Blog

Iowa Supreme Court Dismisses Attempt to Regulate Agricultural Water Pollution under the Public Trust
June 29th, 2021 — by Katherine Hupp — Category: Environmental Law Water Quality

Unlike some states, Iowa does not require farmers to mitigate nonpoint source pollution. Instead, Iowa farmers are encouraged to voluntarily implement agricultural water pollution controls. Environmental groups challenged Iowa’s voluntary compliance strategy in court but, on June 18, the Iowa Supreme Court dismissed the lawsuit for lack of standing. The court ruled that the claims raised by the plaintiffs’ lawsuit, which sought to force state environmental agencies to regulate agricultural nonpoint source pollution under the public trust doctrine, are not capable of being resolved by the courts.

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Big Problem for Big Plastic? Suit Against Plastic Producers Remains in State Court
June 24th, 2021 — by Sierre Anton — Category: Miscellaneous

In late February 2020, The Earth Island Institute, an environmental advocacy group, fired a shot in the legal fight over ocean pollution by filing suit against ten major beverage companies, including Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestle. Earth Island is pursuing a litigation strategy somewhat similar to that advanced against tobacco companies and oil companies for human health and environmental harms allegedly caused by their products.

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Dropping Water Levels in Colorado River Basin Raise Prospect of First-Ever Federal Water Shortage Declaration
June 15th, 2021 — by Mikayla Mangle — Category: Natural Disasters

The Colorado River (the “River”) is a crucial resource to many western U.S. states. The River provides water to over forty million people and more than five million acres of farmland in seven western states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.

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Biden Administration Releases its Preliminary 30 by 30 Conservation Report
June 8th, 2021 — by Madeline Doten — Category: Miscellaneous

“O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain, for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain!” On May 6, 2021, the Biden Administration released a preliminary report for its aptly named America the Beautiful campaign detailing its plan to conserve 30% of the United States’ lands and waters by 2030.

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Meet the 2021 SGLDIP Intern: Amiah Henry
June 4th, 2021 — Category: Miscellaneous

The National Sea Grant Law Center received funding to develop a pilot Sea Grant Law Diversity Internship Program (SGLDIP). Amiah Henry, a rising 2L at Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island, was selected as the 2021 intern. This summer, Amiah will gain experience in the field of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes law, with an emphasis on issues facing underrepresented or indigenous communities. In addition to working with the Law Center, Amiah will work with New York Sea Grant on a project related to nuisance flooding in New York’s Jamaica Bay watershed. We asked Amiah a few questions to get to know her better.

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Brace for Heavy Rolls: Litigation Over Fifteen-Year-Old Oil Spill Foretells Big Changes for OPA
June 3rd, 2021 — Collin Sykes — Category: Environmental Law

On September 16, 2004, Hurricane Ivan made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. While crossing the Gulf of Mexico, the Category III storm ravaged the region’s offshore oil infrastructure. In one incident, Taylor Energy Company's oil production platform at Mississippi Canyon Block 20 (MC20) collapsed when the storm surge caused a subsea mudslide in the loose sedimentary bottom terrain.

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Meet the 2021 NSGLC Summer Intern: Katherine Hupp
June 2nd, 2021 — Category: Miscellaneous

Each summer, the National Sea Grant Law Center hires a full-time law student. This summer’s Research Associate is Katherine Hupp, a rising 3L at Florida State University College of Law. Over the course of the summer, Katherine will contribute to the NSGLC’s research projects and publications. We asked Katherine several questions to get to know her better.

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