Environmental Law Monitor

Through the modern industrial age, there’s always been a push-and-pull between the utility of our innovations and the risks they often inadvertently create. In the 70’s, we discovered the synthetic pesticide that was so effectively combating typhus and malaria, DDT, was causing breast cancer and impairing neurological development in babies. In the 80’s and 90’s, the CFCs that we used as aerosol propellants and refrigerant turned out to be damaging to the ozone layer.

Recently, it’s gotten more complicated: We still enjoy the increased power …

As coastal erosion continues to shrink beaches, the sand that remains has become ever more valuable; and in Maine, a battle over the beach has reached the state’s highest court.

In most coastal states, the intertidal land — (the land subject to the ebb and flow of the tides) — is owned by the state in trust for the public under the public trust doctrine. Thus, the public is generally entitled to use the intertidal zone for recreational purposes. Maine is one of only a few …

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for licensing the companies that charter private space transportation. To issue a license for commercial space travel, the FAA is required under the National Environmental Policy Act to assess how their licensees’ activities may impact the environment.

FAA policy requires before issuing a license for space travel that the agency assess 14 separate categories, including noise, coastal resources, and land use, for potential environmental impact. In addition to this environmental review, the FAA also assesses how commercial space …