|
Events
|
The summer lecture series is sponsored by the VLS Environmental Law Center to discuss current issues in environmental law and policy. The lectures are free to the public and held on the VLS campus in South Royalton, Vermont. Visit http://www.vermontlaw.edu/elc for more information.
Is It Stealing or Just Good Public Policy? What Right Does the Government Have to Take Your Property?
Wednesday, June 8, 2005
BY: Dwight Merriam
Kelo v. City of New London is this year's blockbuster Supreme Court case that shook the foundations of 50 years of unchallenged precedent. Merriam, coeditor of a new ABA book on the case, will talk about the lead-up to this momentous case and why every lawyer and environmental professional needs to know about it.
Download (.mp3)
Reporting for Noah: The Work of the Endangered Species Act in Arizona
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
BY: Mitch Tobin
A reporter's take on the successes and failures of the Endangered Species Act, including efforts to save wolves, condors, squirrels, bats, frogs, fish, quail, and pronghorn.
Download (.mp3)
Frankenfoods or Cuisine of the Future? Trade in Bioengineered Food and Crops
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
BY: David Wirth
The U.S. has challenged the European Union's exclusion of genetically engineered food and crops in the World Trade Organization, claiming that the EU's refusal to allow new products is nothing more than a pretext for harming U.S. industry. The EU says it is only prudent to keep from releasing potentially harmful technologies to the environment until all the risks are known. This dispute is not only at the forefront of environmental policy, but also one of the thorniest issues in transatlantic politics.
Download (.mp3)
Frightened by Crichton: A Scary Tale of Blind Faith, Anti-Environmentalism, and the Abuse of Science
Thursday, July 14, 2005
BY: Alan Miller
In his latest novel State of Fear, Michael Crichton departs from his standard formula of scientific mischief and catastrophe, instead focusing his tale of villainy around an evil-minded environmental advocate distorting the science of climate change to advance a left-wing agenda. Miller will critique the values and politics underlying Crichton's novel, based on more than 25 years of active involvement with the issues of climate change and ozone depletion.
Download (.mp3)
Is Constitutional Law Failing Nature?
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
BY: James R. May
Though it says nothing about the environment, the U.S. Constitution has a dramatic impact on the interpretation and implementation of environmental, natural resource, and land use laws. Moreover, numerous states and foreign countries have constitutions that explicitly address environmental protection and natural resources. But to what end? May will discuss the emerging intersection of constitutional law with nature, and whether it's good or bad for the environment.
Download (.mp3)
Clear Skies From Inside the Beltway
Thursday, July 21, 2005
BY: Cheryl Hogue
Republicans, Democrats, environmentalists, and now, even utilities, agree that the U.S. needs legislation to curb air pollution from power plants. What's holding it up? A hot topic on Capitol Hill this year is President Bush's Clear Skies initiative. This talk will provide a detailed look at the multiple forces jockeying to come out ahead on legislation to reduce power plant pollution.
Download (.mp3)
Drill and Fill or Wild for Your Child: The Fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
BY: Peter Van Tuyn
Should the U.S. drill for oil on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or preserve it in perpetuity as congressionally-designated wilderness? This talk will focus on existing oil development in America's Arctic; the wildlife, wilderness, and human values of the refuge itself; and our collective energy future. It will also review the current congressional budget process, which some in Congress are trying to use to gain authorization to drill inside the refuge.
Download (.mp3)
The Sleeping Beauty Syndrome
Thursday, July 28, 2005
BY: Adam Glenn
The Biodiversity Convention acknowledges that nature not only benefits humanity, but has its own "intrinsic value" too. Could that eco-centric notion translate into far reaching legal rights for plants and animals?
Download (.mp3)
Conservation Easements: Protection for Perpetuity
Thursday, August 4, 2005
BY: Jessica Jay
The defense and enforcement of conservation easements in perpetuity will be discussed, including legal interpretation of easements, who is most likely to violate easements, and who is eligible to enforce them.
Download (.mp3)
* The views expressed in these lectures are those of the speakers and do not reflect views any of current or former employers.
|