ENST 580 - Environmental Law

3 hours
Trace the history of environmental law to present, discuss the evolution of philosophy and thought concerning environmental law and regulation to date, and review the major pieces of environmental law enacted in the United States during the late 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Emerging issues of environmental liability and financial responsibility, environmental impact assessment techniques, and environmental audits will be reviewed. The structure and function of federal, state and local government bureaucracies and licensing and permitting processes will be presented. Students will be introduced to major resources in the environmental law field, including the use of the local law library, the use of the Environment Reporter and other similar materials. Resource people, including local environmental attorneys; officials from federal, state, and local environmental regulatory agencies; and environmental staff from private industries, will be utilized to illustrate the interaction of environmental law and its impact on modern society.