Nicole A. Caspers, Author at Environmental Law Monitor

August 7, 2025 California / Emissions

‘Berth Control’ – California’s War on Idle Emissions

California – as part of effort to reduce the environmental impact of maritime shipping, particularly within vulnerable port-side communities – has implemented one of the most ambitious port-emission control programs to date.

California’s At-Berth Regulation (ABR), implemented in 2007, is a key environmental policy created to reduce air pollution from nonvehicular sources. Since 2014, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has enforced the ABR for container ships, reefer ships, and passenger ships, requiring the use of shore power or CARB-approved emission control/capture systems while at …

Maine state flags and the American flag waving in the wind on a clear day

July 10, 2025 Legislation / Maine

Posted by: Nicole A. Caspers

Support is Split as Maine’s Governor Gives State’s Foundational Packaging EPR Law a Modern Makeover

Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation, also known as EPR laws, is a policy-based approach that holds producers accountable for the entire lifecycle of their products, particularly for take-back, recycling, and final disposal. Although various other countries have implemented EPR legislation as early as the 1990s, its adoption in the U.S. has been considerably slow, fragmented, and entirely state driven.

In July 2021, Maine pathed the way for packaging EPR legislation in the U.S. when it passed the bill known as LD 1541, which established a …