About Top 10
Each year, VJEL publishes 10 articles that are considered the “Top 10” most pressing environmental law issues of the year. These articles are co-authored by 10 of our Staff Editors and their selected faculty member or co-author. Staff Editors typically select a faculty member that has extensive knowledge or experience in the field they are looking to write about. Over the course of the fall semester, Staff Editors and their faculty member or co-author will meet and draft an article incorporating the anticipated effects of a particular environmental issue as well as providing creative solutions to that issue. Through this collaborative writing assignment, students have the opportunity to further refine their writing and researching skills.
Environmental Justice in 2020: Racial Disparities Shocking, but not Surprising
VJEL Staff Editor: Catherina Narigon
Faculty Member: Marianne Engleman-Lado
COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement both relate to Environmental Justice. 2020 has proven that systemic racial issues are well and alive; permeating into areas such as environmental health and workplace safety. This ongoing issue has received growing media attention, but more must be done.
An Era of Pandemics: How China and the U.S. Must Take the Lead in Wildlife and Human Health Protection
VJEL Staff Editor: Michelle Amidzich
Faculty Member: Siu Tip Lam
Making America Green Again: Rejoining the Paris Agreement on Day One of the Biden-Harris Administration is a Welcome First Step
VJEL Staff Editor: Emma Fisk
Faculty Member: Kevin Jones
Wildfires, Soot Standards, and an EPA in Flux
VJEL Staff Editor: Ciara Hopkins
Faculty Member: Jennifer Rushlow
COVID-19’s Shot Across the Bow: Create Resilient Regional Food Systems
VJEL Staff Editor: Alison Lesure
Faculty Member: Laurie Beyranevand
Climate Science and Energy Policy Heading in Opposite Directions
VJEL Staff Editor: Rachael Bruketta
Faculty Member: Pat Parenteau
Kenya’s Petrochemical Problem: Negotiating the U.S.-Kenya Free Trade Agreement
VJEL Staff Editor: Bridget Scott-Shupe
Faculty Member: Ruthie Lazenby
Unearthing Virtual Pipelines
VJEL Staff Editor: Brad Farrell
Faculty Member: Rachel Stevens
To Rebuild or Not to Rebuild? An Examination of NEPA and the Environmental Regulatory State
VJEL Staff Editor: Madison Hertzog
Faculty Member: Jim Murphy
Looming United States Water Wars
VJEL Staff Editor: Taylor Tavormina
Faculty Member: John Echeverria
Message from the Director
Jennifer Rushlow, Director of the Environmental Law Center
Is it 2021 yet? To say 2020 has been apocalyptic is an understatement. We are living through the Covid-19 pandemic, widely considered to be the worst event in the history of the United States to date, with 306,000 lives lost as of this writing. We are a panicked country in mourning – world, in fact. As a result, the anticipated major events for our 2021 Top Ten List are as much about closing the Pandora’s box of 2020 as they are about looking ahead.
At the same time, we are wrapping up a presidential Administration that has decimated environmental protections, with a new Biden Presidency on the horizon. So far, high-level cabinet appointments focused on climate change provide reason for hope. Cautious optimism creeps in as we cast about for hope.
Though our Top Ten list is generally laden with conflict, concern, and apprehension, we note that we are heading into what we can only hope will be a better era for public and environmental health. It’s a low bar. Here at Vermont Law School, we remain steadfastly focused on the future, honing our skills to protect future generations. Let’s use the warning calls on this list to batten the hatches, band together, and move forward.
We are sending you all the warmest wishes for a healthy and peaceful transition to 2021.
Message from the Editor-in-Chief
Hunter Sutherland, Editor-in-Chief Vol. 22
This year’s Top Ten process was one of greater collaboration between the students and their faculty partners, despite the ongoing pandemic. Even though we must be physically distant, this process gave us some sense of normalcy, in communicating with faculty that we no longer see in the hallways at Vermont Law School. The virtual format allowed students and their faculty partners to have a deeper connection that centered around the environmental issues selected for 2021. This year’s Top Ten was hard to select—there was so much happening at the turn of the new year. From racial injustice in a global pandemic to a tenuous election, the Top Ten Committee prioritized information about these events and their impact on environmental issues that the public should know as they go into 2021. I am proud of the passion and resilience shown by these students and their faculty partners. We welcome all readers to check out this year’s Top Ten Environmental List.