Law and Policy of Chemicals, Contamination, Communities (Environmental Justice), and Calamities
ENVS 277
Spring 2025
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01
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How do we protect our environment and ourselves from wastes and chemicals? Why have we chosen this path? When and how do the public, NGOs, and regulated industries have a voice? When is something that is not used considered waste, and when is that waste a hazardous waste? When does someone need to clean up the contaminated environment? Who is that someone? How clean is clean? How have chemicals ended up in commerce? When and under what circumstances can new chemicals enter our lives? When and how are environmental and health considerations part of the decision-making process? How do we avoid environmental disasters? What is required in terms of thinking about and planning for the "unthinkable"? What drives sustainability initiatives, beneficial reuse, and life cycle analysis?
This highly interactive course will examine the source of environmental law, its evolution, and boundaries. Students will explore how and when we have access to the process and examine: (i) the Resource Conservation Recovery Act, Superfund, and related brownfield initiatives; (ii) the Toxic Substances Control Act and international counterparts; (iii) the Emergency Planning and Community Right To Know Act; (iv) environmental justice in the context of waste and chemical management; and (v) sustainability, product stewardship, and related initiatives.
The course concludes with a capstone project in which students are assigned to a team as either proponent or opponent. Each team is then provided an information packet setting a scenario, setting, certain facts, and any legal information beyond course coverage. Following this, each team prepares for and advances technical, legal, and policy arguments in support of its goals and is afforded the opportunity to cross-examine the opposition. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
NSM ENVS |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: ENVS195 OR ENVS197 OR ENVS219F OR E&ES199 OR E&ES155 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ENVS-MN)(ENVS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
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