audio files of occasional, exceptional presentations at VLS
7/11/06 Hot Topics Lecture by David Mears and Randy Hill.
Three cases provide the first opportunity to see how the Court will deal with statutory interpretation and the commerce clause in environmental cases. The first, S.D. Warren v. Maine Board of Env’l Protection, addresses state authority under the CWA to require water quality certifications when hydropower dams are relicensed.
6/29/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Tammara Van Ryn.
Congress and the IRS have increased their scrutiny of nonprofits, with a focus on tax deductions for donating conservation easements. The IRS has taken a more activist role, and the land trust community has responded by developing a self-regulation program.
6/27/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Tom Henry.
The near-rupture of Davis-Besse’s reactor in 2002 reinvigorated anti-nuclear activists. The nuclear industry fought to keep the public from thinking of this safety lapse as business as usual. How did the NRC allow itself to get snookered by a utility that puts profits ahead of safety in an era of deregulation?
6/22/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Bob Irvin.
The debate over renewal of the ESA is coming to a head. The House has passed a bill introduced by Richard Pombo that would drastically alter the conservation of endangered species. Key senators are negotiating possible changes to the ESA. This is an inside look at the negotiations, an analysis of the Pombo bill, and predictions of what will happen next.
6/20/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Mike Lee.
Rancher Richard Pombo (R-CA) is behind the current push to radically alter the Endangered Species Act. He draws money and encouragement from a huge fan base in the West, and his efforts to roll back federal resource restrictions span the country. We will discuss his rise to power and how the changing nature of his home district threatens his seat this fall.
6/13/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Martha Judy
When the Supreme Court decided this case, dissenters knew it would pose problems for responsible parties voluntarily cleaning up toxic sites under Superfund. The majority declined to resove this conundrum, leaving the issue for the circuit courts to consider. What is the future of voluntary cleanup under Superfund?
6/6/06 Hot Topics Lecture by Kent McFarland.
Mercury deposition in New England comes from local, regional, and global emissions, with 60% coming from the U.S. Regulations to address mercury emissions have been successful and the U.S. total has declined 40% since 1990. Yet, avian toxicology studies are showing that mercury is lurking in places we never imagined.
Hot Topics Lecture by Professor Martha Judy, recorded June 14, 2007
The Supreme Court sent polluters who voluntarily clean up contaminated sites into a tailspin in 2004. Learn how the Court may restore voluntary cleanup now that the issue is back in U.S. v. Atlantic Research.
Ornithologist Rosalind Renfrew explains how research on the wintering grounds of the bobolink, a South American bird that breeds in North America, is prompting collaborative efforts to ban a pesticide. She will present an ornithologist’s view of this spawning endeavor to use scientific findinsg on a “canary in a coal mine” to achieve conservation through policy.
6/7/07- Broad-scale cumulative effects have led to regional efforts to gain broader understanding of ecosystem processes and interrelationships upon which to base land use management strategies. A systematic step-down assessment process can provide needed context for priority setting and decision making at each level, ensuring more efficient on-the-ground management investments.
