Great Lakes Law

Michigan files suit against Illinois in the Supreme Court over Asian carp

Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox has filed suit in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the State of Michigan against the State of Illinois allowing nonnative carp to potentially invade the Great Lakes through the Chicago Canal and other managed waterways. Technically, this is not a new lawsuit, but a petition for a new Supreme Court decree (basically an order) under the old Chicago diversion case, Wisconsin v. Illinois. That case, which has gone... Read more →

Great Lakes on the Ground – new blog by Andy Buchsbaum of the National Wildlife Federation

Here’s a great new blog for you to bookmark or put on your RSS feed - Great Lakes on the Ground (www.greatlakesontheground.wordpress.com). It’s authored by Andy Buchsbaum, Regional Executive Director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. I’ve known Andy since I was in law school and had the pleasure of working with him for several years at NWF. Andy has been personally involved in every major Great Lakes issue this decade, most recently... Read more →

The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water

Apologies for the shameless shilling of a product, but if you are looking for a last-minute holiday gift for the water wonk in your life, consider the new book, The Evolution of the Law and Politics of Water. (I contributed a chapter on the Great Lakes but don’t get any royalties, although I did get one free copy of the book to put on my shelf.) Here’s the description from the publisher (Springer): The Evolution... Read more →

Climate change torts - a perspective from an energy industry attorney

Tort law, which is traditionally used to protect property or collect monetary damages, is now being used with some initial success against electric utilities and coal, oil, and chemical companies for climate change harms from greenhouse gas emissions. Two recent federal appeals decisions have opened the door to climate change torts, and more litigation is on the horizon. The following guest post gives an inside perspective on climate change torts from an energy industry attorney... Read more →