Environmental Law Research Guide
This guide is an overview of the federal environmental law resources and other related resources for environmental law research.
Introduction
This research guide provides an overview of the federal environmental law resources and other related resources that you should consider as you plan your environmental law research. It does not cover international or state laws.
For a comprehensive guide to environmental law at the international level, read our research guide on International Environmental Law.
Because environmental law research is often interdisciplinary in nature, you might want to visit Lauinger Library and/or the Blommer Science Library on the Main Campus.
Starting Points
Because environmental law is a complicated area of the law that involves federal, state and local laws, it is often helpful to begin research in a treatise that provides an overview of the law.
The following sources will provide you with a good background and overview of issues in environmental law:
- Environmental Law and Land Use Planning, in Specialized Legal Research (Penny Hazelton ed., 2005) [KF240 .S64]
Provides an extensive overview of environmental law publications. - Frank Grad, Treatise on Environmental Law (last updated 2008) [KF3775 .G7, available on Lexis]
Cited in many environmental law cases. Multi-volume treatise providing analysis of statutes, regulations and agency and court decisions. - William H. Rodgers, Jr., Environmental Law (last updated 2009) [KF3812 .R63 available on Westlaw]
Multi-volume treatise providing comprehensive coverage of statutes, regulations and agency and court decisions. - Federal Procedure, Lawyers Edition (volumes 11 & 11A; chapters 32 & 56) [KF8835 .F43, available on Westlaw]
Guide to practice before federal environmental agencies. - Roger W. Findley & Daniel A. Farber, Environmental Law in a Nutshell (7th ed. 2008) [KF3775.Z9 F56]
Quick introductory reference guide to many major topics in environmental law.
Looseleaf Services
Looseleaf services bring together statutes, regulations, cases, rulings and editorial commentary on specific areas of the law. These services are updated frequently and are a good source for up-to-date information. There are three major looseleaf services covering environmental law:
Environmental Law Reporter (Environmental Law Institute) [KF3775 .A6 E5]
- Provides updates on recent decisions, legislative developments, and agency actions, at both the federal and state levels;
- Tracks and summarizes all major environmental, toxic tort, natural resource and land use law developments, including legislative and administrative action, judicial decisions, and news;
- Provides information on state developments in environmental, natural resources, land use, and toxic tort law;
- Covers international topics related to the environment; and
- Summarizes a total of 48 major federal statutes, and major treaties, conventions, and international agreements.
- Available:
- Lexis (Short Name: ENVIRN;ALLELR)
- Westlaw (ELR) (News & Analysis only)
- www.eli.org
Environment Reporter (BNA) [KF3775 .A6 E49]
- Weekly report of the latest legislative, administrative, judicial, regulatory, industrial, and technological developments affecting pollution control and environmental protection;
- Covers activities of Congress, federal administrative agencies, federal and state courts, and developments from state legislatures and regulatory agencies;
- Covers regulation of air pollution, water pollution, solid waste management, hazardous waste, oil pollution, natural resource utilization, and mining.
- Available:
- Lexis (Short Name: BNA;ENVREP)
- Westlaw (BNA-ER)
International Environment Reporter (BNA) [K3585.4 .I58]
- Essential resource for knowing and understanding environment and safety news, laws, regulations, and policies in all major industrialized and developing nations and in international governmental and nongovernmental organizations.
- Available:
- Lexis (Short Name: BNA;INTENV)
- Westlaw (BNA-INTENVR)
- World Wide Web (available to the community)
Federal Laws
The following chart summarizes a few of the more important federal environmental laws. For a more comprehensive list of federal environmental laws, visit the EPA's Web site.
| Acronym | Law | Statutory Citation | Regulatory Citation | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAA | Clean Air Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 49-97, 122-124, 144-145, 270-271 | Regulates air emissions |
| CERCLA (superfund) | Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980 (amended by SARA) | 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 300-312 | Governs clean-up responsibilities for historic hazardous waste sites |
| CWA | Clean Water Act | 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 104-136, 140, 144-145, 230-233, 401-471, 501-503 | Regulates discharge of pollutants into the water |
| EPCRA (SARA Title III) | Emergency Planning & Community Right to Know Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 11001 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 302, 355, 370, 372 | Requires disclosure of the storage of hazardous substances, public notification, and procedures for response in the event of a release of hazardous substances. |
| ESA | Endangered Species Act | 16 U.S.C. §§ 1531 et seq. | 50 C.F.R. 17.1 et seq. | Regulates and conserves threatened and endangered species and their habitats. |
| FIFRA | Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 | 7 U.S.C. §§ 136 et seq. | 29 C.F.R. 1440.1; 40 C.F.R. 32.100 et seq., 152-168, 180.1 | Regulates pesticides. |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act of 1960 | 42 U.S.C. §§ 4321 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 6, 1500-1508; 7 C.F.R. 520; 10 C.F.R. 1021 | Establishes a broad national framework for protecting the environment. Imposes environmental responsibilities on all federal agencies and requires agencies to write environmental impact statements. |
| RCRA | Resource Conservation and Recovery Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 144-148, 260-299 | Regulates and controls hazardous waste and manages non-hazardous waste.Amended by the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments of 1984 (HSWA) to require phasing out land disposal of hazardous waste. |
| SARA | Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act | 42 U.S.C. §§ 9601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 300-312, 355, 373 | Amended CERCLA |
| TSCA | Toxic Substances Control Act | 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601 et seq. | 40 C.F.R. 700-799 | Regulates industrial chemicals produced or imported into the United States |
Legislative Histories and Proposed Legislation
Compiled Legislative Histories
For many federal environmental laws, there are compiled legislative histories available in the Library. These compilations usually include bills, Congressional Record debates, reports and hearings. To find a compiled legislative history, try a keyword search in the library catalog, such as "clean air act and legislative histor*" or ask at the reference Desk for Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories.
For complete legislative history information, read our Legislative History Research Guide.
Proposed Legislation
Congressional Committees are great sources of information about current and proposed environmental legislation:
Federal Administrative Agencies
Many federal agencies have been delegated the power to administer and enforce environmental laws. In addition, agencies may have jurisdiction that overlaps with other agencies. Therefore, when performing environmental law research, be sure to review all potential regulations and be aware that multiple agencies may be involved.
For a comprehensive review of administrative law research, see our Administrative Law Research Guide.
The following chart lists selected federal administrative agencies involved with environmental law, the enabling legislation for the agency, the laws administered by the agency and where you can find selected agency decisions and other agency publications.
| Agency | Enabling Legislation | Administered Law | Decisions and other Documents |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) |
NEPA, 42 U.S.C. §§ 4341 et seq. | NEPA | CEQ Guidance
at CEQ CEQ Annual Environmental Quality Reports (1970-1997) at CEQ Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) |
|
Environmental Protection Agency |
Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1970, 5 U.S.C. App. 1 |
Clean Air Act Clean Water Act CERCLA EPCRA FIFRA NEPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act Safe Water Drinking Act Toxic Substances Control Act |
Environmental Appeals Board Decisions Final agency decision-maker on administrative appeals Westlaw (FENV-EPAEAB) (1972-) Lexis (Short Name: ENVIRN;EPAAPP) (1972-) at EPA: Administrative Law Judge Opinions Conduct hearings and render decisions Westlaw (FENV-EPAALJ) Lexis (Short Name: ENVIRN;EPAALJ) Environmental Law Reporter (ELI) CERCLA records of decision RCRA decisions at EPA: General Counsel Opinions General Counsel Opinions (1979-) [KF3775 .A56 U54] Westlaw (FENV-GCM) (1979-) at EPA: |
|
Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of Interior |
Fish and Wildlife Act, 16 U.S.C. § 742a | Endangered Species Act |
FWS and NOAA Decisions and Other Documents Ocean Resources and Wildlife Reporter Westlaw (FENV-ORW) Federal Register Notices at EPA |
|
Environment and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice |
Consent Decrees at DOJ [http://www.justice.gov/enrd/ Summary of Litigation Accomplishments [http://www.usdoj.gov/ |
||
|
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) |
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970, 5 U.S.C. App. 1 | Endangered Species Act | FWS and NOAA Decisions and Other Documents
Ocean Resources and Wildlife Reporter Westlaw (FENV-ORW) Lexis (Short Name: ENVIRN;NOAA) |
More Secondary Sources
Treatises
In addition to the treatises listed above, the library owns a variety of general and specialized resources covering environmental law. To find these resources:
- Try browsing the shelves around the call numbers listed for the treatises above. Generally, most resources can be found in the KF3775 range.
- Try a subject search in GULLiver or George (the main campus library's catalog) for one of the following subject headings:
- Environmental Law United States
- Air Pollution Law And Legislation
- Water Pollution Law And Legislation
- Liability for Environmental Damages
- Environmental Permits
- Try a keyword search in GULLiver or George using terms related to your issue or area of interest.
- Try a search using WorldCat, a database available through FirstSearch. Items that you locate with WorldCat can be requested through Interlibrary Loan.
Specialized Law Journals
The library subscribes to dozens of legal journals devoted exclusively to issues of environmental law, including some from other countries that will be useful in researching issues of foreign or comparative law.
In order to do a comprehensive search, use the indexes described below.
Journal Indexes
To do a comprehensive search of the journal literature on your topic, you must use journal indexes. The full-text journal databases on Lexis and Westlaw do not contain all of the law journals published, and, for those that are included, the starting date of coverage is rarely volume 1.
The journal indexes, in contrast, include virtually all legal journals from volume 1 and, in the case of the Legal Resource Index, legal newspapers as well.
For research on environmental statutes passed prior to 1980, older journals can provide excellent background information and discussions of policy issues.
- Index to Legal Periodicals & Books (Retro)
- LegalTrac (formerly Legal Resource Index)Tutorial
- Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
Non-Legal Research
Environmental law research often requires research into the literature of other disciplines, such as public policy, economics, social sciences and science.
Some of this law-related information is available in the Law Library and can be accessed through keyword or subject searches in the library catalog or through the non-legal indexes that we subscribe to. More information and materials are available on the Main Campus at Lauinger Library or the Blommer Science Library. The reference librarians at Lauinger have prepared an Environmental Research Guide to guide you in using their collection and research databases.
Databases
| Database | Contents | Access |
|---|---|---|
| CCH Health and Human Resources | Under the Environmental Compliance tab, access to Federal & state environmental laws and regulations are provided, as well as CCH analysis of air quality, hazardous waste and water quality. | Database List |
|
Ecolex |
Global source for environmental law information. Includes information on treaties, international soft-law, judicial decisions, and national legislation. | Free to all |
| Environment and Safety Library (BNA) | Federal and state laws, regulations and other documents relating to environmental law. Note that the Library does not subscribe to all features of this database. |
(GULL only) |
| Environment Reporter (BNA) | Comprehensive coverage of legislative, regulatory, legal, and policy news concerning the environment |
(GULL only) |
|
Environmental Law Net |
Web site developed by a practitioner for practitioners. Contains well-organized lists of links to federal, state and international environmental laws and regulations; agency decisions; litigation; and other relevant items (and sometimes more fun than strictly relevant ‹ such as to the Toxic Waste Collection Game). | Free to all |
| Environmental Law Reporter (ELI) | Comprehensive database providing coverage of federal and state laws, regulations, administrative and judicial decisions and other documents relating to environmental law. |
(GULL only ) |
|
Lexis Environmental Law Library (ENVIRN) |
Brings together all materials, such as cases, statutes, regulations, journal articles and treatises, relating to environmental law. |
Legal > Area of Law ‹ By Topic > Environment |
| Proquest Environmental Abstracts (formerly LexisNexis Environmental) | Indexes over 950 journals as well as conference papers and proceedings; reports from international agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, associations and private corporations; and some significant monographs, government studies, and newsletters. Not strictly a legal database. Items from 1997 forward are in the related microfiche set at Lauinger Library. |
Database List (GULL only) |
|
National Council for Science and the Environment |
1500+ reports on the environment by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress among other documents and information | Free to all |
| Toxics Law Reporter (BNA) | Comprehensive coverage of federal and state developments in toxic tort, hazardous waste, and related insurance litigation. |
(GULL only) |
| Westlaw Topical Area of Practice ‹ Environmental Law | Brings together all materials, such as cases, statutes, regulations, journal articles and treatises, relating to environmental law. |
All Databases > Topical Materials by Practice Area > Environmental Law |
Current Awareness Sources
| Database | Contents | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Law Reporter (ELI) | Comprehensive database providing coverage of federal and state laws, regulations, administrative and judicial decisions and other documents relating to environmental law. |
GULL Only |
| Daily Environment Report (BNA) | Daily environmental news resource tracking developments in courts, Congress, agencies, industry, and organizations. |
(GULL only) |
| Toxics Law Daily (BNA) | Tracks federal and state developments in toxic tort, hazardous waste, and related insurance litigation. |
(GULL only) |
| Greenwire (E&E Publishing) | A daily news service that reports on the latest environmental and energy politics and policy at state, national and international levels. |
Database List(GULL only) |
| Landletter (E&E Publishing) | A weekly newsletter that provides in-depth coverage of the latest developments in natural resources regulation, litigation, and legislation. |
Database List(GULL only) |
|
Environment and Energy Daily (E&E Daily) |
Tracks environmental and energy issues in Congress. |
Database List(GULL only) |
| ClimateWire (E&E Publishing) | Daily newsletter on climate issues, science, and policy. |
Database List |
| Chemical Regulation Daily (BNA) | Daily coverage of developments and issues in the field of chemical regulation |
(GULL only) |
Recommended Web Sites
1. Government Agencies
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Council on Environmental Quality
- Department of State
- Department of the Interior
- Fish and Wildlife Service
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Department of Agriculture - Forest Service
- Department of Justice - Environment and Natural Resources Division
- USAGov (searchable index of thousands of government web pages)
- Centers for Disease Control - National Center for Environmental Health
2. International Organizations
- Intergovernmental and Non-Governmental Organizations (from the International Environmental Law research guide, above)
- UN Environmental Research Guide
3. Other Resources
- Center for International Environmental Law
- Environmental Defense
- Environmental Law Institute
- Environment News Service
- National Resources Defense Council
- National Wildlife Federation
- The Virtual Chase - Environmental Law Links
Revised 11/05 (JLD)
Updated 07/07 (MMK)
Links 10/12 (MS)
© Georgetown University Law Library. These guides may be used for educational purposes, as long as proper credit is given. These guides may not be sold. Requests to republish or adapt a guide should be directed to the Head of Reference. Proper credit includes the statement: Written by, or adapted from, Georgetown Law Library (current as of .....).
Key to Link Icons
- Georgetown restricted access
- Interactive tutorial
- On Westlaw
- On Lexis
- On Bloomberg
- PDF Document
