Environmental Law

This is FindLaw’s collection of Environmental Law articles, part of the Corporate Counsel Center Law Library. Environmental law is the collection of statutes and regulations pertaining to air quality, water quality, the wilderness, endangered wildlife and other environmental factors. The umbrella of environmental legislation covers many laws and regulations, yet they all work together toward a common goal, which is regulating the interaction between man and the natural world to reduce threats to the environment and increase public health. Law articles in this archive are predominantly written by lawyers for a professional audience seeking business solutions to legal issues. Start your free research with FindLaw.

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Environmental Law Articles

Dow Chemical to Pay $100,000, Make Improvements, to Settle Water Act Suit

Dow Chemical Company (Dow) has agreed to pay a $100,000 civil penalty to settle a Clean Water Act (CWA) citizen suit that alleged Dow discharged pollutants in excess of standards in Dow's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES ...
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Draft Final Amendments To Toxics Management Strategy

In August 1998, DEP proposed amendments to its Statement of Policy known as the Water Quality Toxics Management Strategy. DEP has reissued the Policy and asked for additional comments. In response to public comments that the proposal was a lessening ...
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Draft Final Water Quality Regulations Issued

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection ("DEP") has developed draft final regulations under its Regulatory Basics Initiative. The package includes amendments to the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System ("NPDES") permit and ...
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Economic Incentives to Encourage Brownfield’s Redevelopment in New Jersey

Reprinted with permission from the issue of the On January 6, 1998, New Jersey's Governor Christine Whitman signed into law the Brownfield and Contaminated Site Remediation Act (the "Act"). The Act became effective immediately and is expected to ...
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Effluent trading comes to Oregon

In the midst of the furor surrounding efforts by the Oregon DEQ to ensure compliance with Oregon's water quality standards, the DEQ recently unveiled its effluent trading program. Effluent trading allows a point source of pollution to meet ...
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EHB Expands Scope Of Review Of Construction Permits

The controversy over the construction of U.S. Route 202 in Chester County has resulted in a decision by the EHB that appears to expand the scope of the review required by DEP when it reviews storm water permits for construction activities. The case ...
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Electronic Waste Responsibilities Loom on the Horizon

In 2003, consistent with its forward looking policies regarding managing waste, the European Union (EU) issued Directive 2002/96/EC regarding Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). The Directive contained a number of far-reaching ...
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Emergency Regulations Anticipate The January 1, 1999 Sunset Of Key Provisions Of California’s Superfund Program

After the State Legislature's failure to reauthorize key portions of the state Superfund program, the California Environmental Protection Agency ("Cal/EPA" or the "Agency") issued emergency regulations on November 9, 1998 that purport to provide the ...
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Emission Fees Increased by About 35 Percent

Air emission fees assessed under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) increaseD by approximately 35 percent under Public Act 245, signed into law by Governor John Engler in July, 1998. The fee revisions, which result from a ...
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Endangered Species: New Roadblocks to Designation of Critical Habitat

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ("FWS") has made expansive designations of "critical habitat" for wildlife species under the Endangered Species Act ("ESA") in the last three years. For example, FWS designated 4.1 million acres of California ...
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