LAWS 9969 Environmental Law

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of environmental law and policy. Students will learn the background principles necessary to understand and interpret environmental law, as well as the constitutional and federalism considerations that arise with environmental litigation and regulation. Much of the course will focus on the major federal statutes: the National Environmental Policy Act; Clean Water Act; Clean Air Act; the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Recovery Act. In examining these statutes, students will consider the different regulatory approaches, ranging from " command and control" regulation to " incentive based" and " information disclosure" strategies. The course will also touch on environmental law theory and contemporary challenges in the field.