Sign up for Intro to Environmental Law (free)

(Photo © Grandma Gregg)

(Photo © Grandma Gregg)

What:  Introduction to Environmental Law and Policy Course
 
 
When:  Starts Monday, January 13, 2014  (This is not a cutoff date.)
 
Where:  Anywhere, anytime, on-line.
 
Length:  Six weeks
 
Professor:  Don Hornstein, J.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
 
Cost:  FREE — including all materials that you’ll need
 
Register:  FREE — It’s a very simple procedure too.
 
Earn:  A Statement of Accomplishment, but no college credit.
 
Prerequisites:  None.  Designed for the under-grad.
 
Format:  Videos (15 to 20 minutes each) and short readings per topic.
 
Repeat:  Rewatch the videos and reread the readings as often as you like.
 
Quizzes:  Typically 8 questions, multiple choice.  Take when you’re ready.
 
Retake:  To improve your score on any test, you can retake it … twice!
 
Participation:  There are opportunities to take part in a forum if you’d like.
 
Professor Hornstein teaches what is known as “positive law” (what the law actually is) as opposed to “normative law” (what the law ought to be).  He is an outstanding teacher.  
 
The course imparts insight into how lawyers and judges think and reason with regard to environmental law.  It does not specifically address wild horse and burro issues.  But the information is still relevant for our purposes.  For instance, one of the first topics covered is “nuisance law.”  On the surface, it might not seem applicable to our advocacy.  But wait — don’t the wild horses and burros get blamed for being nuisances when they step outside the invisible boundaries of their herd management area?  So, understanding “nuisance” as a legal concept — determining what is and what is not deemed a nuisance according to the courts — can make us better-able to defend our clients.  Advocates who have reviewed and responded to BLM environmental assessments will already be familiar with many of the terms, concepts, and laws that are discussed.  
 
Dr. Hornstein has many teaching assistants that help him.  They are eager to answer questions.  Also, you will find that students from all over the world, not just America, take the course.  Last term, there were reportedly about 20,000!  Yes, twenty thousand!  
 

 A special thanks to Marybeth Devlin for bringing this class to our attention.

 
 

Why did the feds roundup the Diamond wild horses?

BLM Nevada News

Battle Mountain District Office, No. 2013-21

Release: September 20, 2013

Contact: Jon Sherve, 775-635-4164, email: jsherve@blm.gov

 

BLM Seeks Public Comments on the Environmental Assessment

for the Copper Basin Exploration Project

 

Battle Mountain, NV – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Mount Lewis Field Office is seeking public comments on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed Copper Basin Exploration Project that would be located five miles south of Battle Mountain, NV.

Newmont Mining Company has submitted a Plan of Operations to conduct an exploration drilling and trenching project.  Newmont is proposing to disturb up to 200 acres of their project area which encompasses 3,169 acres.  The disturbance would include roads, overland travel, drill pads, and trenches.

The comment period begins September 23, 2013 and ends October 23, 2013.  Written comments received during this 30-day period will be considered during the decision-making process.  The EA may be viewed at: http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/battle_mountain_field.html or a printed copy can be picked up at the Battle Mountain District Office at 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised, that your entire comment — including your personal identifying information — may be made publicly available at any time.  While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Questions and written comments should be mailed to David Djikine, Project Lead, 50 Bastian Road, Battle Mountain, NV 89820 or emailed to ddjikine@blm.gov.

-BLM-

Battle Mountain Mineral Assessment Report

and

Development Scenario for Solar and Wind for the Battle Mountain District Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement

PM Battle Mt. Solar

 

PM Battle Mt.Wind

 

1.2 RENEWABLE ENERGY-RELATED BLM POLICIES AND REGULATIONS

At the time of writing of this report, the BLM’s solar and wind energy is directed by the regulations and executive orders listed below. The policies and procedures cited in this report are applicable at the time of writing but are expected to evolve over the timeframe of the RMP. The right-of-way (ROW) authorization process, which is required for solar and wind projects, is also expected to change over time.

As of 2013, the BLM’s renewable energy policy is directed by the following regulations and executive orders:

 The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Title II, Sec. 211), which requires the US Department of the Interior to approve at least 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy on public lands by 2015

 Executive Order 13212, Actions to Expedite Energy-Related Projects, which requires federal agencies to expedite review of energy project applications

 Secretarial Order 3285, which requires the US Department of the Interior to identify and prioritize specific locations best suited for large-scale renewable energy production