Material Detail

This video was recorded at YALE - EVST 255 - Environmental Politics and Law. This lecture covers site restoration law by looking at the U.S. Navy's use of the island of Vieques as weapons testing ground. Vieques residents are filing a civil suit against the U.S. government, which raises issues of burden of proof, scientific certainty with respect to exposure amounts and health impacts, and how the government protects citizens from environmental hazards. Professor Wargo traces the evolution of site restoration law, from the National Environmental Policy Act in 1969 setting the stage for sustainable land use, to Superfund amendments in the late 1980s that mandated more stringent protection of citizens from toxics. Reading assignment: Wargo, Green Intelligence, chapters 5-8 Weinberg, Understanding Environmental Law, pp. 233-40, 282-304, and 327-32 Resources Lecture 7 [PDF]

Disciplines:

• Social Sciences  / Law