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Environmental Law

Environmental Legal Blogs

Developments in environmental law.
By Stephen Holzer, Esq.

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Last Entry: November 14, 2009 at 11:58:33

SB 827 IS LAW

Posted on October 14, 2009
Governor Schwarzenegger has signed the bill into law (on Sunday, October 11). See post below for a discussion of the bill.

AQMD-RELATED RELIEF IS ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK

Posted on October 11, 2009
SB 827 is on the Governor?s desk Readers may remember that, recently, I wrote about the problem for many businesses and government entities as a result of a State Court ruling holding that the AQMD?s issuance of ?offset? credits violates...

EVEN BBC IS NO LONGER SURE ABOUT "GLOBAL WARMING"...

Posted on October 11, 2009
Although political correctness has held that the debate over global warming is over (man is warming up the planet), increasingly there is evidence that we are actually in a period of global cooling. The only thing really warming up may...

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AQMD (AND BUSINESSES) TIED UP IN KNOTS

Posted on August 01, 2009
?The Gordian Knot is a legend associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem?.? Wikepedia. Call it a ?Gordian Knot?, a ?Catch-22? or whatever else your favorite phrase may be for a...

No surprise- big business often likes regulation

Posted on August 01, 2009
I am always amazed by 'reformers" who think that more government control is the way to curb business influence over public policy. In fact, more government control usually simply means that the regulators become the captive of big business, to...

SUPREME COURT ISSUES LANDMARK SUPERFUND DECISION

Posted on May 24, 2009
Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Co. et al. v. United States, issued by the U.S. Supreme Court on May 4, 2009, makes 2 landmark changes (or at least clarifications) in Superfund jurisprudence: First, for someone to be liable as...

From today's Washington Times Carbon-dioxide

Posted on May 23, 2009
From today's Washington Times Carbon-dioxide emissions from fossil fuels recorded their largest drop in 19 years last year, the federal government's chief clearinghouse for energy information reported, adding new fodder to the debate in Congress about how -- or whether...

SATELLITE TRACKING SHOWS ARCTIC ICE AT 7-YEAR HIGH

Posted on May 17, 2009
From the IARC-JAXA Information System website: "The IARC-JAXA Information System (IJIS) is a geoinformatics facility for satellite image analysis and computational modeling/visualization in support of international collaboration in Arctic and global change research at the International Arctic Research Center in...

HOW CAN WE RELY ON THESE PREDICTIONS?

Posted on May 16, 2009
The Associated Press reports today on a recalculation by the University of Bristol (Great Britain) of the sea-level rise from a warmer planet. Just a couple of years ago, you will recall, global-warming gurus confidently predicted that the Earth's seas...

BELIEF IN HUMAN-CAUSED GLOBAL WARMING DECREASING

Posted on April 18, 2009
A surprising new poll from the respected Rasmussen Reports on whether people think global warming is caused by humans (poll of voters): 34%-yes 45%-no 11%- not sure Just one year ago, 47% blamed humans for causing global warming. More results...

Setback for the Unions

Posted on April 11, 2009
Last month, a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a setback to proposed new environmental rules for the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The rules, among other things, prohibit independent contractor truck drivers picking...

COURT RULING HELPS TO CREATE ENOUGH JOBS AND ENERGY BY 2012 TO SUPPORT A 1970'S ECONOMY

Posted on December 21, 2008
In an article by Margot Roosevelt entitled "CA: Ruling may sharply reduce California refinery pollution", the LA Times (read it while it's still in business) reports: Toxic air pollution spikes from California's 21 refineries may be sharply curtailed in the...

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS REACHES NEW HEIGHT OF BIAS

Posted on December 14, 2008
In an article labeled "Obama left with little time to curb global warming", theAssociated Press once again reveals that it is not the press service of record, but rather the Left's press service of record. AP accomplishes this task by...

CALIFORNIA TAKES ANOTHER STEP TOWARD ECONOMIC SUICIDE (?)

Posted on December 11, 2008
Per the Associated Press, today: California on Thursday adopted the nation's most sweeping plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions, issuing rules that could transform everything from the way factories operate to the appliances people buy and the fuel they put...

FEDERAL EPA WILL NOT REGULATE PERCHLORATE

Posted on November 30, 2008
FYI: News for Release: Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EPA Seeks Comment on Preliminary Perchlorate Drinking Water Decision Agency Plans to Issue a Perchlorate Health Advisory Contact Information: Enesta Jones, (202) 564-4355 / jones...

TEMPERATURES GETTING COLDDER/ARCTIC ICE INCREASING?

Posted on November 30, 2008
Columnist Debra J. Saunders has a column worth reading in today's San Francisco Chronicle: Here's another reason why people don't trust newspapers. When science reporters write about, say, hormone therapy or drinking red wine, they report on studies that find...

EPA BANS R-22 AIR-CONDITIONING REFRIGERANTS

Posted on September 07, 2008
According to the website All Business, federal EPA is banning the use of the common refrigerant R-22 for use in air conditioning units. The ban will take effect in 2010. R-22 is being banned because it releases hydrocarbons into the...

GREENLAND-NOT MELTING AFTERALL!

Posted on July 05, 2008
Note the following article by Andrew C. Revkin in (of all places!) The New York Times (is Hell about to freeze over, too?): One of the most vivid symbols of global warming used by scientists and campaigners to spur society...

AN EXAMPLE OF HOW GOVERNMENT DOESN'T KNOW ANY MORE THAN WE DO

Posted on June 28, 2008
I'm constantly amused by those who think transferring a function to government will somehow convert the function into being "better". For example, many think that health care should be nationalized, or that the oil companies should be nationalized--as if putting...

SHOCK POLL FROM GREAT BRITAIN-MAJORITY DOUBT "CLIMATE CHANGE" IS CAUSED BY HUMANS

Posted on June 22, 2008
This poll shock from Great Britain: The majority of the British public is still not convinced that climate change is caused by humans - and many others believe scientists are exaggerating the problem, according to an exclusive poll for The...

BEWARE THE VINYL SHOWER CURTAIN (OR NOT)

Posted on June 14, 2008
The website of Seattle TV station KREM (channel 2) reports on a controversy over vinyl shower curtains (is nothing sacred?): It may the last thing on your mind when you get ready for a shower, but that new shower curtain...

A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE LIEBERMAN-WARNER "CLIMATE CHANGE" BILL

Posted on May 31, 2008
Sen. Inhofe (R.-Oka.) has an analysis that will make you think twice about this bill (S. 2191, "America's Climate Security Act of 2007"): The issue of climate change is now at the forefront of American environmental policy. While the science...

"Leaders told battle to stem global warming slowing"-AP story

Posted on May 24, 2008
AP, on Yahoo!, reports today, in a dispatch entitled "Leaders told battle to stem global warming slowing": "KOBE, Japan - The world is losing momentum in the battle against global warming, the U.N. climate chief warned on Saturday, urging environmental...

WAS THIS CAUSED BY SUV'S, TOO?

Posted on May 24, 2008
Astronomy magazine reports (re Jupiter): "...a third red spot has appeared next to its cousins ? the Great Red Spot and Red Spot, Jr. ? in the turbulent jovian atmosphere. ... The Hubble and Keck images may support the idea...

ARE YOU SURE YOU WANT TO HELP PROMOTE THOSE SOLAR PANELS?

Posted on March 09, 2008
Some time ago, I posted a report that the manufacturing process to build the supposedly environmentally-friendly Toyota Prius produced a lot of pollution. In response to that Post, greenies were most angered, pointing out the supposed fallacy in the study...

EVEN THE COURT ENJOYS NO MOLD IMMUNITY

Posted on February 27, 2008
AP reports today that: A federal judge has closed portions of Miami's historic downtown courthouse after a report identified widespread mold infestation and ongoing water leaks, with one part of the basement termed "disgusting" by inspectors. U.S. District Judge Federico...

RUH-OH: GLOBAL WARMING EVIDENCE IS EVAPORATING

Posted on February 26, 2008
Per DailyTech.com: Over the past year, anecdotal evidence for a cooling planet has exploded. China has its coldest winter in 100 years. Baghdad sees its first snow in all recorded history. North America has the most snowcover in 50 years,...

EPA'S "ERMI" TEST-PROMISING, BUT NOT A DEFINITIVE HEALTH TEST

Posted on February 17, 2008
On July 22, 2007 (go to "Categories"/"Toxic Mold" on the right-hand side of this page), I posted an article on the state of toxic-mold liability in the United States, essentially pointing out that there were as yet no definitive standards...

THE PEOPLE'S PARADISE

Posted on January 26, 2008
From Radio Free Asia: Residents of Chenxi county in the southern Chinese province of Hunan say thousands of people are seeking medical attention after a local factory polluted the local water supply, although local officials said only 26 people were....

Believe it or not- from The New York Times

Posted on January 01, 2008
From (if you can believe it) a column in today's New York Times: ...there?s bound to be some weird weather somewhere, and we will react like the sailors in the Book of Jonah. When a storm hit their ship, they...

RECORD SNOW-MUST BE GLOBAL WARMING (?)

Posted on January 01, 2008
Today's snowstorm made this month the snowiest December in New Hampshire in more than a century. Associated Press, 12/31/08. How can this be? I thought global warming was drying us out. Oh, wait-- this unusual phenomenon shows that global warming...

MEXICO LABELS BORDER FENCE ANTI-ENVIRONMENTAL

Posted on December 24, 2007
In its November 15, 2007 edition, The Washington Post reported that the Mexican government is unhappy with the fence because it allegedly threatens hundreds of plant and animal species by bisecting their habitat. Maybe. But what about the environmental damage...

SWISS SNOW SETS 50-YEAR RECORD

Posted on December 24, 2007
From "Fast Track Ski News" on November 15, 2007: Swiss ski resorts are expecting a record season after promising early snowfall, it has been reported. *** ...Switzerland has not received such a strong start to its winter ski season since...

SORRY TO DISAPPOINT THE GREENIES, BUT BALI CONFERENCE WAS TYPICAL POSTURING

Posted on December 16, 2007
Yesterday, the mainstream media went wild with joy when they could announce that the United States had softened its position at the Bali conference and thus paved the way for a compromise climate-change agreement about carbon-emissions reduction. Did this exuberance...

ONCE AGAIN, INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE-CHANGE PACT IS A NON-STARTER

Posted on December 15, 2007
Despite their high-sounding rhetoric, no leader is going to throw his nation's economy into recession--or worse--to achieve cutbacks to stop "global warming". As the Australian Herald Sun recently reported about newly-elected Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd: PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd...

BALI SUMMIT ALREADY ON VERGE OF FAILURE (NO SURPRISE)

Posted on December 09, 2007
Other than the delegates' emitting tons of feared carbon pollution by traveling to and from the Bali summit (see earlier Post below), it is not clear just what the submitters hope to accomplish. This from the The Canadian Press today:...

SAY IT AIN'T SO, GLOBAL WARMING FIGHTERS!

Posted on December 08, 2007
Once again, our "environmental heroes" turn out to have feet of clay. From Bloomberg.com: Government officials and activists flying to Bali, Indonesia, for the United Nations meeting on climate change will cause as much pollution as 20,000 cars in a....

AN AUSTRLIAN COLUMNIST WORTH READING

Posted on December 07, 2007
From columnist Andrew Bolt in the Australian Herald Sun: ...When I was a student ... my earnest teachers used to tell me the world was running out of food, and show pictures of starving Indians, which made me worry a...

WHY JOE LIBERMAN REMAINS A DEMOCRAT-PART 2

Posted on December 05, 2007
From Voice of America: A U.S. Senate committee has passed landmark legislation [co-sponsored by Sens. Lieberman and Warner] aimed at combating global warming by limiting carbon dioxide emissions. The vote was timed to coincide with the U.N. conference on climate...