The 2014 Summer School Series is co-sponsored by the D.C. Bar's Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section.
Each summer, ELI convenes a complimentary seminar series that offers an introduction to the legal and policy foundations of environmental protection in the United States.
ELI's Summer School is a series of brown-bag lunch seminars taught by experts in their fields, introducing the audience to the major environmental statutes (including NEPA, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, TSCA, RCRA, and CERCLA) and land use law. Faculty will also incorporate major regulatory and judicial updates to the laws.
This year the faculty will explore how environmental statutes apply (or fail to apply) in a recent case example: the chemical spill in West Virginia's Elk River.
Who will benefit: All are welcome. Students and emerging professionals will have unique opportunities to learn, hear updates, ask questions, and network. The series is intended for:
- undergraduates,
- law students and graduate students, and
- working professionals new to or looking for a refresher course in environmental law (such as interns, summer clerks, and associates, or second-career professionals).
Clean Water
When first written in 1972, the Clean Water Act called for ending pollution by the 1980s. This course examined the progress made to date, and the progress yet to be made to achieve this goal. The faculty members addressed:
- the regulatory and permitting framework for limiting water pollution, and
- the important distinction between point sources and nonpoint sources.
Although "water" is a straightforward concept, two recent Supreme Court decisions have created enormous confusion surrounding what types of water are subject to federal regulation. The seminar also highlighted:
- the distinctions between the regulation of water quality versus water quantity, and
- the considerations that policymakers face in light of growing demands for water in the context of energy needs and climate change.
Faculty:
Abigail M. Jones, Staff Attorney, Riverkeeper
Erin Flannery Keith, Federal Government Water Attorney
Materials:
Speakers' presentation
Review the Summer School recent case example: the chemical spill in West Virginia's Elk River.
ELI Resources:
Clean Water Act and the Constitution (2nd ed., 2009)
**See the entire Summer School 2014 schedule HERE.**