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PEEL Community Law & Policy Repository

The Ģ����Ƶ Washington College of Law's Program on Environmental and Energy Law (PEEL) has created a repository aimed at highlighting faculty, student, and alumni publications to spotlight the wide array of scholarship that the PEEL community contributes to legal discourse.����

PEEL warmly invites submissions of scholarly articles, blog posts, briefs, op-eds, and book chapters pertaining to various legal domains, including animal, biodiversity, energy, environmental, and water law, among others, for inclusion in the repository.

If you are an alumni, and you would like to submit a piece, please fill out this. Likewise, students eager to contribute to the repository are encouraged to fill out this submission.

Join us in building a rich database of legal scholarship within the PEEL community!

View the repository here:

Ģ����Ƶ WCL Global Toxics & Human Rights Project��

A joint initiative with the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law and Program on Environmental and Energy Law, the Global Toxics & Human Rights Project leverages partnerships with a broad coalition of stakeholders to provide technical assistance, strategic planning, case support, advocacy, awareness raising, and standard setting. The Project also builds on Ģ����Ƶ Washington College of Law's (Ģ����ƵWCL) specialized knowledge and experience in environmental justice and supporting UN mandates to enrich the work of UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights professor, Marcos Orellana.

Professor Orellana has been actively engaged in various international events and initiatives over the past months, including but not limited to:

• In February, Professor Orellana participated in the Sixth Session of the UN Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya.
• In March, he convened consultations at the annual meeting of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, focusing on his forthcoming thematic report on gender and toxics.
• In April, he organized a special session on access to environmental information during the Third Meeting of the Conference of the Parties of the Escazú Agreement on environmental rights in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Santiago, Chile.
• In May, he conducted a country visit to Ecuador, addressing issues related to hazardous substances and human rights, including extractive industries, agrochemicals, and public consultations.
• In June, he delivered a keynote at the US national conference on PFAS in Ann Arbor, Michigan, participated in the final negotiating session to establish a global science-policy platform on chemicals, wastes, and pollution prevention in Geneva, and presented on nuclear legacies and human rights at the 3rd Environmental Peacebuilding Conference in The Hague, Netherlands.

Faculty Student Joint Research��

Professors Snape and Hunter provide a diverse range of captivating research projects, allowing students to pursue their passions, align with their career objectives, and refine their research and writing abilities. In the previous academic year, students were fortunate to engage in the following enriching projects under their guidance:

• Building a Legal Database in Conservation Easements
• Endangered Species Act at 50 – The ESA at 50, Environmental Law Reporter, 54 ELR 10101-10113 (February 2024).
• Guide to Principles of International Environmental Law
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) - Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency and Human Rights.��
• IRS conservation easements and endangered species protection��
• Revitalizing a Forgotten Treaty on Nature Protection - Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation in the Western Hemisphere
• Research Working Group On The UNEP Plastics Pollution Treaty Negotiations
• Willow amicus brief – Filed in August 2023 (regarding the international law implications of a massive U.S. fossil fuel sale on federal public lands) in federal district court of Alaska.
• FIFRA Article: Codifying Prior Informed Consent to Govern Unregistered Pesticide Export, ABA Natural Resources and Environment, Vol. 38, No. 3 (Winter 2024) at 28-32.
• Advocating for Environmental Justice and Protecting the Patuxent River Under the Clean Water Act | Earlier this year, with the help of Ģ����Ƶ WCL and PEEL students and faculty, Horizon Land Management, a Crofton-based property management company, faced over $1 million in fines from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The fines were imposed for the company's excessive dumping of pollutants into the Patuxent River and its tributaries via their wastewater treatment plants. This initiative featured student-led advocacy, supported by mentorship and litigation guidance from Ģ����Ƶ WCL and PEEL professors. This joint research initiative aims to address such violations and ensure the health and safety of the river and surrounding communities.

Support Research For The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR)

In October 2023, PEEL received a generous donation aimed at establishing a dedicated research team to support the Secretariat of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) in their ongoing work on an Advisory Opinion on the. The IACHR is expected to issue one of three Advisory Opinions this year, along with the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal Law of the Sea. Together, these three Advisory Opinions will rewrite the rules of international responsibility for climate change.

The IACHR Advisory Opinion is in response to a request jointly submitted by Chile and Colombia on January 9, 2023. The request seeks to clarify the scope of States’ human rights obligations stemming from the climate emergency. The research team, composed of law students and expert researchers identified by the Court, will provide confidential research support to the Court. The project is organized by Professor David Hunter, and will give participating students a unique role in developing the linkage between human rights and climate change.

From April 22 to April 25, 2024, members of PEEL's research team attended the Inter-American Court of Human Rights' first public hearing on the pending Advisory Opinion on the Climate Emergency and Human Rights in Bridgetown, Barbados. The hearing featured representatives from over 60 delegations, including states, international organizations, and NGOs, discussing international environmental law and the human rights implications of the climate emergency. Read more,.

Inter-American Institute on Justice and Sustainability (IIJS) Partnership��

On October 27, 2022, PEEL and IIJS entered into an Educational Service Agreement to promote and contribute to the professional development and experiential legal education of Ģ����Ƶ WCL PEEL students by facilitating their key participation in IIJS legal research projects, including: 1) strengthening the role of justice systems on rule of law, environment, and climate; 2) sustainability of business, development and investment practices for compliance with human rights and environmental and social frameworks (Environmental and Social Governance, ESG); and 3) sustainable development and trade. IIJS is a women-led and women-founded “institutional start-up” that develops leading rule of law cutting edge solutions to unconventional challenges.

PEEL facilitated the field placements of seven WCL students with IIJS during the past academic year (23-24). The students wrote case summaries of landmark judgments from India, Ecuador, Honduras, and Peru, which were published in the Antología Judicial Ambiental III, Biodiversidad y la crisis de la naturaleza. They also conducted a legal analysis on the just transition of energy in terms of mining and business for UNEP, addressing climate risks, gender-based violence, corruption, and sexual harassment. This analysis utilized standards from organizations such as the World Bank, OECD, IEA, and IAEA. The project was conducted in partnership with Western University, Canada, and the publication was in the pre-publication phase.

In addition, the students worked with International Business on Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) compliance, accounting, and reporting in various sectors such as agribusiness, mining, shipping, and infrastructure. They covered financing and climate change standards with organizations like IFC and IPCC. This project was also in the pre-release phase.

The students were also involved in drafting case syllabi and conducting comparative analysis of environmental justice issues, specifically focusing on biodiversity and wildlife crises. This work was done for the Mexican Supreme Court of Justice's Environmental Judicial Anthology. Furthermore, the students conducted research to support the publication efforts on the development of a risk assessment matrix for the private sector. This matrix was related to climate and biodiversity and aimed to contribute to the Environmental Social Corporate Governance sector of IIJS.

Overall, these students had a diverse range of projects, covering areas such as case summaries, legal analysis, compliance, comparative analysis, and research, all related to environmental and sustainability issues.

Ģ����Ƶ Center for Environment, Community, and Equity (CECE)��

CECE, officially launched in October 2022, serves as a transformative and dynamic hub for environmental-focused initiatives on the Ģ����Ƶ campus, facilitating coordination among Ģ����Ƶ's environmental programs and positioning the University as a leading voice in global discussions on effective and equitable environmental actions. With a vision to incubate innovative ideas, drive impactful programming, and cultivate a diverse and inclusive community of future thought leaders, CECE is dedicated to advancing a just transition to global sustainability.

PEEL collaborates with CECE to foster meaningful dialogues and knowledge exchange. Together, PEEL and CECE are committed to empowering students, inspiring change, and driving solutions that address pressing environmental challenges.