The Impact of Climate Change on American and Canadian Indigenous Peoples and Their Water Resources
Access to water is a fundamental climate change issue in North America and internationally. It is related to significant political, social, and ecological struggles that indigenous peoples face, and governments and courts so far have done little to address these inequities.
Planning for the Effects of Climate Change on Natural Resources
Climate change has important implications for the management and conservation of natural resources and public lands. The federal agencies responsible for managing these resources have generally recognized that considerations pertaining to climate change adaptation should be incorporated into existing planning processes, yet this topic is still treated as an afterthought in many planning documents. Only a few federal agencies have published guidance on how managers should consider climate change impacts and their management implications.
United States v. Land O'Lakes, Inc.
A district court held that a food company is not shielded from CERCLA liability by a settlement reached under RCRA related to the same site. EPA brought suit against the food company, a successor to the company that operated the site until 1982, for response costs the Agency occurred or would incur ...
Garrett Day LLC v. Int'l Paper Co.
A district court permitted a contribution suit under CERCLA against a paper company to proceed in a case involving a site in Dayton, Ohio. The site was allegedly contaminated with numerous hazardous chemicals that were used in the paper-making process over the course of 100 years. A commercial prope...
Charter Township of Lansing v. Lansing Board of Water and Light
A district court denied a state water and power board's motion to dismiss a CERCLA suit brought by two goverment entities for costs related to a drain project in Lansing, Michigan. The government entities sued the board for the increase in costs assessed for the building of a storm drain in a distri...
ASARCO, LLC v. Noranda Mining, Inc.
The Tenth Circuit reversed a district court ruling that barred a mining company from pursuing a CERCLA contribution claim for the Lower Silver Creek/Richardson Flat site because of representations it made to a bankruptcy court concerning its settlement agreement with EPA. In 2009, as part of a Chapt...
Florida Power Corp. v. FirstEnergy Corp.
A district court, on cross-motions for summary judgment, held that a utility company should not be held liable under CERCLA for the release of hazardous substances on two properties owned by an energy company. The energy company brought this action under CERCLA to recover cleanup costs it incurred i...