-of-a-kind lawsuit is emerging out of Oklahoma and quickly gaining national attention. The Sierra Club, an environmental advocacy group, has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma against Chesapeake Energy Corp., Devon Energy Production Co., and New Dominion, accusing the three oil […]
Major Setback for the Clean Water Rule
On October 9, 2015 the Cincinnati-based Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit issued a major setback for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Rule. In a 2-1 ruling the court has put a temporary block on the Act and ruled in favor […]
New York Attorney General Subpoenas Exxon Mobil
On November 3, 2015, Exxon Mobil announced that they had received a subpoena from the New York Attorney General’s Office seeking a “wealth of documents related to research on causes and effects of climate change, how the information was used in business decisions, financial projects and analysis, and communications with […]