This EPA Update covers U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) activities from approximately Sept. 15, 2022 through Feb. 15, 2023. The article doesn’t cover every single action taken by EPA during this time but attempts to summarize the highlights with a focus on EPA activities affecting New York. The EPA Update should be read cafeteria style: … Continued

It has been a busy few months here at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and we are pleased to provide the section with this update. In October 2022, NYSERDA was proud to welcome six new real estate partnerships to the state’s $50 million Empire Building Challenge to help advance a … Continued

For this issue we have focused our long-time member profile on Karen Mintzer, who is a partner at Mintzer Mauch PLLC, an environmental, land use, and real estate law firm that is certified by New York State, New York City and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey as a Women-Owned Business Enterprise … Continued

It is my extreme pleasure to provide the section with biographical background for this issue’s new member, Adam Herron. Adam is a 2022 summa cum laude graduate of Albany Law School and a 2019 magna cum laude graduate of the Oregon State University College of Forestry. He was a dynamic, brilliant, and unrivaled student, and … Continued

This fourth edition of the Law Student Corner highlights students and their work at six law schools. If you know any schools or students who would like to participate, please email [email protected]. Student Highlight In February, Pace-Haub Law hosted the 35th annual Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition (NELMCC). Over 50 teams … Continued

In late January, the Energy and Environmental Law Section had its first annual meeting in three years. What a joy! The 115 attendees were delighted to be present with their colleagues after three years of video conferences. Of course, the sessions were most informative on a range of issues with a focus on New York … Continued

It is an exciting time to be an environmental lawyer. On the one hand, we are witnessing a surge in interest in environmental rights. In November 2021, New York voters amended the New York Constitution to recognize a universal and fundamental basic liberty: “Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and … Continued

I am starting this Blog with a summary of the recent meeting of more than 90 heads of state and 35,000 delegates from 190 countries in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt, at the 27th Convention of the Parties (COP27) to address climate change. For the first time, the parties were able to agree on language establishing … Continued

Those blistering summer days just seem to feel extra hot in New York City. That suffocating feeling is indeed a harsh reality. In fact, some parts of urban environments may be 15°F to 20°F hotter than other areas during the mid-afternoon in the summertime.1 This phenomenon is known as the “urban heat island effect” and it … Continued

In November 2021, New Yorkers voted overwhelmingly to enshrine fundamental environmental rights in the Bill of Rights of the New York Constitution. Article I, § 19 (the environmental right), effective Jan. 1, 2022, states that “Each person shall have a right to clean air and water, and a healthful environment.” Shortly thereafter, the Environmental and Energy Law … Continued