7. Site Restoration Law

Environmental Politics and Law (EVST 255)

This lecture covers site restoration law by looking at the US Navy's use of the island of Vieques as weapons testing ground. Vieques residents are filing a civil suit against the US 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.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Citizen Suit Provisions in Federal Statues
24:27 - Chapter 2. Sanchez v. United States
34:53 - Chapter 3. Key Questions: Knowledge, Suits, Immunity and Causation
40:14 - Chapter 4. Wilderness Act and Endangered Species Act

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Spring 2010.