Month: April 2023

Conscious Consumerism, Class Actions, and Carbon Offsets Rina Zhang A growing segment of environmentally-minded consumers choose to spend their money on brands and products that signal their commitment to sustainability.”[1] However, as more companies label their products with environmental sustainability claims like “green,” and “carbon neutral”, there are increasing concerns that some of these terms… Continue reading Zhang – Spring 2023

Extended Producer Responsibility in Ontario: A Model for the U.S.? Wyatt Zimbelman On July1, 2023, municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario will begin the transition to full producer responsibility for Blue Box (product packaging, paper products, and packaging-like[1] products) recycling.[2] This transition, authorized under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016[3], will move… Continue reading Zimbelman – Spring 2023

Transfer of Development Rights in Urban-Rural Settings: A Conservation and Pro-Housing Strategy for Michigan Jessie Williams By “moving” development rights from preserved land parcels to provide density increases elsewhere, transfer of development rights (“TDR”) programs combat urban sprawl and preserve natural and agricultural open space, while incentivizing urban planning best practices such as increased housing… Continue reading Williams – Spring 2023

Mifepristone & the FDA Post-Dobbs: States Sue & Potential Preemption Sara Shapiro Introduction Last summer, after an unprecedented leak leading to an eruption of nationwide protests,[1] the United States Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade,[2] Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey,[3] and their progeny in its bombshell Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health[4]ruling. Shortly thereafter,… Continue reading Shapiro – Spring 2023

The Role of Electric Vehicles in Michigan Eric A. Shalloway In the state of Michigan, gas taxes contribute funds to improve roads and infrastructure, but between 2019-2021 it is estimated that there was a $50 million decrease in revenue due to electric vehicle owners not paying the tax.[1] The Michigan County Road Association explained that… Continue reading Shalloway – Spring 2023

The Impact of “Schedule F” on Environmental and Administrative Governance Arian Rubio In The Fifth Risk, Michael Lewis notes: The United States government might be the most complicated organization on the face of the earth. Its two million federal employees take orders from four thousand political employees. Dysfunction is baked into the structure of the… Continue reading Rubio – Spring 2023

The Supreme Court Case that Threatens to Upend U.S. Labor Law Priyanka Podugu Within the next few months, the Supreme Court will release its decision for Glacier Northwest v. Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters, a case that has held the attention of union activists and corporate leaders, alike. The case reached the Supreme Court in the… Continue reading Podugu – Spring 2023

Opening the Floodgates: Axon Enterprises, Inc. v. FTC and the Weakening of Public Power Keenen McMurray In November of 2022, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on a pair of consolidated cases including Axon Enterprise, Inc. v. Federal Trade Commission[1] and Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cochran.[2] These cases concern whether challenges to the adjudication… Continue reading McMurray – Spring 2023

What’s Going on With Wetlands? The Supreme Court Takes Another Dive into the “Waters of the US” Sarah Mastrian Social media was once inundated with the question “is water wet?” But are wet(lands) water? The Supreme Court has been asked to determine this very question and the justices will once again attempt to define the… Continue reading Mastrian – Spring 2023

The Hexavalent Chromium Spill That Never Happened: Without Disasters, Where Does Environmental Litigation Come From? Kathleen Ross On July 29, 2022, Tribar Manufacturing, an auto supply manufacturer, improperly released 10,000 gallons of toxicant-containing discharge into the sewer system of Wixom, Michigan.[1] The release overwhelmed the Wixom wastewater treatment plant and entered Norton Creek, a tributary… Continue reading Ross – Spring 2023