New Sample Syllabi

APPROACHES TO TEACHING: SAMPLE SYLLABI KEYED TO
ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION: LAW SCIENCE & POLICY (6^th ed. 2009)

PROFESSOR PERCIVAL’S FALL 2009 SYLLABUS

CHAPTER 1: ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES

MON. AUGUST 31: Introduction to the Course, Environmental Problems and Environmental Justice.  ASSIGNMENT: (1) Read pp. 1-26 in the Percival casebook, (2) post a brief (one or two paragraph) response to the question posted on the Discussion Board section of this website), PROBLEM EXERCISE: Mercury Contamination (pp. 24-26).

WEDS. SEPT. 2: The Rationale for Collective Action, the Tragedy of the Commons and the Debate Over Opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to Oil Development. ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 26-38 & 49-60 in the casebook, (2) §101 of the National Environmental Policy Act in the Statutory and Case Supplement. PROBLEM EXERCISE: ANWR (pp. 53-60).

MON. SEPT 7: NO CLASS (LABOR DAY)

CHAPTER 2: ENVIRONMENTAL LAW: A STRUCTURAL OVERVIEW



WEDS. SEPT. 9: The Common Law Roots of Environmental Law, Private and Public Nuisance. 
ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 61-88 in the casebook. 

MON. SEPT. 14: State Standing, the Rise of the Regulatory State and Environmental Federalism, Environmental Legislation and Preemption of Federal Common Law
 ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 88-115 in the casebook, and (2) APA § 706.

WEDS. SEPT. 16: Approaches to Regulation and Regulatory Options 
ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 116-139, 150-152 & 158-159 in the casebook.  PROBLEM EXERCISES: Oil Spills - Liability v. Regulation (pp. 134-139), Oil Spills (pp. 150-152), Carbon Tax v. Cap-and-Trade (pp. 158-159).

CHAPTER 3: PREVENTING HARM IN THE FACE OF UNCERTAINTY



MON. SEPT. 21: Risk Regulation in the Face of Uncertainty: How Precautionary Should Regulatory Policy? ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 183-198 & 243-252 in the casebook, (2) §211(c)(1)&(2) of the CAA in  the Statutory and Case Supplement, and (3) §6(c)(1) of TSCA in the Statutory and Case Supplement. 

WEDS. SEPT. 23: How Safe Is "Safe"?: Cost/Benefit Balancing and the Asbestos Ban and Regulation by Revelation.
 ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 252-264, 303, 311-319 & 323-331 in the casebook and (2) §6 of TSCA in the Statutory and Case Supplement.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Toxics Regulation (p. 303).

CHAPTER 4: REGULATION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT

MON. SEPT. 28: The Resource Conservation & Recovery Act and the Definition of “Solid Waste”.
ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 338-341 & 343-366 in the casebook, (2) §3001 of RCRA in the Statutory and Case Supplement. 

WEDS. SEPT. 30: Introduction to CERCLA. ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 393-396, 401-408 & 418-436 in the casebook and (2) pp. ___-___ in the Statutory and Case Supplement, and (3) §§ 107(a), 107(b), 107(o), 107(p) & 107(r) of CERCLA in the Statutory and Case Supplement.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Chemspray (p. 429).

CHAPTER 5: AIR POLLUTION CONTROL

MON. OCT. 5: Yucca Mountain, Introduction to the Clean Air Act and Controls on Mobile Sources.  ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 495-497 & 502-528, and (2) CAA §§108 & 109 in the Statutory and Case Supplement.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Yucca Mountain (pp. 495-497).

WEDS. OCT. 7: Establishing and Revising National Ambient Air Quality Standards: the American Trucking Case. ASSIGNMENT:  Read pp. 546-572 in the caseboo.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: A NAAQS for CO2? (p. 559).

CHAPTER 6: CONTROL OF WATER POLLUTION



MON. OCT. 12: Introduction to the Clean Water Act and the Scope of Federal Jurisdiction.
ASSIGNMENT: Read p. 643-670 in the casebook.

WEDS. OCT. 14: Regulation of Point Sources of Water Pollution. 
ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 670-698 in the casebook and (2) §502(12) and 502(14) of Clean Water Act in the Statutory and Case Supplement.

MON. OCT. 19: Water Quality Standards, TMDLs and the §404 Permit Program.
 ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 715-720, 739-740, 748-765 in the casebook. PROBLEM EXERCISE: Water Quality Problems (pp. 748-749).

CHAPTER 8: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

WEDS. OCT. 21: Introduction to NEPA, When Must An Environmental Impact Statement Be Prepared? ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 857-869, 870-872, 887-897 in the casebook .

MON. OCT. 26: Adequacy of Analysis, Climate Change and NEPA, Has NEPA Worked?. ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 897-916 & 926-934 in the casebook.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: NEPA and Greenhouse Gas Emissions (pp. 909-910).

WEDS. OCT. 28: Advice on Making Environmental Documentary Films (students and alums from previous Environmental Law classes will show their films and discuss how to complete the small group film project). ASSIGNMENT: Read “Advice on Shooting Digital Video” in the Course Materials Section of this website.

CHAPTER 9: BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION



MON. NOV. 2: Introduction to the Endangered Species Act, What Species Are Protected and the §7 Consultation Process.  GUEST LECTURER: Joanna Goger. ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 940-949 & 964-984 in the casebook .

CHAPTER 7: LAND USE REGULATION

WEDS. NOV. 4: Land Use Regulation & Introduction to Regulatory Takings. GUEST LECTURER: Professor Garrett Power. ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 769-781, 783-789 & 793-800 in the casebook.

MON. NOV. 9: The Revival of Regulatory Takings Jurisprudence – Lucas & Palazzolo.
ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 801-824 & 848-856 in the casebook.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Takings Problem (pp. 848-849).

CHAPTER 8: BIODIVERSITY PROTECTION
 (Continued)

WEDS. NOV. 11: Protecting Endangered Species Against Private Action: §9 of the Endangered Species Act. ASSIGNMENT: Read (1) pp. 987-1009 in the casebook and (2) §9 of the ESA in the Statutory and Case Supplement.

CHAPTER 10: ENVIRONMENTAL ENFORCEMENT



MON. NOV. 16: Monitoring and Detecting Environmental Violations, Criminal Enforcement. ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 1011-1024 & 1037-1054 in the casebook.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Who Should Be Held Criminally Liable? (pp. 1053-1054).

WEDS. NOV. 18: Citizen Suits and Standing ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 1054-1055 & 1070-1101 in the casebook.



CHAPTER 11: PROTECTION OF THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT



MON. NOV. 23: Introduction to International Environmental Law and Protection of the Global Atmosphere. 
ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 1119-1125, 1131-1150 & 1154-1158 in the casebook.  PROBLEM EXERCISE: Designing a Post-Kyoto Regime to Control Greenhouse Gas Emissions (pp. 1157-1158).

WEDS. NOV. 25:  Trade and the Environment & International Trade in Hazardous Substances
 ASSIGNMENT: Read pp. 1167-1181 & 1183-1195 in the casebook.

MON. NOV. 30: Presentation of Small Group Movie Projects.

WEDS. DEC. 2: OPTIONAL REVIEW SESSION IN ROOM 108 

 SYLLABUS 1 – COMPREHENSIVE COVERAGE

(Class Number, Topic, Page Number: 6^th Edition)

Introduction

1. Polices, Problems, and Values, 1-24

2. Economics and Ecology, 26-58

3. Common Law Roots, 61-84

4. Statutory Law, 88-128

5. Regulation and its Alternatives, Regulatory Options, 129-158

6. The Regulatory Process, 159-178

Waste Management and Pollution Prevention

7. Statutory Authorities Affecting Waste Management, 333-362

8. Identifying Hazardous Waste, Household Waste Exclusion, Subtitle D, 366-391

9. Introduction to CERCLA, CERCLA Liability, Responsible Parties, 393-411

10. CERCLA Liability: Operators and Arrangers, 411-429

11. Strict, Joint and Several Liability and Allocation of Liability, 429-465

12. Disposal Alternatives and Commerce Clause Limitations, 466-495

Regulation of Toxic Substances

13. Introduction, 181-182

14. The Road to Risk Assessment, 182-193

15. Quantitative Risk Assessment, 199-233

16. How Safe is Safe?: Risk-Benefit Balancing (TSCA), 239-258

17. How Safe is Safe?: Feasibility-Limited Regulation (OSHA and SDWA) and Health-Based limits (Delaney Clause, Air Toxics), 264-310

18. Evaluating QRA and Alternatives to Conventional Regulatory Approaches, 311-327

Air Pollution Control

19. Introduction to CAA, Ambient Air Quality Standards, 502-507, 551-570

20. State Implementation Plans, 573-587

21. Offsets, Bubbles, Emissions Trading and Interstate Pollution, 588-633

22. Mobile Sources & Technology-Forcing, 517-551

Water Pollution Control

23. Statutory Authorities for Protecting Water Quality, 643-669

24. Effluent Limitations on Point Source Discharges, 670-713

25. Water Quality-Based Controls, 714-748

26. Wetlands Protection and the Section 404 Program, 749-761

Land Use Regulation and Regulatory Takings

27. Land Use and the Environment, state and Local Regulation of Land Use, Introduction to Regulatory Takings Law, 770-798

28. The Modern Revival of Regulatory Takings Jurisprudence, 799-854

Environmental Assessment

29. Introduction to NEPA and the EIS Requirement, 858-909

30. Adequacy of EISs, How Well Has NEPA Worked, 911-933

Biodiversity Protection

31. Rationale for Preserving Biodiversity, Introduction to the Endangered Species Act, 936-946

32. Protecting Endangered Species Against Private Actions, Public Resource Management, 988-1007

Environmental Enforcement

33. Detecting Violations, Enforcement Authorities and Policies, 1012-1034

34. Criminal Enforcement, 1037-1053

35. Standing and Citizen Access to the Courts, 104-113, 1073-1081

36. Citizen Suits, 1054-1070, 1082-1110

Protection of the Global Environment

37. Introduction to International Environmental Law, Protection of the Global Atmosphere, 1119-1144

39. International Trade and the Environment, 1161-1193

Conclusion

40. Environmental Progress, Environmental Prospects, 1220-1248

 SYLLABUS 2 – LESS TOXICS, MORE WATER, NEPA, ESA, INTERNATIONAL

(Class Number, Topic, Page Number: 6^th Edition)

Introduction

1. Polices, Problems, and Values, 1-24

2. Economics and Ecology, 26-58

3. Common Law Roots, 61-84

4. Statutory Law, 88-102, 115-128

5. Regulation and its Alternatives, Regulatory Options, 129-158

6. The Regulatory Process, 159-178

Waste Management and Pollution Prevention

7. Statutory Authorities Affecting Waste Management, 333-362

8. Identifying Hazardous Waste, Household Waste Exclusion, Subtitle D, 366-391

9. Introduction to CERCLA, CERCLA Liability, Responsible Parties, 393-411

10. CERCLA Liability: Operators and Generators, 411-429

11. Strict, Joint and Several Liability and Allocation of Liability, 429-465

12. Disposal Alternatives and Commerce Clause Limitations, 466-495

Regulation of Toxic Substances

13. Introduction to Toxics Regulation & Risk-Benefit Balancing, 181-217, 246-258

14. Risk Assessment, Feasibility-Limited Regulation & Health-Based Regulation, 218-233, 264-310

Air Pollution Control

15. Introduction to CAA, Ambient Air Quality Standards, 502-507, 551-570

16. State Implementation Plans, 573-587

17. Offsets, Bubbles, Emissions Trading and Interstate Pollution, 588-633

18. Mobile Sources & Technology-Forcing, 517-551

Water Pollution Control

19. Statutory Authorities for Protecting Water Quality, 643-669

20. Effluent Limitations on Point Source Discharges, 670-701

21. Variances, POTWs and Interstate Pollution, 701-725

22. Individual Control Strategies, Section 401 Certification & TMDLs, 726-748

23. Wetlands Protection and the Section 404 Program, 749-761

Land Use Regulation and Regulatory Takings

24. Land Use and the Environment, state and Local Regulation of Land Use, Introduction to Regulatory Takings Law, 770-798

25. The Modern Revival of Regulatory Takings Jurisprudence, 799-854

Environmental Assessment

26. Introduction to NEPA and the EIS Requirement, 858-866

27. Cumulative Impacts, the Significance Requirement and Environmental Assessment, 867-909

28. Adequacy of EISs, How Well Has NEPA Worked, 911-933

Biodiversity Protection

29. Rationale for Preserving Biodiversity, Introduction to the Endangered Species Act, 936-946

30. Listing Process, Review of Federal Actions, 949-987

31. Protecting Endangered Species Against Private Actions, Public Resource Management, 988-1007

Environmental Enforcement

32. Detecting Violations, Enforcement Authorities and Policies, 1012-1034

33. Criminal Enforcement 957-973 (962-973?) à 1037-1053

34. Standing and Citizen Access to the Courts, 104-113, 1073-1081

35. Citizen Suits, 1054-1070, 1082-1110

Protection of the Global Environment

36. Introduction to International Environmental Law, Protection of the Global Atmosphere, 1119-1144

37. Global Climate Change: Legal and Policy Responses, 1146-1160

38. International Trade and the Environment, 1161-1193

Environmental Progress, Environmental Prospects

39. Environmental Progress, Environmental Prospects, 1220-1248

SYLLABUS 3– HAZARDOUS WASTE AND TOXICS SEMINAR

(Class Number, Topic, Page Number: 6^th Edition)

Introduction

1. Polices, Problems, and Values, 1-26

2. Economics and Ecology, 26-60

Common Law Roots

3. Toxic Substance Problem; Common Law Causes of Action, 303-311, 63-88

4. Common Law Causes of Action and the Rise of Regulatory Legislation, 88-104

Regulation of Toxic Substances

5. Regulatory Options, 129-159

6. The Regulatory Process, 159-180

7. Statutory Authorities for Regulating Toxic Substances, Uncertainty and the Dilemma of Preventive Regulation, 243-246, 381-388

8. Coping with Uncertainty: The Road to Risk Assessment, 182-217

9. Introduction to Risk Assessment, 218-239

10. How Safe is Safe?: Risk-Benefit Balancing (TSCA), 246-264

11. How Safe is Safe?: Feasibility-Limited Regulation (OSHA and SDWA) and Health-Based Limits (Delaney Clause), 264-288

12. Setting and Revising NAAQSs, 551-573

13. Water Quality Standards, Individual Control Strategies and TMDLs, 715-728, 739-749

14. How Safe is Safe?: Section 112 of the Clean Air Act, Comparative Risk, 288-311

15. Informational and Burden Shifting Strategies, 311-331

Waste Management and Pollution Prevention

16. Introduction to RCRA, Defining Hazardous Waste, 344-366

17. Identifying Hazardous Waste, the Household Waste Exclusion, 366-381

18. Introduction to CERCLA Liability, Responsible Parties, 393-411

19. CERCLA Liability: Operators and Arrangers, 411-429

20. Strict, Joint and Several Liability, Liability Allocation, Has Superfund Worked?, 429-466

21. Disposal Alternatives and Commerce Clause Limitations, 466-477

22. Flow Control, Siting Controversies and the Environmental Justice Movement, 477-498

23. Protecting the Ozone Layer, International Trade in Hazardous Substances, 1129-1136, 1183-1195

Enforcement

24. Detecting Violations, Enforcement Authorities and Policies, 1012-1037

25. Criminal Enforcement, 1037-1054

SYLLABUS 4 – STARTING WITH CLEAN AIR

(Class Number, Topic, Page Number: 6^th Edition)

Introduction

1. Polices, Problems, and Values, 1-26

2. Economics and Ecology, 26-60

3. Common Law Roots, 63-88

4. Statutory Law, 88-129

5. Regulation and its Alternatives, Regulatory Options, 129-159

6. The Regulatory Process, 159-180

Air Pollution Control

7. Introduction to CAA, Ambient Air Quality Standards, 502-517

8. Revising National Ambient Air Quality Standards, State Implementation Plans, 551-588

9. Offsets, Bubbles, Emissions Trading and Interstate Pollution, 588-635

10. Mobile Sources & Technology-Forcing, 517-551

Water Pollution Control

11. Introduction, Scope of Federal Authority, 637-670

12. Federal Authority, Effluent Limitations on Point Sources, 670-698

13. Effluent Limitations and Water Quality Standards, 698-719

14. Impact of Water Quality Standards on Permit Limits, 719-749

15. Wetlands Protection and the Section 404 Program, 749-762

Land Use Regulation and Regulatory Takings

16. Land Use and the Environment, State and Local Regulation of Land Use, Introduction to Regulatory Takings Law, 770-773, 783-799

17. The Modern Revival of Regulatory Takings Jurisprudence, 799-833

Environmental Assessment

18. Introduction to NEPA and the EIS Requirement, 858-880

19. Cumulative Impacts, the Significance Requirement and Environmental Assessment, 880-911

20. Adequacy of EISs, How Well Has NEPA Worked, 911-934

Biodiversity Protection

21. Rationale for Preserving Biodiversity, Introduction to the Endangered Species Act, 936-964

22. Listing Process, Review of Federal Actions, 964-988

23. Protecting Endangered Species Against Private Actions, Public Resource Management, 988-1009

Waste Management and Pollution Prevention

24. Statutory Authorities Affecting Waste Management, 338-344

25. Identifying Hazardous Waste, Household Waste Exclusion, Subtitle D, 366-391

26. Introduction to CERCLA, CERCLA Liability, Responsible Parties, 393-411

27. CERCLA Liability: Operators and Arrangers, 411-429

28. Strict, Joint and Several Liability and Liability Allocation, 429-462

29. Disposal Alternatives and Commerce Clause Limitations, 466-487

Regulation of Toxic Substances

30. Introduction, 181-182

31. The Road to Risk Assessment, 182-199

32. Quantitative Risk Assessment, 199-212

33. How Safe is Safe?: Risk-Benefit Balancing (TSCA), 246-264

34. How Safe is Safe?: Feasibility-Limited Regulation (OSHA and SDWA) and Health-Based limits (Delaney Clause, Air Toxics), 264-301

35. Evaluating QRA and Alternatives to Conventional Regulatory Approaches, 212-239

Environmental Enforcement

36. Detecting Violations, Enforcement Authorities and Policies, 1012-1037

37. Criminal Enforcement, 1037-1054

38. Standing and Citizen Access to the Courts, 104-115

39. Citizen Suits, 1054-1111