Environmental faculty and student editors of the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law (VJEL) today announced publication of their annual "Vermont Law Top 10 Environmental Watch List," highlighting critical law and policy issues they believe will intensify in 2016.

The list, in its sixth year, features articles co-authored by students and faculty on topics ranging from the controversial "waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule to the fate of the Clean Power Plan. In addition to the Top 10, VJEL editors published a bonus feature on COP21, the United Nations climate summit underway in Paris.

"Open questions abound as we end the year," said Associate Dean Melissa Scanlan, director of the Environmental Law Center at VLS. "How will world leaders stem climate disruption at the COP negotiations in Paris? With the Supreme Court’s rejection of the EPA’s mercury regulations in Michigan v. EPA, have they ushered in a new era in environmental law where costs play a more significant role in health and environmental standard setting? Our students and environmental faculty explore these critical issues and others in the 2016 Vermont Law Top 10 Environmental Watch List, and we believe the list will compel readers to act on these issues."

The Top 10, available online at watchlist.vermontlaw.edu, includes the following articles:

  1. The Super Bowl of Climate Litigation
  2. Chesapeake Bay TMDL
  3. Vermont Act 120: A Light in the DARK for GMO Food Labeling
  4. The WOTUS Wars
  5. Michigan v. EPA
  6. Cracking Down on Fracking
  7. Gold King Mine Spill on Animas River
  8. Courting a Response to FERC’s Authority Over Demand Response
  9. Sage Grouse Not Listed as an Endangered Species
  10. Fasten Your Seatbelts: Volkswagen’s Bumpy Ride

Bonus Feature | COP21: Will a Paris Agreement [Decrease] [Solve] [Do Nothing On] Climate Change?

Articles were written with a lay audience in mind.

"Coming off the heels of COP21, the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, and ending with a presidential election, 2016 is shaping up to be a historic year in environmental law," said Joseph Simpson ’16, VJEL editor-in-chief. "The goal of the Top 10 Environmental Watch List is to inform readers about the most important environmental law issues in the coming year, including developments with President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, consumers’ right to information, and the future of Clean Water Act jurisdiction. Our students and faculty analyzed environmental issues and decisions that will affect generations to come. Though the path to a clean environment often seems daunting, gaining knowledge is the first step toward brightening our future."

For more information about the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, including a Top 10 archives, visit vjel.vermontlaw.edu or email josephsimpson@vermontlaw.edu. For more information about environmental programs at Vermont Law School, including degrees and clinical training, visit the Environmental Law Center online at vermontlaw.edu/ELC, email Anne Linehan at alinehan@vermontlaw.edu, or call 802-831-1287.

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Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, is home to the nation’s largest and deepest environmental law program. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service; three Master’s Degrees—Master of Environmental Law and Policy, Master of Energy Regulation and Law, and Master of Food and Agriculture Law and Policy; and four post-JD degrees —LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers), LLM in Energy Law, LLM in Environmental Law, and LLM in Food and Agriculture Law. The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center, South Royalton Legal Clinic, Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic, Energy Clinic, Food and Agriculture Clinic, and Center for Applied Human Rights. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter.