I. Introduction

The tensions over the waters of the [Tigris-Euphrates] basin have reached internationally acknowledged levels, and a lack of cooperation among the riparians confronts the world with a new potential conflict area. This situation threatens the delicate political stability in the Middle East, and further polarization in [sic] region continues . . . . The basin is one of the most unstable political areas in the region and water plays and [sic] important role. This is a classic case of [sic] water quantity issue, and use of the available water in the basin.

The Clean Air Act's (CAA's) new source review (NSR) program has not been effective. Some of the worst emitters of air pollutants today were among the worst polluters when control of new source emissions by the CAA began in 1970. Moreover, the program as applied to existing sources, despite its marginal successes, is characterized by uncertainty, complexity, vagueness concerning its requirements, and the potential high costs associated with unpredictable enforcement.

In Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC) v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly upheld orders issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to §§113(a)(5) and 167 of the Clean Air Act (CAA or Act), prohibiting construction of a new power generator unit at a mine in Northwest Alaska.

Imagine buying a piece of property that is subject to a governmental land use regulation such as a zoning ordinance that restricts development or some other use of the property. Under these circumstances, can a claim be brought against the government for reimbursement of the market value of the land?

Imagine you run a Canadian company that mines precious metals. Your company owns a U.S. subsidiary that holds unpatented mining claims on federal lands known as the California Desert Conservation Area. You're optimistic that the U.S. government will approve your proposal to build and operate an open-pit, cyanide gold mine there because the Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, has just rescinded the denial of her predecessor, Bruce Babbitt--though she hasn't granted approval as yet.

The primary benefit of many important environmental regulations, as determined by the dollar value assigned by cost-benefit analysis, is the human lives that are saved. Thus, the methodology used to determine the value assigned to the lives that would be saved by an environmental program is central to the determination of whether such a program is justifiable on cost-benefit grounds. In 2000, the U.S.

Introduction

I. Introduction

On August 2, 1996, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) promulgated rules governing its Open Market Emissions Trading (OMET) program. With a goal to provide industry with a greater degree of flexibility in meeting federal air compliance directives and simultaneously support the state's progress toward the attainment of federal air standards, this program has now been terminated following scrutiny from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), environmental groups, and a new NJDEP administration.

I. Introduction