Blog
Recent Blog Posts
- Letter from the Editor: Reflections on My National Sea Grant Law Center Fellowship
- October 21st, 2021 — by Zachary Klein — Category: Miscellaneous
- I remember exactly how I first learned about the National Sea Grant Law Center. It was during the last days of August 2018 and, fresh out of an internship with the Ocean Conservancy during my second summer of law school, I felt like I had finally found my calling.
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- Maine’s New Recycling Law Makes Companies Pay for Recycling
- October 14th, 2021 — by Betsy Lee Montague — Category: Miscellaneous
- Many states are beginning to revisit their laws concerning plastic recycling, especially those that apply to manufacturers and retailers of plastic products. California, for example, recently enacted a slate of bills regulating recyclability and compostability claims on packaging, restricting exports of plastic scrap and updating the state's container redemption program. On the other side of the country, the governor of Maine signed into law LD 1541 (“An Act To Support and Improve Municipal Recycling Programs and Save Taxpayer Money”) on July 13, 2021, making Maine the first state to require companies that create consumer packaging to pay for the costs of its recycling through an Extended Producer Responsibility (“EPR”) law.
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- Courts Uphold Rule Requiring Commercial Fishermen to Pay At-Sea Monitors
- October 1st, 2021 — by Terra Bowling — Category: Fisheries
- In two separate lawsuits, commercial herring fishermen have challenged a rule promulgated under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) requiring them to pay for at-sea monitors, also known as “fishery observers.” The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia rejected a challenge to the rule from several New Jersey fishermen in June, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island likewise rejected a separate challenge from several New England fishermen earlier this month. In both cases, the court concluded that the MSA allows industry-funded fishery observers.
- Historic Call on the Colorado River Highlights Water Management Concerns
- September 23rd, 2021 — by Olivia Deans — Category: Natural Disasters
- Many states are facing historic drought conditions, drastically magnifying the importance of water use and allocation in the western states. Water shortages affect the people and ecosystems of many states that rely on the Colorado River. For the first time in history, the Bureau of Reclamation announced a call on the Colorado River due to low water levels.
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- “Forever Chemicals” in Drinking Water: A Minnesota Case Study on PFAS
- September 15th, 2021 — by Cody Bahr — Category: Water Quality
- Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, are a group of more than 5,000 chemicals that have been used since the 1960s. PFAS are present in a multitude of products across a variety of industries, including nonstick Teflon™ cookware coatings, water-, grease-, and stain-repellents and fire-retardants for clothing, as well as textiles, carpeting, and lining paper products, such as takeout containers. 3M was one of the first companies to use PFAS in their products.
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- Court Will Consider Clean Water Act and Water Appropriation Permits for Line 3 Pipeline
- September 9th, 2021 — by Olivia Deans — Category: Clean Water Act Environmental Justice
- This summer, construction of the Line 3 pipeline generated a lot of controversy, with several protests demanding a stop to construction. Enbridge, a large energy infrastructure company, is planning to construct a 340-mile pipeline called Line 3. The pipeline construction is planned to replace an outdated, existing pipeline that stretches from Alberta, Canada to the Wisconsin coast on Lake Michigan.
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