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Environmental Law Definition

What does Environmental Law entail?

Outline Bank:

Environmental law involves an intricate matrix of federal and state public welfare statutes enacted to protect both human health and our natural resources. The economic and socio-geopolitical impact of these laws requires the practice of environmental law to continuously evolve. Areas of environmental law include the following:

Regulatory

The input and experience of an environmental lawyer is crucial in designing, supporting, and auditing environmental compliance systems. Environmental lawyers often participate in the administrative process on the federal and state level to encourage sound rulemaking. They also assist clients in sorting through regulatory ambiguities, which sometimes arise in enforcement proceedings.

Litigation

Environmental litigation occurs at both the civil and criminal level. Enforcement proceedings with federal and state regulators are conducted through either administrative adjudications or in court. Most federal environmental statutes have citizen suit provisions allowing individuals to initiate enforcement litigation on behalf of the government. Suits contesting environmental permits and siting decisions occur frequently and can cause significant delays for projects. Superfund designations are a source of significant litigation, particularly in the cost recovery area. Other areas of environmental litigation include: toxic torts, natural resource damages, water rights disputes, brownfields, endangered species challenges, climate change, and groundwater contamination suits.

Business Transactions

Environmental laws can significantly impact the economics of an M&A or real property transaction. If a facility does not have the entitlements to operate; has an expensive compliance issue that must be remedied; or has significant cleanup liability, it can materially alter the viability and/or structure of a deal. Clients depend on environmental lawyers to establish deal parameters and translate risks into economic terms for the valuation process. 

Strategic Corporate Planning

Depending on how environmental regulations develop, a company could gain a significant economic advantage over its competitors. Evolving regulation in areas such greenhouse gas emissions have the potential of altering the business model of some companies, while creating growth opportunities for others.

Corporate Governance

Events such as the Deepwater Horizon accident are redefining the roles of senior executives and boards of directors. There is a new wave of internal controls that many corporations are implementing in response to regulatory and shareholder influence.

Crisis Management

An environmental crisis such as an oil spill, toxic leak, or refinery explosion can be a defining moment in the history of a corporation. When a crisis hits, all aspects of environmental law come into play and requires experienced, clear-eyed counsel to help corporations, municipalities, and other impacted entities to successfully respond to and emerge from such an event.

Welcome to our outline bank! All members can access this google drive folder.

Resume & Cover Letter Help

Need help integrating environmentally focused goals into your JD resume and Cover letters? Read our blog here! You can also access cover letter and resume examples here.

Networking:

Networking ! Join our LinkedIn page here. Don’t forget to attend our events, and reach out to the executive board for insight and tips.

Scholarships:

Society of Women Environmental Professionals–New Jersey Chapter (NJ-SWEP)

A key focus of the New Jersey Chapter of SWEP is to provide scholarships to women who are pursuing studies related to the environment with an intended commitment to pursue a career in the environmental field.

The New Jersey Chapter of the Society of Women Environmental Professionals ("NJSWEP") is pleased to announce the continuation of the NJSWEP Scholarship Program in 2021. The purpose of the Scholarship Program is to encourage women to pursue careers in an environmental field, to mentor undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in environmental and related subjects, and to provide students with opportunities to connect with NJSWEP members for future internships and careers in the environmental industry.

Requirements: Scholarship recipients must be female and a United States citizen or hold permanent resident status. The undergraduate student must be entering her junior or senior year in the Fall of 2021 or will complete 60 credit hours as of September 2021. The graduate student must either start or continue graduate studies related to the environment, such as science, policy, or law, in the Fall of 2021. A minimum GPA of 3.0 (scale of 4.0) or its equivalent and a declared major in a field related to the environment is also required.

Each scholarship award will be $3,000 and includes free one-year membership to NJSWEP. Scholarship money will be awarded to two female graduate students and two female undergraduate students.

Applications must be received by April 16, 2021. The NJSWEP Scholarship Committee plans to announce the scholarship awards in May 2021 and present the awards at the Gala (date TBD). Immediate family members of NJSWEP Board of Directors or NJSWEP Scholarship Selection Committee are not eligible to apply.

For questions or additional information contact NJSWEP by email at scholarships@njswep.org (please include "NJSWEP Scholarship" in the subject line of email) or you may contact Lily Connell, Scholarship Chair, at lily.connell@terraphase.com.

Instructions to complete the application may be found here.