US-China Partnership for Environmental Law

News and Events

US-China Environmental Fellows Exchange Wraps-up US Phase

June 18, 2010

Washington DC - Marginalized groups in China, including low-income and rural populations, are oftentimes disproportionately affected by adverse health and environmental effects from pollution. To address the lack of training opportunities that professionals in China working on these issues often face, the U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law launched an exchange program to bring 9 Americans and 9 Chinese together to jointly examine these issues. On June 18, 2010, the fellows, including lawyers, scientists, professors, and activists, completed a three week U.S. study tour as part of the exchange program. The tour included a series of lectures at Vermont Law School, followed by a one-week internship at well-known and grassroot environmental justice organizations in the U.S. The tour ended with one week of activities in D.C., where the fellows met with high level U.S. government officials, including director of EPA's Office of Environmental Justice and the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ's Environment and Natural Resources Division, environmental justice NGOs, and the Congressional Black Caucus. The exchange provided the group with the practical knowledge on the U.S. government's efforts to address these issues and how NGOs in the U.S. promote environmental justice efforts at local communities and influence public opinion. Such experience will enhance the Chinese fellows' understanding of the tools available to citizens to participate effectively in environmental decision-making and influence local environmental policy affecting low-income and minority communities. In about two weeks, the fellows will regroup and visit China for three weeks before they complete their individual projects.                        

VLS Helps Start China's First Public Interest Environmental Law Firm

June 15, 2010

South Royalton, VT - The new public interest law firm, which will be the first in China devoted solely to combating pollution, will handle citizen-action lawsuits intended to enforce environmental laws and regulations. The grassroots litigation is designed to give citizens more power to protect themselves, their families and their communities from the worst polluters, as well as develop China's environmental bar. For more please click here. 

Chinese Environmental Law Professors Earn LL.M degrees at VLS and Summer Program Alumni Appointed to Judgeships in China

May 22, 2010

South Royalton, VT - Vermont Law School conferred LL.M. degrees on two Chinese scholars, Wei Xu, Assistant Professor of Law at South China Agricultural University Law School, and Hou Jiaru, Assistant Professor of the China University of Political Science and Law, who enrolled in the VLS's environmental law LL.M. program in 2008-2009 as part of the in-depth training program supported by USAID. In addition, two graduate students from Sun Yat-sen University Law School, who attended VLS's 2009 summer program with USAID support, will become judges serving on courts in Guangzhou. Huang Xiaodi will sit on the Guangzhou Municipal Intermediate Court, a court of first instance over major criminal and civil cases and with jurisdiction over appeals from lower courts. Kang Siying will sit on the Tianhe District People's Court, a trial level court. The training programs prepared these scholars and students to train the next generation of environmental advocates and to advance judicial enforcement and adjudication of environmental cases in China.

 

Tseming Yang Appointed Deputy General Counsel at EPA, Siu Tip Lam Named Director of the US-China Partnership for Environmental Law

May 18, 2010

South Royalton, VT - President Obama has appointed Professor Tseming Yang, director of Vermont Law School's U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law, to serve as deputy general counsel for international affairs of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Siu Tip Lam will be the Partnership's new director. For the full story please click here. 

USAID and VLS Sponsor CLAPV's 10th Anniversary Conference on Environmental Litigation and Legal Aid

November 7-8, 2009

Beijing, China - The Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV) at the China University of Political Science and Law marked 10 years of their pollution victim hotline with a conference on environmental litigation and legal aid. 

USAID Sponsors the Second Annual Conference of the Environmental Law Branch of the China Society for Environmental Sciences

October 18, 2009

Beijing, China - The US-China Partnership for Environmental Law, Vermont Law School along with China University of Political Science and Law and the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Research Center at Peking University co-sponsored the second annual conference of the Environmental Law Branch of the China Society for Environmental Sciences (CSES) in Beijing.

USAID and EPA Roundtable Engage Chinese Central Government Officials on Environmental Litigation and Role of Environmental Courts

October 15, 2009

Beijing, China - The US-China Partnership for Environmental Law led a roundtable in Beijing with the Environmental Appeals Board of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), represenatives from China's Supreme People's Court, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, and the China University of Political Science and Law.

Young Environmental Professionals Exchange Program Launched

October 1, 2009

South Royalton, Vt. - Vermont Law School and its partners made applications for its 2009-10 Young Environmental Professionals Exchange Program available to the public. For more information click here.

US-China Partnership for Environmental Law Awarded Three Year Renwal Grant From USAID

October 1, 2009

South Royalton, VT. - Vermont Law School has been awarded $3 million by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand its work on the U.S.-China Partnership for Environmental Law...

Workshop on Chinese Environmental Law Conducted at the U.S. EPA

June 27, 2008
Washington, D.C.—Professors Tseming Yang, Jingyun Li, and Mark Qiu (PhD student at SYSU Law School) led a workshop on Chinese environmental law at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for agency staff involved in cooperative work with China's Ministry of Environmental Protection. Professor Yang provided an overview of structural differences between the U.S. and Chinese systems of law and government, Professor Li addressed water pollution and environmental information disclosure, and Mark Qiu addressed the recently adopted superministry reform’s relevance for environmental regulation. The group also met with EPA Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assistance Granta Nakayama and OECA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator Catherine McCabe to discuss our program and the opportunities for collaboration.

Seminar at World Resources Institute on Recent China-New Zealand Bilateral Investment Treaty

June 27, 2008
Washington, D.C.—Prof. Liang gave a seminar presentation at World Resources Institute on environmental issues related to China’s most recently concluded bilateral investment treaty with New Zealand. Jake Werksman, Director of WRI's Institutions and Governance Program, hosted and moderated the presentation.

Environmental Law and Practice Workshop for Guangzhou Lawyers

June 16, 2008
Guangzhou, China—Together with SYSU, we co-sponsored a workshop on environmental law practice and the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development mechanism. Participants included individuals from Guangzhou law firms as well as officials and lawyers from Beijing and Chongqing.

Environmental Law Research and Teaching Workshops

June 8, 2008
Beijing—The Partnership for Environmental Law in China convened two successful environmental law research and teaching workshops in Beijing (with the China University of Politics and Law) and in Guangzhou (with Sun Yat-sen University Law School) on June 8 and June 14 and 15, respectively. Both workshops focused on pedagogy, curriculum issues, and research methodology as well as the role of environmental law scholars in the development of China’s environmental regulatory system. Senior and junior scholars shared their teaching and research experiences in lively discussions. Among key concerns raised in both workshops were questions about the quality of teaching materials, clinical methods of teaching, the role of comparative law research approaches, and ongoing challenges of balancing the teaching of theoretical approaches to environmental law with education about practical applications and effects of environmental regulation. A total of over 50 senior and junior scholars attended both workshops, including from leading Chinese institutions such as China University of Politics and Law, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Renmin University, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, and Shanghai Jiaotong University.

Energy Law Roundtable at Tsinghua University

June 10, 2008
Beijing, China—Together with the Tsinghua Center for Environmental, Natural Resources & Energy Law, the Partnership for Environmental Law in China co-sponsored a roundtable on energy institutional reform and curriculum issues related to developing energy law. Approximately 25 scholars, government officials, non-governmental organizations staff, and students participated. The focus of the presentations and discussions were on two separate topics: 1) the March 2008 superministry reform’s impact on energy governance, and 2) how to develop a law school curriculum related to energy and environmental law. Participants included scholars from Tsinghua University, Zhengzhou University, Renmin University, and the North China Electric Power University, as well as individuals of the Regulatory Assistance Project, the State Electric Regulatory Commission, the Energy Foundation, and the U.S. Embassy.

Donation from Vermont Law School to Sun Yat-sen University Law Students Affected by May 12 Sichuan Earthquake

June 17, 2008
Guangzhou, China—On June 17, 2008, Chen Bitao, Party Secretary of Sun Yat-sen University Law School, accepted a $2100 donation from Vermont Law School and its faculty and staff to SYSU students whose families were affected by the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan Province. Professor and ELC Director Marc Mihaly represented Vermont Law School at the donation ceremony. Read Sun Yat-sen University's announcement of the donation.

Visiting Scholar and Law Students Arrive at Vermont Law School for Environmental Law Summer Program

May 20, 2008
South Royalton, Vt.— Three law students from Sun Yat-sen University, one student from the China University of Politics and Law, and Prof Jingyun Li of Jiangxi Normal University Law School arrived on May 20 for the VLS summer program. The three students from Sun Yat-sen University are Peipei Wang, Yingzhun Wu, and Wang Yiming, all LLM students; the student from China University of Politics and Law is Fang Lei. The students will be in residence at Vermont Law School May 20 through August 4. Prof. Jingyun Li's academic residence will last from May 20 through August 16.

Dr. Elizabeth Economy Receives Honorary Degree at VLS Commencement

May 16, 2008
South Royalton, Vt.—On May 16, Dr. Elizabeth Economy, C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director of Studies on China at the Council on Foreign Relations, gave a lecture on "China's Environmental Challenge for the World." She was also awarded an honorary degree at VLS’ commencement on May 17. Dr. Economy is the author of The River Runs Black, a leading book on China’s environment.

Sichuan Earthquake on May 12

Dean Shields, Professor Yang, and all of us at Vermont Law School extend our deepest sympathies to the victims of Monday’s terrible earthquake in Sichuan province. The American Red Cross and the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York are two organizations accepting donations for the relief effort. For information on other organizations that are coordinating donation and relief efforts, please see the website of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations. If you are interested in coordinating with VLS’ contribution, please contact Jingjing Liu.

Professor Yang Speaks on Foreign Relations Roundtable in New York

On Monday, May 5, Professor Yang spoke about China's Climate Change Program and the VLS-SYSU Partnership for Environmental Law at the Winston Lord Roundtable on Asia, the Rule of Law, and U.S. Foreign Policy of the Council on Foreign Relations in New York City . NYU Law Professor Jerry Cohen hosted the Roundtable and NYU Law Professor Richard Stewart was a commentator. The Roundtable was entitled "China’s National Climate Change Program: Looking Behind the Facade."

Human Rights Watch Report on Lawyers cites to VLS-SYSU Partnership-sponsored article

Human Rights Watch recently published "Walking on Thin Ice: Control, Intimidation, and Harrassment of Lawyers in China (2008)," a report on the state of lawyers in China. The report provides an assessment of the difficulties faced by lawyers doing human rights works. While there is no discussion of environmental lawyers, the report recognizes that environmental lawyers representing pollution victims face some similar challenges. The report cites an article by Professor Wang Canfa of the China University of Politics and Law, also director of the Center for Legal Assistance to Pollution Victims (CLAPV), published in the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law's 2007 “China in Transition”: "Chinese Environmental Law Enforcement: Current Deficiencies and Suggested Reforms."

Video-conference Presentation for Carnegie Mellon University

On Monday, April 28, Tseming, Jingjing Liu, Prof. Liang, and Mark Qiu gave a video-conference seminar on "China, Climate Change, and Environment" for an audience of students and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The presentation reprises the presentations given at the NAELS (National Association of Environmental Law Societies) conference in Burlington, Vermont. Tseming addressed China's Climate Change Program, Jingjing talked about dispute resolution and environmental mediation in China, Mark Qiu covered China's recent government restructuring and its implications for environmental regulation, and Prof. Liang addressed the environmental implications of mandatory arbitration for foreign investor expropriation claims under China's bilateral investment treaties.

Student Collaborative Project Paper on the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism's Implementation in China to be Published in Virginia Environmental Law Journal

The Virginia Environmental Law Journal will be publishing Jack Sautter and Jeanne Li's paper entitled "The Clean Development Mechanism in China: Assessing the Tension Between Development and Curbing Anthropogenic Climate Change." The paper also received publication offers from a number of other top environmental law journals.

Student Collaborative Project Paper on the Use of China's Information Disclosure Laws to Enhance Environmental Protection to be Published in Harvard Environmental Law Review

Timothy Riley's and Lilly Huiyan Cai's paper “Unmasking Chinese Business Enterprises: Using Information Disclosure Laws to Enhance Public Participation in Corporate Environmental Decision Making” will be published in the February 2009 issue of the Harvard Environmental Law Review. Their paper also received offers of publication from a number of other top environmental law journals.

Partnership Staff and SYSU Visiting Scholars Speak on "China, Climate Change, and Environment" Panel at National Association of Environmental Law Societies 2008 Annual Meeting (Burlington, Vt.)

On March 21, VLS Professor Yang, Partnership Associate Director Jingjing Liu, SYSU Professor Danni Liang, and SYSU Ph.D. student Mark Qiu gave presentations about China's climate change program and its environment law system at a panel on "China, Climate Change, and the Environment" at the 2008 annual meeting of the National Association of Environmental Law Societies Professor Yang provided a background overview of China's environmental regulatory system; Jingjng Liu discussed dispute resolution in China and environmental mediation; Professor Liang explained environmental issues raised by expropriation and arbitration provisions in China's Bilateral Investment Treaties; and Mark Qiu examined the recent reorganization of China's central government strucure.

Commentary By VLS Dean Jeff Shields on Vermont's Contribution to Advancing China's Environmental Law System

In a March 11 opinion piece, Dean Shields describes the work of the VLS-SYSU Partnership for Environmental Law in China and the experiences of his recent trip to and meetings in China. As he notes, in the first year of the Partnership's three-year US AID funding, the partnership educated 109 government leaders in environment and energy law; taught 173 faculty and students, and one judge from China’s Supreme People’s Court. Additionally, the program trained 32 leaders of businesses and non-governmental organizations and worked to strengthen two legislative proposals pending before the National People’s Congress. The Partnership even trained directors of local environmental bureaus and a chairman of a chemical fertilizer company.

Congressional Quarterly Weekly Article Quotes VLS and SYSU Faculty

A February 11, 2008 Congressional Quarterly Weekly article ("China's Games: A Starting Line for an Emissions Race") about China's environment and the upcoming Olympics quotes VLS Professor & Partnership Director Tseming Yang as well as SYSU Professors Bo Jiao and Dejin Gu about the environmental efforts of the Chinese government.

Visiting Scholar Liang Arrives at VLS from Sun Yat-sen University

SYSU faculty member Danni Liang arrived at VLS on February 29 for a 3-month academic residence. Her academic residency at VLS will last Feb 2008 - May 2008. Professor Liang's specialty is in foreign investment law, international trade, and trade & environment issues. She received her PhD in law from Wuhan University law school, one of the leading law schools in China. While at VLS, she is planning to audit Professor Latham's corporations course as well as Prof. Tad Powers' Environmental Dispute Resolution course and to engage in research on trade & environment issues, including the chapter 11 investor claims process under NAFTA. She will also be visiting various VLS classes to learn about different law teaching styles and pedagogy.

Partnership Director Yang Gives Keynote Speech at University of Florida Public Interest Environmental Conference

On February 29, VLS Professor Yang gave a key note address on global environmental law and its relevance for China at the University of Florida's Public Interest Environmental Conference. He also participated in a panel on international sclimate change litigation.

VLS Hosts Legal Scholars Ma and Wang from Tsinghua University Law School for a Visit

Professor Junju Ma and Professor Mingyuan Wang of Tsinghua University Law School (Beijing) visited VLS February 21-23, 2008 for discussions on potential collaborations. Professor Ma is Director and Professor Wang is Executive Director of the Tsinghua University Center for Environment, Resources, and Energy Law.

Partnership Director Yang Presents Paper About China's Climate Change Plan at Georgetown Law School Workshop on "Climate Change and the Developing World"

VLS Professor and Partnership Director Tseming Yang presented a paper entitled "The Implementation Challenge of Mitigating Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Developing World: The Case of China" at a February 7, 2008 Georgetown Law School Workshop on "Climate Change and the Developing World." The paper addressed the uncertain prospects of China's present efforts under its national climate change strategy and its ability to implement potential commitments to significantly curb its greenhouse gas emission if it were to take on binding emission limits. It is slated to be published in volume 20 of the Georgetown International Environmental Law Review.

VLS and SYSU Faculty Lead Seminar about China's Environmental Law System at Environmental Law Institute in Washington D.C.

On January 24, 2008 the Environmental Law Institute and the Washington D.C. chapter of the VLS Alumni Association co-sponsored a seminar entitled "Advancing the Rule of Law to Protect China's Environment" Professor Tseming Yang of VLS, and Professors Bo Jiao and Dejin Gu of Sun Yat-sen University discussed some of the challenges of improving the enforcement of environmental law in China, the regulatory effectiveness of those laws, and other options for addressing environmental issues.

Visiting Scholar Mark (Xin) Qiu Arrives at VLS

On January 3, 2008, SYSU Ph.D. Student Mark Qiu arrived at VLS for 12 month academic residence to engage in research about energy and environmental law.

Five VLS Students Travel to China for Collaborative Research Projects with SYSU Students

VLS students Joshua Belcher, Jack Sautter, Natalie Firestine, Timothy O'Riley, and Camille Dalmacio traveled on December 21- Jan. 5 to China to meet with their collaborative research project partners. They worked with their partners on their projects and gave well-received joint presentations of their research to the SYSU community. (See also Student Exchanges.)

VLS Dean Jeff Shields Meets with Leading U.S. and Chinese Government Officials, Law Schools, NGOs, and Law Firms on Visit to China

During his December 19 – January 8, 2008 visit to China, VLS Dean Jeff Shields, together with Partnership Director Yang and Associate Director Jingjing Liu, met with a number of leading officials, faculty, and staff of U.S. and Chinese government agencies, law schools, NGOs, and law firms. Among the extensive set of discussions about the VLS-SYSU Partnership in Beijing, Dean Shields met with U.S. Ambassador to China Clark Randt, State Environmental Protection Administration Vice Minister Pan Yue, as well as members of the law firm King & Wood. In Guangzhou, Dean Shields met with SYSU Vice President Liang Qingyin, SYSU Law School Dean Liu Heng, and US Consul General Robert Goldberg, in addition to leading a led a seminar on U.S. law on non-profit organizations (“Importance of Non-Profit Organizations to US Environmental Efforts") for SYSU faculty and students. In Hong Kong, Dean Shields met with senior administrators of the Chinese University of Hong Kong Law School and members of the leading American law firms Baker & McKenzie and Skadden Arps. (See also commentary by Dean Shields above.)

SYSU and VLS co-sponsor a conference on Legal Developments in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan

On December 15-16, 2007, SYSU and VLS co-sponsored a successful Legal Developments conference at SYSU law school with scholars from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, and other parts of mainland China. The focus areas of the conference were intellectual property law, international trade law, and environmental law. Dean Wang Shuyi of Wuhan University Law School and director of its Environmental Law Research Institute gave a key note address. Jingjing Liu gave a well-received presentation on environmental ADR.

Partnership Director Yang Moderates Panel at Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network Regional Forum

On December 15, 2007, VLS Professor Yang moderated a panel on the “Role of Civil Society in Environmental Compliance and Enforcement” at the AECEN regional forum. VLS also provided copies of the March VJEL symposium to the forum participants.

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