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Environmental Law at the UW

In the News

May 7, 2009
Spokane Falls to flow full time, thanks to Berman Environmental Law Clinic
A settlement that the Berman Environmental Law Clinic helped negotiate means that after nearly a century, water will once again flow year-round at a historic site in Spokane.
March 26, 2009
Can NEPA pass tests posed by climate-related projects? - New York Times
UW Law professor Bill Rodgers says that the ultimate test of NEPA could come as a result of climate change.
February 10, 2009
Columbia salmon plan goes before judge for third try - Seattle Times
Judge James Redden is expected to rule on a federal plan for Columbia River dam operations while simultaneously reviving sickly salmon runs in early March. "Judge Redden is now the latest of a long series of magnificently independent federal judges," said Bill Rodgers, a UW School of Law professor of environmental law.
December 28, 2008
Endowed Chair Honors Environmental Law Professors
An anonymous donor bequest to the UW School of Law will establish the Endowed Chair in Honor of Professor William Rodgers and Professor Ralph Johnson. The purpose of the endowment is to pay tribute to Professor Rodgers' and the late Professor Johnson's pioneering work in environmental law.
December 7, 2008
Administration's plans for Alaska stir interest - Anchorage Daily News
The public transition leading to President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration next month has focused so far on national security and economic issues. But below the surface, busy lobbying is under way over future environmental agendas and political jobs affecting Alaska. UW law professor Bob Anderson co-chair of Obama's Department of Interior transition team.
September 5, 2008

Panel discussion set to focus on national parks, climate change
The Washington Parks and Forests Coalition presents "The Way In: The Future of Access to Northwest National Parks" Wednesday, September 3, 2008 6-9 p.m. in Room 110 of Kane Hall. The event will be moderated by Michael Robinson-Dorn, director of the Berman Environmental Law Clinic.
July 23, 2008
Fresh scent may hid toxic secret - Seattle Post Intelligencer
With fears growing over chemicals in consumer products environmentalists and health advocates are calling for stricter regulations of chemicals in everyday goods. Michael Robinson-Dorn, a UW law professor said products can slip between regulatory cracks by falling into the jurisdiction of multiple government agencies, none taking ownership.
June 28, 2008
Exxon damages slashed - Seattle Post Intelligencer
Supreme Court drastically cuts payouts for plaintiffs in Exxon Valdez oil spill - Seattle Times
The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday slashed the amount of punitive damages that Exxon must pay for the epic Exxon Valdez oil spill. In a 5-3 decision, the court found that punitive damages could not be larger than the compensatory damages for actual losses from the spill, which totaled $507.5 million – less than a tenth of the original $2.5 billion in damages claimed by the plaintiffs. "Crime pays, and environmental crime pays really well," said William Rodgers, UW law professor and expert on the Exxon Valdez case.
March 6, 2008
Annual law school environmental conference begins - Daily Emerald
The annual law school environmental conference at the University of Oregon is a "great way to learn," said UW environmental law professor William Rodgers.
February 19, 2008

Smelter case a big mess in more ways than one
“It’s the first statement by an appellate court that a polluter can’t use the border as a shield,” said UW law professor Michael Robinson-Dorn about the hazardous waste generated by a Teck Cominco smelter located in Canada. Heavy metals have leached out of the smelter's slag and accumulated in Washington's Lake Roosevelt.
April 6, 2007
High Court, U.N. Weigh In on Climate Change - Talk of the Nation (NPR)
Prof. Michael Robinson-Dorn discusses policy and climate change.
2007
Western U.S. Climate Change Leaders Outline Plans at University of Washington Conference
Over 150 people attending the University of Washington's first annual Climate Change conference March 2 heard state, regional and local leaders outline plans for limiting carbon emissions in the next two years, whether or not the federal government enacts national legislation. Presentations were made by Washington State Ecology Director Jay Manning, Climate Solutions President KC Golden, Weyerhaeuser Vice President Sara Kendall and Marten Law Group attorney Michael Lufkin.
2006
Julia Parrish selected as 2006 Leopold Leadership Fellow
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member Julia Parrish selected as 2006 Leopold Leadership Fellowby the Aldo Leopold Leadership Program at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University.
Aug. 1, 2006
Scientists protest logging bill - Vail Daily
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member James Karr in the news.
Aug. 1, 2006
Over 500 Scientists Sign Letter Saying Logging Can Set Back Forest Recovery, Increase Fire Risks - YubaNet.com
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member James Karr in the news.
Summer 2006
Government Seeks Additional $92 Million from Exxon - eBriefs, UW School of Law
Berman Environmental Law Clinic Petition, Student Research Sparks Action by Feds to go After Additional "Reopener" Monies
June 20, 2006
Steve Berman named as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America - Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member Steve Berman named as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America
May 22, 2006
City Light's green goals will be put to the test in court - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"The state is moving down the biodiesel road and here appears a major bump: Metro and Washington State Ferries would not have switched over to biodiesel if City Light had not borne the costs," said professor Michael Robinson-Dorn of the University of Washington Law School's environmental law clinic.
May 10, 2006
University helps Native Alaskans pursue $100 million from Exxon - Anchorage Daily News
Seventeen years after the Exxon Valdez caused the largest oil spill in U.S. history, the University of Washington environmental law clinic this month launched a last-ditch effort to collect $100 million on behalf of Alaska Natives whose fishing and hunting still suffers.
May 2, 2006
UW helps on Exxon Valdez claim - Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Law clinic drafts petition on behalf of Alaska natives.
Mar. 2, 2006
Craig Allen named the Charles H. Stockton Chair for International Law
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member Craig Allen named the Charles H. Stockton Chair for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College
Jan. 31, 2006
Chronic oil pollution takes toll on seabirds along South American coast - UW News
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member Dee Boersma in the news Chronic oil pollution takes toll on seabirds along South American coast
May 20, 2005
High court hears I-297 arguments - Tri-City Herald
Michael Robinson-Dorn represents sponsors of Initiative 297.
May 10, 2005
Hatcheries may be releasing pollutants along with fish - Seattle Times
May 2, 2005
$250,000 prize goes to UW professor - Seattle Times
Jerry Franklin, adjunct professor and Environmental Law Clinic advisory board member, receives 11th annual Heinz Award for the Environment.
Dec. 17, 2004
High court gives little guy a break - Seattle Times
Michael Robinson-Dorn comments on a recent Washington State Supreme Court decision, which improved accessibility for ordinary citizens.
Dec. 13, 2004
New Hanford battle begins, triggered by voter-passed initiative - AP article in Seattle Post-Intelligencer
AP article with quotes from Michael Robinson-Dorn regarding the approval of Washington Initiative 297.
Dec. 11, 2004
Will nuclear waste initiative withstand a court challenge? - AP article in Desert Sun
Michael Robinson-Dorn takes a look at a Washington state initiative to prevent storage of federal nuclear waste.
Nov. 15, 2004
Pioneering work on biological integrity earns conservation award - UW News
Berman Environmental Clinic Advisory Board Member James Karr in the news Pioneering work on biological integrity earns conservation award
Nov. 12, 2004
State Initiatives – Living on Earth (NPR)
In the most recent election, voters said no to transporting radioactive waste to Washington, cyanide mining of gold in Montana, and give mixed reviews to the use of genetically-modified seed in counties in California. Professor Robinson-Dorn comments on Washington Initiative 297 concerning the disposal of mixed hazardous wastes in Washington.
Aug. 16, 2004
Polluting Thy Neighbor – U.S. & Canada Crosswise Over Transboundary Waste - KUOW
Mike Robinson-Dorn explains the cross-border dispute about emissions and waste from a Trail, B.C.-based smelter.
June 2003
Environmental Law Gets Stronger Through New Clinic - Columns, UW Alumni Magazine
The natural habitats of the Pacific Northwest will receive more vigorous protection with the establishment of a new clinic in the UW School of Law. The Kathy and Steve Berman Environmental Law Clinic will open in the fall, bringing a renewed focus to the school's environmental law track.

Olympic National Forest