Great Lakes Law

Wayne Law’s Transnational Environmental Law Clinic celebrates a successful first year

It was just over a year ago that Wayne Law, in partnership with Windsor Law and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, announced the launch of the first transnational environmental law clinic in North America. The Transnational Environmental Law Clinic has two complementary goals: (1) preparing law students with the practical skills and strategic thinking needed for the modern practice of environmental law; and (2) filling an unmet need for legal resources to protect the... Read more →

All (Water) Politics Is Local: A Proposal for Resolving Transboundary Water Disputes – Guest Post by Jeff Dornbos

This is the first of two guest posts by Jeffrey Dornbos, an attorney with Warner Norcross & Judd in Holland, Michigan. In addition to his legal background, Jeff also taught environmental science, holds a captain’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard, and is a SCUBA diver. Jeff’s guest posts introduce his two excellent law review articles focusing on management of transboundary water resources - "Capping the Bottle on Uncertainty: Closing the Information Loophole in the... Read more →

Wayne Law, Windsor Law, and the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center launch the first transnational environmental law clinic in North America

Wayne Law and Windsor Law, working in partnership with the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center, have formally announced the launch of the first transnational environmental law clinic in North America. This is a tremendous accomplish for all the institutions involved and for the region as a whole. The new transnational partnership will allow students from both schools to gain practical experience working on US-Canadian environmental issues such as energy development in the Great Lakes. It... Read more →

Oil and Freshwater Don’t Mix: Transnational Regulation of Drilling in the Great Lakes

I've posted a new article on oil and gas drilling in the Great Lakes, examining the existing laws and policies and offering some pragmatic recommendations for reform. The article was presented at the symposium “Learning from Disaster: Lessons for the Future from the Gulf of Mexico” hosted by the Environmental Affairs Law Review of Boston College Law School last November. The article is titled "Oil and Freshwater Don’t Mix: Transnational Regulation of Drilling in the... Read more →

Federal district court considers Asian carp case and arguments for temporary closure of Chicago canal locks - guest post by Thom Cmar

As this is being posted, a federal district court in Chicago is hearing arguments by Michigan and four other Great Lakes states to compel the temporary closure of Chicago canal locks to stop the spread of invasive Asian carp. Michigan and the other states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania) argue that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago have created a public nuisance by allowing Asian carp to... Read more →

Addressing urban and agricultural runoff pollution in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

Urban and agricultural runoff (known legally as non-point pollution) is the most significant source of pollution in the Great Lakes. As the United States and Canada are considering revisions to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, addressing runoff pollution should be a top priority. Carrol Hand, a law student at Tulane, worked with the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center to develop a white paper on non-point pollution and the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Carrol... Read more →

Canadian Feds propose ban on bulk water removals from transboundary waters

Last week, the Canadian federal government proposed legislation to ban bulk water removals from “transboundary waters” – meaning waters that cross the U.S.-Canada boundary. To explain the legislation and how it fits within Canada’s other water protection efforts and challenges, Professor Marcia Valiante of the University of Windsor Faculty of Law generously agreed to author the following the guest post. Prof. Valiante is a leading expert on Canadian environmental law with a special focus on... 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 →

Public participation and governance under the Great Lakes Water Quality Act

After years of delay, the United States and Canada finally agreed to begin the process of updating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement last year, with an announcement by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in June 2009. Updating the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement is long overdue, as many new threats and concerns (invasive species, non-point pollution, toxic and pharmaceutical residues in drinking water, etc.) have emerged since the last revision in 1987. Further, there... Read more →

Special edition of Wayne Law Review commemorates Boundary Waters Treaty Centennial

Last year, to commemorate 100 years of the Boundary Waters Treaty and its prospects for the future, the Wayne Law Review hosted a symposium featuring most of the International Joint Commission members, leading academics, and cutting-edge practitioners. The Wayne Law Review has now published a special edition with articles, commentary, and speeches from the symposium participants – all available free online here. The special issue (Volume 54, Issue 4) includes: Introduction (The Centennial of the... Read more →