SIE 522 ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
TYPICAL SYLLABUS
Course Objectives
(1) Gain a familiarity with the problems of environmental disruption and their social impacts
(2) Gain an understanding of the underlying policies and issues which will continue to impact the federal and state legislatures, as well as the courts, as they deal with environmental disruption over time.
(3) Gain familiarity with major statutes addressing environmental problems in the U.S.
(4) Gain familiarity with the statute law, administrative law, and case law specific to environmental practices in Maine (minor emphasis).
(5) Gain a basic understanding of the U.S. legislative and judicial systems and how they operate in reacting to and defining environmental and land use laws.
Course Materials
Texts:
1. Environmental Law and Policy: Nature, Law, and Society, Plater, Abrams, and Goldfarb
2. Environmental Law and Policy: Nature , Law, and Society: Student Supplement, Plater, Abrams, and Goldfarb, (Recommended)
3. Selected Environmental Law Statutes, Educational Edition, West Publishing Co., (Recommended - If you intend to work in the environmental arena I recommend that you obtain the latest copy of these statutes and read them as we encounter them in the course.)
Most materials for this course, if not in the text or course supplements, will be made available on the web or under the FirstClass mail system at www.umit.maine.edu. You will need an account on the FirstClass System. Sign up in Shibles Hall. You also need to download the free FirstClass software if using FirstClass on your own machine. (Messages may be sent to the rest of the class at SIE522@umit.maine.edu)
Links to other Environmental Law Courses
Term paper instructions
Office and Hours
See comments under SIE 101.
Period by Period Course Outline
Note: Students are responsible for the reading assignments shown. Those assignments in bold will receive added emphasis in class. You are highly encouraged to read additional materials skipped by the assignment list which may be of interest to you.
|
Period |
Topic |
Assignment |
| 1 | Administrative matters | |
|
I. Perspectives on Environmental Law |
||
| 2 | Chap 1 - Introduction and a Sample Case | 1-4 11-15 15-27 |
| 3 | Chap 2 - Economics Uncertainty and Risk | 29-41 42-49 |
| 4 | Chap 2 - (continued) | 66-78 78-91 (S. 18-19) |
| (Paper #1 Assigned) | ||
|
|
II. Traditional Common Law Theories |
|
| 5 | Chap 3 - Torts and Remedies | 101-122 122-130 |
| 6 | Chap 3 (continued) | 142-151 163-169 |
| 7 | Chap 4 - Toxic Torts | 171 182 (S. 55-62) 199- 210 211-223 |
| 8 | Chap 5 - Remedies Drawn from Other Fields | 224 224-232 232-237 |
| (Paper #2 Assigned) | ||
|
|
III. Common Law to Public Law |
|
| 9 | Chap 6 - Interplay of Common Law and Statutes | 241-244 244-258 258- 277 |
| 10 | Chap 6 (continued) | 277-287 287-292 |
| 11 | Chap 7 - Criminal Law in Environ. Cases | 321-327 327-335 343-348 348-356 |
| 12 | Chap 8 - Fundamental Environ. Rights | 365-376 376-381 381-393 |
| 13 | Chap 9 - Public Powers and Private Property | 425-429 442-472 S. 129-161 |
| Spring Break | ||
| 14 | Chap 10 - Federal versus State Authority | 476-482 (S. 175) 504-512 |
| (Paper #3 Assigned) | ||
|
|
IV. Environmental Statutes and the Administrative State |
|
| 15 | Chap 11 - Administrative Law of Environ. Law | 544-557 557-570 581-589 |
| 16 | Chap 12 - NEPA | 596-603 603-630 |
| 17 | Chap 12 (continued) | 630-644 |
| 18 | Chap 13 - Endangered Species Act | 656-659 659-665 666-674 674-684 |
| 19 | Chap 14 - Public Resource Mgmt. Statutes | 685-690 690-700 (S. 252- 260) |
| 20 | Chap 15 - Review and Permit Process | 717-726 726-731 (S. 261-264) |
| 21 | Chap 16 - Regulatory Control of Market Access: Pesticides | 738-759 (S. 265-267) |
| 22 | Chap 17 - Direct Legislation of Standards: Auto Air Pollution | 760-772 (S. 268-272) |
| (Paper #4 Assigned) | ||
| 23 | Chap 18 - Administrative Standard Setting Statues: Clean Air Act | 773-779 794-811 811-818 |
| 24 | Chap 19 - Standards Based on Available | 825-835 835-848 (S. 284- Technology: Clean Water Act 286) |
| Chap 20 - Economic Incentive Statutes | 859-866 | |
| 25 | Chap 21 - CERCLA (Superfund) | 882-886 886-898 |
| 26 | Chap 22 - Resource Conservtn and Recovery Act | 927-946 (S. 315) |
| 27 | Chap 24 - Alternate Dispute Resolution | 979-982 982-993 + possible handouts |
| Final Exam | ||
Listing of Primary Federal Environmental Statutes likely to be discussed or encountered in the course
General
1. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
2. Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA)
3. Endangered Species Act (ESA)
4. Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA)
Pollution Control:
1. Clean Air Act (CAA)
2. Federal Water Pollution Control Act (FWPCA)
3. Ocean Dumping Act (MPRSA)
4. Safe Drinking Water Act (PHSA)
5. Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodentcide Act (FIFRA)
6. Noise Control Act
7. Emergency Planning and Community Right to know Act of 1986 (EPCRTKA)
7. Oil Pollution Act of 1990
8. Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (PPA)
Regulation of Toxic Substances:
1. Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA)
2. Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)
3. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA)
Federal Lands (Primarily)
1. Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA)
2. Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act (MUSYA)
3. Forest and Rangeland Resources
[Primary Research Interests] [Selected Publications] [Courses]
[GIS Law, Policy and Ethics] [GIS in Developing Countries] [GSDI Survey]