Great Lakes Law

Supreme Court denies Michigan’s second request to close the Chicago locks, will consider petitions to reopen the case next month

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court issued a short order (see page 2) denying Michigan’s renewed motion for a preliminary injunction to close Chicago-area locks to keep Asian carp from entering the Great Lakes. Michigan had filed the renewed motion based on a new study showing the minimal economic impact of closing the locks, compared to the devastating economic harms if the Asian carp get into the Great Lakes. The denial of Michigan’s renewed motion... Read more →

City of Ann Arbor agrees to environmental study of parking supply in settlement with Great Lakes Environmental Law Center

Last year, the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center sent several letters (May 14, 2009 and May 29, 2009) and eventually filed a complaint in state court over concerns about increased air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the city of Ann Arbor’s massive new parking structure. The city had completely ignored the potential environmental impacts from building more parking supply, which would likely lead to more cars, more congestion, more air pollution, and more greenhouse... Read more →

Federal court rules against Bureau of Reclamation in water diversion case citing concerns over invasive species

This guest post is by Nick Schroeck, Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center. While Nick was just recently named Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, he has long been the lead attorney on this precedent-setting water diversion case. See my prior post for more background on the dispute and legal issues. The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center and the Wayne State Environmental Law Clinic won a legal victory that... Read more →

SEC issues interpretive guidance regarding disclosure of climate change risk

This guest post on the SEC’s new interpretive guidance on disclosure of climate change risk is by Eric Jamison. This topic has not been on the radar for many people involved in water policy, but it is an important new legal development for many water-related businesses, including those involved in water infrastructure and delivery, energy production, and wastewater treatment. Eric is a second year law student at Wayne State and has a background in business... Read more →

Protecting Freshwater Resources in the Era of Global Water Markets: Lessons Learned from Bottled Water

The University of Denver’s Water Law Review has just published my article, “Protecting Freshwater Resources in the Era of Global Water Markets: Lessons Learned from Bottled Water.” The citation is 13 U. Denv. Water L. Rev. 1 (2009), and I’m honored that the article was selected as the lead article of this year’s volume of the Water Law Review. The article covers a brief history of bottled water, the business of bottled water, and opposition... Read more →

Nick Schroeck takes the helm as Executive Director of the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center

The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center has named Nick Schroeck as its new Executive Director. The Great Lakes Environmental Law Center is the leading public interest environmental law organization in Michigan. It was founded in 2008 to protect the world’s greatest freshwater resource and the communities that depend upon it. I had the honor of serving as the inaugural Executive Director on a volunteer basis, and am thrilled to be turning the reins over to... Read more →

New Supreme Court filings in Asian carp dispute

Another week brings another round of filings in the U.S. Supreme Court over the Asian carp dispute. As expected, the state of Illinois, the United States, and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago have all filed responses opposing Michigan’s renewed motion for preliminary injunction. There’s not much new in these filings – Illinois, the federal government, and Chicago’s MWRD all urge the Court to sit back and allow the Asian Carp Regional Coordinating... Read more →