JASON J. CZARNEZKI

Leiter Reports Headline:

ABA Considers Dropping LSAT Requirement for Law School Admissions

A friend sent back this photo from China.  He says that see saw this van parked out front of his building, with (among other services) “home appliance recycling” offered on back window.   (It is reported that one of goals of national program is to eventually force such informal recycling activities, which can have severe environmental impacts, into the formal (regulated) sector).

Can any readers provide a full translation?

The APA (American Planning Association) Divisions Council and the Environment and Natural Resources Division of APA are offering two $500 scholarships for student research papers. To participate in the writing contest prepare a paper of 2,300 – 2,500 words on some aspect of Food Systems Planning.

Send papers to: Terry Holzheimer, FAICP at tholzheimer by COB February 11, 2011. Papers should be in a Word or PDF format.

Awards for the for best student papers on Food Systems Planning will be announced on or about March 1st so students will have an opportunity to arrange to attend the APA Annual Conference and a special dinner on April 10, 2011. The Divisions Council will publish the winning papers on the APA website under Divisions Initiatives.

See here.  The Times’ Green Blog writes:

The newly appointed leader of a House subcommittee that controls the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget, Representative Mike Simpson, Republican of Idaho, says he intends to slash the agency’s funding. “The E.P.A. is the scariest agency in the federal government, an agency run amok,” Mr. Simpson said in a statement on Friday. “Its bloated budget has allowed it to drastically expand its regulatory authority in a way that is hurting our economy and pushing an unwanted government further into the lives of Idahoans.”

Over at Vermont2China, my partner has a great post on the future of Hong Kong.  See here.

It’s been a busy 6 six days, traveling from Hong Kong to San Francisco and now back to VT, so here’s a quick update.

On our last day in HK, I met with folks at WWF-HK about climate change policy, and very happily secured an annual internship there for a Vermont Law School student.

I then flew to SF for the AALS annual meeting which included the Environmental Law Field Trip to the Sacramento Delta which included discussion of wildlife preservation (while viewing the cranes), the bizarre water system, and The Nature Conservancy’s presence in the Delta for agricultural purposes (something I still find odd given that TNC uses pesticides and fertilizers).

(As an aside, I was unhappy with how AALS dealt with the labor dispute in SF, and I continue to be annoyed by all the waste at these conferences; free bags, name badges, etc.)

I enjoyed seeing Golden Gate Park in SF, don’t understand why SanFranciscans must wait in line for trendy restaurants (didn’t want to wait for Burma Superstar this time around, but did wait for The Slanted Door) but truly enjoyed a quick trip to Muir Woods National Monument. The Redwoods are simply beautiful, and the tallest living thing on Earth.

Finished reading Slow Death by Rubber Duck on the plane, and started reading Game Change.

…asks this NY Times article.

Today, Vermont Law School’s Environmental Law Center launched its first annual Top 10 Environmental Watch List. Our environmental faculty and students from the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law researched more than 75 judicial, regulatory, and legislative actions before selecting what they consider the 10 most important environmental law and policy issues of 2010.   Read more at http://watchlist.vermontlaw.edu/.

With a student, I co-authored the article for No. 8 on the list, Supreme Court Reviews Genetically Modified Crops.

ELI Diversity Program Law Clerk
Summer 2011

In partnership with Pfizer Inc, Beveridge & Diamond PC, and the American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) seeks applications from law students for two Diversity Program Law Clerk positions. The program’s goal is to encourage additional participation by minority students and students from disadvantaged households in environmental law, policy, and management.

For three decades, ELI has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, both domestically and internationally. ELI’s mission is to protect the environment by improving law, policy, and management. For more information visit .

Law clerks will work on projects involving both domestic and international environmental law. Subject areas include, among others, wetlands and watershed policy, sustainable land use, biodiversity, environmental enforcement, long-term management of hazardous sites, public participation, and international environmental policy. Law clerks conduct legal and policy research, conduct interviews, attend and report on events, and prepare written materials and scholarly work for publication. Part of the summer experience includes opportunities to attend seminars put on by ELI for law students and lawyers.

Law clerks may also assist with the editing and production of ELI’s publications, the Environmental Law Reporter (ELR), the National Wetlands Newsletter (NWN), and The Environmental Forum (TEF), as well as various books. Law clerks support editors of these periodicals by conducting research, bluebooking, monitoring and writing summaries of current events, and engaging in various tasks and special projects on an as-needed basis.

Qualifications: (1) superior research and writing skills; (2) strong academic performance; and (3) strong communication skills. Only students currently enrolled in law school are eligible to apply. Students who will have completed their second year of law school are preferred, though first-year students will also be considered.

Stipend: Diversity law clerks will be paid $5,000 for the summer.

To Apply: Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, list of references, law school transcript, college and law school GPAs, and writing sample. Cover letters should address the candidates’ personal goals and interests, as well as their experience and interest in environmental law and policy. They should also state how candidates will contribute to the diversity of the environmental law, management, and policy field. Application materials should be submitted to: law. We have extended the deadline for applications for summer 2011 to January 31, 2011.