Jarrell-King '12 Says Public Trust Doctrine Can Reduce Farm Pollution
April 3, 2012
The public trust doctrine, an ancient legal principle used recently in a novel effort to protect the earth's atmosphere from greenhouse gas emissions, can help fight farm runoff, the biggest polluter of the nation's waters, according to a recent article in the Villanova Environmental Law Journalby Vermont Law School student Véronique Jarrell-King '12.
The article, titled"Wildlife, Water Quality and the Public Trust Doctrine: A Means of Enforcing Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Plans," won first place in the New York State Bar Association's Animal Law Writing Competition, the nation's most prominent animal law student writing contest.
"Through the public trust doctrine, citizens have the potential to challenge a state legislature's or agency's failure to consider the public's interest in wildlife when developing and reviewing nonpoint source pollution control plans, even in the face of strong political pressure from agricultural lobbyists," the study said.
SHARE