This handbook is a companion to a more extensive report, entitled, "Opportunities for Advancing Environmental Justice: An Analysis of U.S. EPA Statutory Authorities," which highlights the provisions in the environmental laws that could be used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promote environmental justice. This handbook is written to be a practical guide for community residents who want to know how the environmental laws can be used to promote environmental justice in their communities.

Environmental justice is the concept that minority and low-income individuals, communities and populations should not be disproportionately exposed to environmental hazards, and that they should share fully in making the decisions that affect their environment. This volume examines the sources of environmental justice law and how evolving regulations and court decisions impact projects around the country.

Written by two internationally respected authors, this unique primer distills the environmental law and policy of the United States into a practical guide for a nonlegal audience, as well as for lawyers trained in other regions. The first part of the book explains the basics of the American legal system: key actors, types of laws, and overarching legal strategies for environmental management. The second part delves into specific environmental issues (pollution, ecosystem management, and climate change) and how American law addresses each. Chapters include summaries of key concepts, discussion questions, and a glossary of terms, as well as informative "spotlights"—brief overviews of topics. With a highly accessible structure and useful illustrative features, A Guide to U.S. Environmental Law is a long-overdue synthetic reference on environmental law for students and for those who work in environmental policy or environmental science. Pairing this book with its companion, A Guide to EU Environmental Law, allows for a comparative look at how two of the most important jurisdictions in the world deal with key environmental problems.

The User's Guide is designed specifically for engineers and technicians who are routinely faced with federal environmental regulations; students at the graduate and undergraduate levels who study environmental science and technology; law students; and attorneys who are beginning their practice of environmental law. As a quick resource, The User's Guide provides citations to regulations, executive orders, court cases, and numerous law reviews, journal articles, and textbooks. This book should not be used as primary authority. It should, however, be used to help you understand and digest the basic tenets contained in the federal environmental statutes and regulations.

"This ... was based in concept and format on Citizens' Guide for Environmental Issues - A Handbook for Cultivating Dialogue by the National Institute for Chemical Studies and U.S. EPA, 1989 and 1990."

There has not always been geographic equity in the protection of the environment and there are those who have concerns that those communities with the least have been disproportionately exposed to environmental hazard. This guide introduces users to resources containing information relevant to legal issues pertinent to the pursuit of environmental justice. Besides the routinely taught primary law, including statutes, regulations and case law, advanced research opportunities exist in the area because there are, for example: relevant executive orders; relevant legislative history for bills that have passed and those that did not; statistics underlying laws on the subject matter; and routinely proposed regulations that are open for comment available on the topic due to the inclusive goals of the environmental justice movement. Where interdisciplinary resources might be helpful to the research in this area, those will also be mentioned. In addition, select examples in each area of concentration will be listed with annotations.--Publisher.

Environmental justice is a significant and dynamic contemporary development in environmental law. Rechtschaffen and Gauna provide an accessible compilation of interdisciplinary materials for studying environmental justice, interspersed with extensive notes, comments, and questions designed to facilitate classroom discussion. It integrates excerpts from empirical studies, cases, agency decisions, informal agency guidance, law reviews, and other academic literature, as well as community-generated documents. The materials include writings from the fields of environmental law and civil rights law, as well as sociology, political science, and risk assessment. The book begins with an examination of various conceptions of justice, studies about disparities in environmental harms and benefits, and theories concerning the causes of such inequities. It then looks at environmental justice in a variety of regulatory contexts, including program design, standard setting, permitting, enforcement, cleanup, and brownfield redevelopment. The concluding chapters explore various tools used in the effort to achieve environmental justice, including citizen suit enforcement of environmental laws, claims brought under the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, and various non-litigation strategies, including land use and planning tools, disclosure laws, and collaborative projects. A large chapter is devoted to Native American issues. The book is designed for use in a single semester seminar course, and each of the 16 chapters roughly corresponds to a week's worth of reading. It can also be used as a supplement in other environmental, land use, or civil rights classes in which the professor wishes to cover selected issues in environmental justice. "This collection, edited by Rechtschaffen and Gauna, covers the terrain of environmental justice masterfully...Researchers with an interest in environment justice should own this work; students will make good use of it as well. Summing up: Essential." -CHOICE Magazine, April 2003, Vol. 40, No. 8 "C. Rechtshaffen and E. Gauna, Environmental Justice: Law, Policy, and Regulation (2002) is a wonderful resource on environmental justice issues, with extensive references to the rapidly expanding literature." -Environmental Regulation: Law, Science, and Policy (4th ed. 2003); R. Percival, C. Schroeder, A. Miller, and J. Leape

The environmental field and its regulations have evolved significantly since Congress passed the first environmental law in 1970, and the Environmental Law Handbook, published just three years later, has been indispensable to students and professionals ever since. The authors provide clear and accessible explanations, expert legal insight into new and evolving regulations, and reliable compliance and management guidance. The Environmental Law Handbook continues to provide individuals across the country—professionals, professors, and students—with a comprehensive, up-to-date, and easy-to-read look at the major environmental, health, and safety laws affecting U.S. businesses and organizations. Because it is written by the country's leading environmental law firms, it provides the best, most reliable guidance anywhere. Both professional environmental managers and students aspiring to careers in environmental management should keep the Environmental Law Handbook within arm's reach for thoughtful answers to regulatory questions like: How do I ensure compliance with the regulations? How do the latest environmental developments impact my operations? How do we keep our operations efficient and our community safe? The Handbook begins with chapters on the fundamentals of environmental law and on issues of enforcement and liability. It then dives headfirst into the major laws, examining their history, scope, and requirements with a chapter devoted to each. The 23rd edition of this well-known Handbook has been thoroughly updated, covering major changes to the law and enforcement in the areas of Clean Air, Clean Water, Climate Change, Oil Pollution, and Pollution Prevention. This is an essential reference for environmental students and professionals, and anyone who wants the most up-to-date information available on environmental laws.

Environmental risks and harms affect certain geographic areas and populations more than others. The environmental justice movement is aimed at having the public and private sectors address this disproportionate burden of risk and exposure to pollution in minority and/or low-income communities, and for those communities to be engaged in the decision-making processes. Environmental Justice provides an overview of this defining problem and explores the growth of the environmental justice movement. It analyzes the complex mixture of environmental laws and civil rights legal theories adopted in environmental justice litigation. Teachers will have online access to the more than 100 page Teachers Manual.