Introduction to Environmental Law

Welcome to Environmental Law. This course is designed for second- or third-year law students.

Chapter one provides you with the foundations of environmental law, and will help you become familiar with different types of environmental regulation and the economics of regulation. You’ll also get some important background on other areas of law that influence the entire field of environmental law, including balancing the authority of federal and state governments, the importance of the Administrative Procedure Act, the role of judicial review, and the common-law issue of environmental torts.

In chapter two, you’ll learn about the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The lessons in this chapter will teach you how federal agencies must comply with the act, including the details of creating an Environmental Impact Statement, a key feature of NEPA.

Chapter three covers one of the most important issues in environmental law, and something you’ll likely encounter on your final exam, air pollution. In this chapter, you’ll master the sometimes-confusing world of Clean Air Act policies, including National Ambient Air Quality Standards and criteria pollutants, New Source Review, New Source Performance Standards, and National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants.

In chapter four you’ll learn about another final-exam worthy environmental law act, the Clean Water Act. The lessons in this chapter will introduce you to the concept of waters of the United States and then cover water-pollution issues like the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System and water-quality standards.

Chapter five will give you an overview of key laws that regulate waste management and toxic substances in the United States. After learning about the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Superfund, and the Toxic Substances Control Act, you’ll be ready to tackle any toxic-waste question that comes your way.

Chapter six will provide an overview on the intersection of international law and environmental law. You’ll learn about international-law principles, international treaties, and important international-trade cases that have helped influence environmental law.

After watching all of these lessons and reading Quimbee’s Environmental Law outline, you’ll be ready to pass your final exam with flying colors. Let’s get started.