Editors' Summary: In 1989, the DOE created the Environmental Management (EM) program to clean up contamination caused by the production of nuclear weapons. In recent years, the DOE has suffered congressional criticism and reduced budgets. Although the EM program pushed for greater efficiency, its initiative lacked a coherent strategy necessary to address the overall cleanup program. This Dialogue identifies 14 principles that are vital to the cleanup of the DOE's nuclear weapons complex.

Editors' Summary: DOE is responsible for managing as many as 81 geographic sites that are contaminated with long-lived hazardous and radioactive materials. The longevity of these wastes will require long-term stewardship at these sites in order to protect both human health and the environment. This Article discusses the challenges that DOE faces in developing an effective long-term stewardship program. The authors begin with an overview of DOE's waste management program and a description of its long-lived wastes.

Editors' Summary: According to prevailing precedent, the citizen suit provisions of environmental statutes do not entitle plaintiffs to a private right-of-action for damages. However, two recent decisions by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appear to expand the remedies available under the citizen suit provisions of two state environmental statutes to include private causes-of-action. This Article examines the two decisions and the subsequent ambiguous case law applying the decisions.

Editors' Summary: Over the past couple of decades, as awareness of hazardous waste contamination has grown, the exposure of children and adults to hazardous wastes via ingestion of contaminated soil has emerged as a dominant concern in risk assessment. This Dialogue summarizes the results and implications of a multiproject research endeavor to estimate soil ingestion in children and adults. The authors begin by explaining how soil ingestion studies are conducted. They also discuss how to differentiate among soil ingestion studies of different quality.

Editors' Summary: Twenty-five years ago, Congress enacted the ESA with the goal of conserving endangered and threatened species, as well as the ecosystems on which they depend. How successful the Act has been in achieving that goal has been the subject of much controversy. This Dialogue assesses the Act's success by examining one aspect of its history — the experience that has resulted from applying its provisions to private land. From this assessment, the author determines that there are four lessons that can be learned.

Editors' Summary: At the 1998 Annual Meeting of the American Bar Association, a panel convened by the Environmental Law Institute considered whether enforcement of environmental laws is declining. In his presentation as a member of that panel, the author of this Dialogue concluded that, overall, it is not.

Editors' Summary: Every year, EPA faces the burdensome task of issuing hundreds of rules and regulations. From air and water quality issues to hazardous and solid waste management, from environmental justice to the protection of natural resources, no aspect of environmental law goes untouched by EPA. Given the highly regulated nature of environmental law and policy, the Agency's actions are often controversial. The fiscal year that ended September 30, 1998, was no different.

Editors' Summary: In recent years, the U.S. Supreme Court has limited the availability of citizen suits by narrowing standing requirements. Advocates of this restrictive view on standing allege that broad citizen standing is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution; they claim support for their argument from legal history, including the intent of the Constitution's Framers.

Editors' Summary: In his 1997 State of the Union Address, President Clinton announced the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, which promotes the environmental, economic, historical, and cultural aspects of rivers and their surrounding communities. So far, 14 rivers have been designated as American Heritage Rivers under the Initiative. Critics, however, claim that the Initiative is not authorized by an act of Congress. This Article explores whether the Initiative is statutorily authorized by existing laws and regulations.

Editors' Summary: In 1993, Congress passed the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), which requires federal agencies to prepare strategic plans and performance reports for achieving program goals. In a Dialogue published in the October 1998 issue of ELR — The Environmental Law Reporter, Professor Rena Steinzor and law student William Piermattei of the University of Maryland examined the impact of GPRA on EPA and especially on the Agency's strategic planning and budget process.