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A Life: For Kevin Jones ‘everything was geared toward helping other people succeed’
Valley News - A Life: For Kevin Jones 'everything was geared toward helping other people succeed'
Kevin Jones, of Chittenden, Vt., commutes to work in his electric car, a Chevy Bolt, in Royalton, Vt., on July 12, 2017. Jones is director for the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School. (Photo by Geoff Hansen) — Geoff Hansen
Kevin Jones, of Chittenden, Vt., travels on ...
April 21, 2024
VLGS Honors Former Senator
Former U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy has a lot of fans at the Vermont Law and Graduate School and that was evident as the college warmly welcomed Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, to campus last Thursday for a special dedication. In recognition of decades of collaboration with VLGS, the school renamed the home of its business offices—a lovely yellow Victorian house […]
April 18, 2024
High Court finds state regulators failed to follow rules in VGS pipeline case
MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) - The Vermont Supreme Court says state regulators didn't follow their own rules when it comes to enforcing penalties against Vermont Gas during the construction of the Addison County pipeline.
The pipeline, completed in 2017 after millions in cost overruns and controversy, brings Canadian natural gas to thousands of Addison County residents and businesses today. But pipeline opponents for years fought the project in the courts, claiming the company used questionable construction practices, including running sections of the pipeline under power lines and not burying it ...
April 17, 2024
FDA winds down part of lead-contaminated applesauce probe
The agency will continue to investigate how the WanaBana cinnamon applesauce pouches became contaminated with lead but its work protecting consumers from the tainted pouches has come to an end The Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it's winding down some of its U.S. response to lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches, which have sickened hundreds of children across the country.
The FDA will continue to actively investigate how WanaBana's apple cinnamon fruit puree pouches, which were recalled in late October because of high lead levels, became contaminated. However, much of the ...
April 16, 2024
Program to help marginalized Vermonters own their first homes expands statewide
Marnie Avila Alvarez (right), her husband Osvaldo Viera Martiatu and Lucy, their German Shepherd, enjoyed a romp in the recent snowstorm outside their new home in South Burlington. Immigrants from Cuba, they bought their first home in February 2024 through the Champlain Housing Trust's homeownership equity program. Courtesy/contributed photo
A program in northwest Vermont that helps people from marginalized communities with down payments on their first homes is expanding statewide.
The program was first launched two years ago by the Champlain Housing Trust to assist Vermonters who are ...
April 15, 2024
Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.
... small and mid-size organic farmers from the program if we do not address this issue."
Read More:
USDA Moves Forward With Sweeping Plan to Prevent Fraud in Organic
The Field Report: The Future of Organic Food Is Taking Shape at the USDA—and Beyond What is the Future of Organic?
The post Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution. appeared first on Civil Eats .
April 15, 2024
Jill Martin Diaz: No more ‘border brain’
This commentary is by Jill Martin Diaz. They are the executive director of Vermont Asylum Assistance Project and a member of the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
"Border brain" was how one congressional staffer described Capitol Hill's myopic focus on U.S./Mexico border fortification during the 2024 National Day of Action hosted by the American Immigration Lawyers Association, also known as AILA.
The staffer and their fellow congressional representatives were speaking to the Vermont Asylum Assistance Project on behalf of AILA's New England Chapter, while ...
April 15, 2024
Budding cannabis law courses are growing—but not fast enough
Students in professor Jay D. Wexler's cannabis law class at the Boston University School of Law shouldn't have trouble remembering where the three-credit seminar is hosted in the Law Tower. He makes sure that it's always hosted in Room 420.
Inspired by President Joe Biden's call to review cannabis' classification as a Schedule I controlled substance and many states' moves to legalize weed for medical and general use, an increasing number of law schools around the country are offering cannabis law courses.
In the 2022-2023 academic year, 45 law schools—or about 22% of the 197 ABA-accredited ...
April 15, 2024
North Carolina allows manure mounds ‘as big as a house’ on factory farms
Jefferson Currie II is at war with flies.
Spotted flypaper dangles from the ceiling of his home in North Carolina's Scotland county. He shows off a two-quart jar trap, marketed as an outdoor pest control solution for farms, full of flies he's caught indoors. On Zoom meetings for his job as the Lumber Riverkeeper with the non-profit Winyah Rivers Alliance, he mutes himself and goes offscreen to avoid distracting others with the heavy thunk of his pump-action, salt-shooting plastic fly gun.
The flies are here, said Currie, because North Carolina's poultry industry has given them the perfect ...
April 15, 2024
Biden Administration Slams Enbridge for Ongoing Trespass on Bad River Reservation But Says Pipeline Treaty With Canada Must Be Honored
The U.S. Department of Justice weighed in on a federal court case between the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of the Chippewa Indians and Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge in a legal brief that offered both good and bad news to the northern Wisconsin tribe. The tribe is seeking the removal of an aging petroleum pipeline from its reservation.
The brief, filed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and made public on Wednesday, reaffirmed a portion of the prior court ruling in stating that Enbridge is "consciously trespassing on tribal land." The pipeline company continues to operate its ...
April 11, 2024
Vermont Law and Graduate School unveils Patrick J. Leahy House
Vermont Law and Graduate School unveiled the Patrick J. Leahy House at its South Royalton campus. From left, President Smolla and Marcelle and Patrick Leahy. Courtesy photo.
Lifelong Vermont Advocate Honored on Campus
Vermont Business Magazine Lifelong advocate for justice reform and agriculture policy, a state's ... attorney and Vermonter born and raised, Patrick J. Leahy now has his very own building on the Vermont Law and Graduate School campus.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony held today at the school's South Royalton campus made it official, as President Rodney A. Smolla and fellow leadership welcomed guests and dignitaries.
Leahy, the former Senate president ... pro tempore and vice chair of appropriations, is a leader in criminal justice reform and agriculture systems — two major pillars of the VLGS education model.
He played a key role in the creation of the National Center on
April 11, 2024
Vermont Law and Graduate School dedicates building to former Sen. Patrick Leahy
South Royalton, VT– The Vermont Law and Graduate School is the latest institution to dedicate a building to former U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Thursday at the South Royalton campus.
The school calls Patrick Leahy a leader in criminal justice reform and agriculture systems, which it says are two major pillars ... of the VLGS education model.
"The renaming of this building is a 'thank-you' to Senator and Marcelle Leahy — they are true champions. Senator Leahy has changed the landscape of opportunity for students at VLGS and for people across the country who work with our graduates and our unique programs and centers," said Stephanie Clark, professor and the former ... director of VLGS' Center for Justice Reform and the National Center on Restorative Justice.
The 'Patrick J. Leahy House' is at 164 Chelsea Street, which houses the school's registrar and
April 11, 2024
The Florida Senate Banned Heat Protections for Farmworkers, but a Groundbreaking Partnership Could Provide a Solution
Getty Images
Ahead of another summer of record-breaking temperatures, the Fair Food Program — a major partnership between retailers, farmers, and farmworkers — offers the strongest legally binding protocols in the nation to keep the state's workers safe when weathering extreme conditions This story was originally published on Civil Eats.
Earlier this month, Florida's Senate passed a bill banning local jurisdictions from passing measures protecting workers from heat exposure, the latest of a series of draconian laws targeting immigrants and workers in Florida. This bill, which awaits the ...
April 11, 2024
A farm worker who fled violence in Guatemala to build a life in Vermont may lose it all.
For the past seven years, Bernardino Suchite Canan, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala, has been working his way up the ladder at a family-owned dairy farm in Irasburg.
Canan, 24, managed the milking team of five to six people, coordinated time off for employees and delegated chores. He learned how to breed and inseminate cows, and administered health treatments. Canan became a critical part of the farm's ecosystem, working six days a week ... , according to one of the farm's owners.
The co-owner of the Irasburg farm wrote a glowing letter of recommendation for Canan last December, after he became enmeshed in removal proceedings with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Irasburg farmer said Canan was a natural-born leader, and "quickly rose to the position of management."
Today, Canan is no longer working on the farm ... in Irasburg. Instead, he is languishing in
April 11, 2024
Laws catering to ‘factory farms’ bring fly-infested, smelly manure mounds to rural US
North Carolina's uniquely lax regulation permits giant mounds of chicken waste to sit outdoors – but no easy way for communities to complain about it
Jefferson Currie II is at war with flies.
Spotted flypaper dangles from the ceiling of his home in North Carolina's Scotland county. He shows off a two-quart jar trap, marketed as an outdoor pest control solution for farms, full of flies he's caught indoors. On Zoom meetings for his job as the Lumber Riverkeeper with the nonprofit Winyah Rivers Alliance, he mutes himself and goes offscreen to avoid distracting others with the heavy thunk of ...
April 10, 2024
After a long slog, climate change lawsuits will finally put Big Oil on trial
After years of legal appeals and delays, some oil companies are set to stand trial in lawsuits brought by state and local governments over the damages caused by climate change.
Meanwhile, dozens more governments large and small have brought new claims against the fossil fuel industry as those initial cases, filed up to a half-dozen years ago, inch closer to the courtroom.
"It's all building toward more cases in more places using more legal theories to hold these companies accountable," said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit that offers legal and ...
April 10, 2024
9 court rulings that shaped the Endangered Species Act
The bald eagle. The humpback whale. The dusky gopher frog.
These animals stand among the nearly 300 creatures great and small saved from extinction thanks to a half-century of protection by the Endangered Species Act.
Widely regarded by legal experts as one of the world's most powerful statutes for protection of wildlife and ecosystems, the Nixon-era act has halted the decline of hundreds of species along with protecting their habitats.
"We would be in a much, much worse place if America had not made the commitment that it did back in 1973 to protect and conserve our biodiversity heritage ...
March 29, 2024
VLGS grad Travis Stills honored for dedication to environmental law
Travis Stills, an environmental lawyer in Colorado and a graduate of Vermont Law and Graduate School, has been awarded the Kerry Rydberg-Jack Tuholske Award for Excellence by the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference. The annual award recognizes a lawyer exemplifying the best in public interest environmental advocacy.
Stills, a 1996 VLGS graduate, practices energy and environmental law in Durango, Colorado, where he represents nonprofit organizations and other groups in challenges to polluting projects and extractive land management plans.
"This award is so richly deserved. Travis is ...
March 29, 2024
Applications for USDA Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants due April 9
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for grants to support urban agriculture and innovative production. Applications for USDA's Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production grants are due April 9, 2024, via grants.gov.
"This grant program has proven very popular and impactful in recent years, and we look forward to partnering with more communities nationwide to strengthen local food systems and increase access to healthy foods," said Terry Cosby, Chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which leads USDA's Office of Urban Agriculture and ...
March 27, 2024
Vermont Law and Graduate School Accepting Applications For Summer Media Fellows
apply by Friday, March 29 ...
Concentration areas include environment, animal, and food and agriculture law and policy
PUBLISHED ON March 27, 2024
As fellows, selected journalists will participate in summer courses taught by internationally recognized scholars and leaders in environmental, animal and food and agriculture law and policy. (Photo by John Reed on Unsplash)
SOUTH ROYALTON, Vt. — ... Vermont Law and Graduate School, home to one of the country's top-ranked environmental law programs, is accepting applications from qualified, full-time journalists for its 2024 Summer Media Fellowship program, now in its 22nd year.
As fellows, selected journalists will participate in summer courses taught by internationally ... recognized scholars and leaders in environmental, animal and food and agriculture law and policy. Through funding from the American Society for the Prevention of
March 27, 2024
Rutland Herald Community News
... , and has kept 518,500 acres of land open, based on 61 acres per each of the 8,500 equines in the state at that time.
Summit speakers include Olympic Gold Medalist Denny Emerson of Tamarack Hill Farm in South Strafford as keynote; Nicole Killoran, director of Vermont Small Business Law Center at Vermont Law School, explores "How Equine Businesses Fit into the Definition of Agriculture in Vermont," with a panel of her students; "Equine Tourism" is addressed by a panel led by Heather Pelham, commissioner of Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing; Kelly Grant of The Bunkhouse in Washington, Colleen O'Rourke ...
March 26, 2024
March 25, 2024 Expert on Domestic Corporate Ag Land
Foreign ownership of American land has gained a lot of buzz lately, but senior staff attorney and professor with the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School, Fran Miller says more attention should go to domestic corporate ownership.
"Corporate consolidation is a big issue in farmland. Congress, I think in a … bipartisan way, has been focusing on some of the foreign investors in farmlands. But in my opinion, that really ignores the bigger issue in ...
March 25, 2024
The Politics Behind the SEC’s New Climate Disclosure Rule—and What It Means for Investors
From our collaborating partner "Living on Earth," public radio's environmental news magazine, an interview by executive producer and host Steve Curwood with Pat Parenteau, an emeritus professor of law at Vermont Law and Graduate School.
During the Great Depression, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed into law the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, to help safeguard U.S. financial markets against collapses like the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
That was decades before scientists alerted the world to the problem of climate disruption, which is creating new financial risks because of just ...
March 23, 2024
List of potential federal judges narrowed to three
by Mike Donoghue, Vermont News First, Vermont Business Magazine
RUTLAND – A leading public defender, a law school professor and a longtime federal prosecutor are in the running to become the next U.S. District Court Judge in Vermont.
The names of Assistant Federal Defender Stephen L. Barth, Vermont Law School Professor Jessica C. Brown and First Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Drescher were on the approved list compiled by a special screening committee, according to two sources familiar with the process, but not authorized to speak publicly.
All three candidates declined public comment ...
March 22, 2024
Florida to Ban Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.
Earlier this month, Florida's Senate passed a bill banning local jurisdictions from passing measures protecting workers from heat exposure, the latest of a series of draconian laws targeting immigrants and workers in Florida. This bill, which awaits the approval of governor Ron DeSantis, prohibits governments from requiring that employers provide water, shade, and breaks to workers—relatively small measures that can mean the difference between life and death for workers laboring under Florida's hot sun. This law precedes what is expected to be another record-breaking summer of extreme heat.
...
March 20, 2024
Free webinar to focus on non-courtroom jobs for law graduates
FAYETTEVILLE -- The courtroom isn't the only place law graduates can practice. The National Agricultural Law Center and American Agricultural Law Association are hosting a webinar highlighting possibilities for students interested in ag and food law.
According to the American Bar Association, more than 36,000 students graduated with a law degree in 2022. Of those, 52% went to law firms, while nearly 40% of graduates found employment in areas such as business and industry, government, public interest, clerkships and education.
The NALC and AALA's "Growing Careers" webinar is crafted ...
March 19, 2024
Farmers face steep challenges in USDA farm loan appeals process, report says
Vermont Business Magazine Farmers who had been denied federal loans won only 17 percent of appeals in the USDA's National Appeals Division, according to new analysis by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School, with partners Farm Aid and the Rural Advancement Foundation International.
The report, "Appealing for Relief: An Analysis of Appealed Direct Farm Loan Decisions 2009-2022 and Opportunities for Reform," analyzes National Appeals Division cases concerning direct farm ownership and farm operating loans between January 2009 and July 2022; spanning 14 ...
March 14, 2024
Farmers Face Steep Challenges in USDA Farm Loan Appeals Process, Report Says
SOUTH ROYALTON, VERMONT, UNITED STATES, March 12, 2024 / EINPresswire.com / -- Farmers who had been denied federal loans won only 17 percent of appeals in the USDA's National Appeals Division, according to new analysis by the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law and Graduate School with partners Farm Aid and the Rural Advancement Foundation International.
The report analyzes National Appeals Division cases concerning direct farm ownership and farm operating loans between January 2009 and July 2022, spanning 14 years, three Farm Bills, and three presidents.
"USDA Farm ...
March 12, 2024
SCOTUS is hearing 2 cases about political censorship on social media that could change how the internet works forever
SCOTUS is hearing arguments that, depending on the outcome, could change how the internet works.
The laws in question prevent social sites from removing political posts or figures from their platforms.
Legal experts told BI the states' victory, while unlikely, would erode the First Amendment.
The Supreme Court of the United States has had its hands full this session, hearing important arguments about redistricting and gerrymandering in South Carolina, whether domestic-violence-related restrictions on the ownership of firearms are a violation of the Second Amendment, and deciding that ...
March 10, 2024
Who Should Pay for Soil Contamination in China?
Soil contamination that threatens public health is extensive in China, yet accountability for polluters is rare. Friends of Nature (FON), a Chinese environmental NGO, has been pivotal in enforcing environmental laws to hold companies responsible. Despite challenges with suing polluters near a newly built middle school in Jiangsu Province, FON's public interest litigation led to the passage of China's Law on Prevention and Control of Soil Contamination. Their story shows the transformative power of Chinese NGOs.
On April 18, 2016, I was on the train with my Friends of Nature (FON) colleagues ...
March 07, 2024
FDA warns about lead contamination in more cinnamon products in the U.S.
People should not eat or serve the ground cinnamon products listed in the safety alert.
The Food and Drug Administration issued a safety warning Wednesday, saying it identified additional cinnamon products in the United States that are contaminated with lead.
The ground cinnamon products found to contain lead are: La Fiesta, from La Superior SuperMercados; Marcum, from Save A Lot; MK, from SF Supermarket; Swad, from Patel Brothers ... ; Supreme Tradition, from Dollar Tree & Family Dollar; and Eli Chilar, from La Joya Morelense.
People should not eat, sell or serve the ground cinnamon products and should throw them out, the FDA said.
The warning comes after the recall of lead-contaminated cinnamon applesauce pouches, from the Florida-based company WanaBana USA. As of Feb. 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it had received 468 reports of confirmed, suspected
March 06, 2024
Experts coming to Brooks Library to discuss compassion for animals
BRATTLEBORO — A local panel of experts will convene to discuss the idea of compassion for nonhuman animals from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, in the Main Reading Room of Brooks Memorial Library at 224 Main St.
As an adopter of the Charter for Compassion, Brattleboro committed itself to acting in accordance with the principles of the charter and Compassionate Brattleboro, which is hosting this community conversation, works on a variety of projects in an effort to support that commitment. This conversation will be an opportunity to look at compassion from the unique angle of ...
March 04, 2024
Accountability effort aimed at elected county officials ‘all but dead’ in the Senate
Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell Sen. Ruth Hardy, D-Addison, speaks as the Senate considers the Budget Adjustment Act at the ... Statehouse in Montpelier on Feb. 8. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger Credit: Glenn Russell
A proposed state constitutional amendment to set qualifications and removal procedures for elected county officials has reached a dead end in the Legislature.
On the Senate floor Wednesday, leadership moved to send Proposal 1 back to the Government Operations Committee — instead of putting it to a vote as scheduled . It was the
February 29, 2024
A Vt. Christian school’s lawsuit seen as possible bellwether in conservative movement against transgender rights
QUECHEE, Vt. - Last year, Mid Vermont Christian School's girls basketball coach Chris Goodwin worried about his players going up against an imposing player from their opponents in the state tournament.
The Long Trail School player was so good at protecting the basket and blocking shots that her teammates nicknamed her "Not In My House."
At some point, Goodwin learned that imposing defender was transgender, a fact that chafed against the school's conservative Christian beliefs. After consulting the school's administrators and his players, Goodwin said, everyone at Mid Vermont was in ...
February 29, 2024
Chicago Takes Big Oil to Court, Adding Another Heavyweight to the Fight
Chicago last week brought the newest lawsuit against Big Oil companies for spreading disinformation about the climate-warming hazards of burning fossil fuels — adding the third largest city in the U.S. to the growing list of state and local governments pushing for oil and gas majors to be held accountable in court.
The case charges BP, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Shell, ConocoPhillips, and the American Petroleum Institute with conspiring together and through front groups to run "tobacco-industry-style campaigns to deceive and mislead the public about the damaging nature of their fossil fuel ...
February 28, 2024
Climate change and clean energy with Dan Delurey 2/27/24
Dan Delurey joins us to answer your questions about climate change and emerging clean energy technologies. Dan is Senior Fellow for Energy & Climate at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Call with your question. 800-348-2551, or email VoxPop@wamc.org. WAMC's Ray Graf hosts.
Vermont Law School
Dan Delurey
Dan Delurey has over 25 years of experience, including as an executive with utilities and clean energy companies. He has presented at Congressional hearings, federal and state agency hearings, and White House special events.
Dan has led technology delegations to UN Climate Change ...
February 27, 2024
Obituary: Kevin B Jones, 1962-2024
click to enlarge
Courtesy
Kevin B Jones
Kevin grew up in a very close family in Proctor, Vt. Kevin enjoyed
spending time with his family in Proctor, where there were many
family gatherings throughout the year, whether an official holiday or
grilling in the yard, as well as many Sunday dinners. He was always
surrounded by nature, curiosity and a loving family.
Kevin and his
partner, Rachel Levin, lived in a house they purchased together
decades ago in Chittenden, Vt., and made their own. There he enjoyed
filling the bird feeder, sitting with his coffee and something sweet,
with dogs at ...
February 23, 2024
Burlington mayoral candidates debate less than 2 weeks before Town Meeting Day
With less than two weeks remaining until the Town Meeting Day elections, all four candidates for Burlington mayor gathered at the satellite office of Vermont Law & Graduate School for a debate Thursday night. Peter Clavelle, the longest-tenured mayor in the city's history, served as moderator.
Joan Shannon, the Democratic nominee, has served on the City Council for two decades. She said members of all four city employee unions — and other Burlingtonians — have told her they're deeply concerned about public safety.
"I think that I am in the best position to hire police officers, which is ...
February 22, 2024
Burlington's mayoral candidates discuss public safety and civil liberties at Vermont Law and Graduate School Forum
On Thursday, Burlington's mayoral candidates were back on stage, each making their case on why they'd be the best choice to lead the city moving forward. The forum was held at the Burlington office of the Vermont Law and Graduate School on College Street.Organizers included VGLS, the domestic violence prevention group "The Caroline Fund," and the "nonprofit" Vermont Institute of Community and International Involvement.The main themes centered around public safety and civil liberties.There was a lot of conversation around the need for a safe and secure community, while focusing on the ...
February 22, 2024
Enbridge Wants Line 5 Shutdown Order Overturned on Tribal Land in Northern Wisconsin
Eleven years after easements for a pipeline buried beneath the Bad River reservation in northern Wisconsin expired, five years after the tribe first sounded alarms over the risk of an imminent oil spill into their namesake river and eight months after a federal judge ordered a shutdown, Canadian pipeline giant Enbridge was back in federal court last week arguing that the flow of oil through its 71-year-old Line 5 pipeline be allowed to continue.
"May it please the Court, the district court shutdown order in this case will cause a massive disruption in energy supplies and economies in the ...
February 20, 2024
Colleen O’Brien: Seafood fraud, what is it and how to avoid it
Seafood fraud — the mislabeling of seafood in order to boost profits — has become rampant nationally, with anywhere between 16 to 75 percent of seafood sold in the country being mislabeled, according to the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School.
For example, one of the most common kinds of seafood misrepresented is white fish. Red snapper, a higher-priced fish, is often just tilapia.
"Some common examples include swapping out a more expensive fish for a lower value substitute, mislabeling the origin of seafood or misrepresenting the weight of the seafood and charging ...
February 16, 2024
State files brief before Montana Supreme Court in kids' climate case
In its opening brief with the Montana Supreme Court in the climate case that made international headlines last summer, the state argued it does not need to comply with an order to take the effects of greenhouse gas emissions into account when issuing permits because that will not 'meaningfully' stave off climate change as a whole.
This filing is one of the first major developments in ... Supreme Court proceedings after the Gov. Greg Gianforte administration appealed the District Court's decision in the Held case, brought by more than a dozen Montana youths, to the state's high court.
District Court Judge Kathy Seeley originally ruled earlier this year that the state is violating the plaintiffs' constitutional right to a "clean and healthful environment" by not accounting for greenhouse gas emissions and ... climate change impacts when granting permits under the Montana Environmental
February 14, 2024
U.S. Factory Farm Animal Population Soars by 50 Percent in 20-Year Span
New data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) 2022 Census of Agriculture shows that 1.7 billion animals are currently being raised in U.S. factory farms every year – a 6 percent increase from 2016 and nearly a 50 percent increase from 20 years ago.
"The largest factory farms that are bad for farmers, the environment and public health keep growing in number," Anne Schechinger, the Midwest director of ... the Environmental Working Group (EWG), said in a statement. "The USDA's new data show that without policy changes, factory farms will continue to get bigger and bigger, wreaking havoc on public health, the environment and the climate."
The U.S. currently has 24,000 factory farms, or concentrated animal feeding operations, that confine large numbers of animals in small spaces. It's difficult to comprehend the staggering quantity of animals subjected to these inhumane
February 14, 2024
Climate-damaged states see a way to make Big Oil pay
This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.
Last July, the normally warm and humid but still pleasant New England summer was disrupted by a series of unusually heavy rainstorms. Flash floods broke creek banks and washed away roads, inundating several cities and towns. Vermont and upstate New York in particular saw immense damage. As communities attempted to recover from the havoc, legislators in these states, and several others, asked themselves why taxpayers should have to cover the cost of rebuilding after climate disasters when ...
February 12, 2024
Environmental Advocacy Clinic calls for reconsideration of logging plan for Worcester Range
Student Attorneys File Extensive Comments to Protect Wild Area's Mature Forests from Unneeded Logging, Citing Flooding Risks, Lack of Environmental and Climate Impact Analyses
Vermont Business Magazine The Environmental Advocacy Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School and public-land protection nonprofit Standing Trees are calling on the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources to reconsider its plan to log public lands in the Worcester Range, one of the most ecologically significant forests in northern New England.
On Feb. 2, student attorneys filed on Standing Trees' behalf extensive ...
February 09, 2024
Florida Urged to Reconsider Bill That Will Kill Aggressive Dogs
A leading animal policy expert urged lawmakers in Florida to reconsider a bill that could see aggressive dogs killed and their owners punished.
The Pam Rock Act, named after a Putnam County mail carrier Pamela Rock, who was killed aged 61 after being attacked by a five dogs in August 2022, was introduced on December 13, 2023, and is sponsored by Republican representatives Bobby Payne and Mike Beltran. Both have been contacted for comment by Newsweek via email.
The act outlines that any dangerous dog who attacks or bites a person or domestic animal without being provoked can be destroyed and ...
February 08, 2024
Vt. Law School’s top 10 environmental issues for 2024
BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Flood resilience, climate change, and transportation infrastructure are among some of the top environmental issues facing the state this year, according to the Vermont Law & Graduate School's annual top 10 list for 2024.
In selecting its annual list, the school's Vermont Journal of Environmental Law recognizes that environmental issues are linked with many other areas of law and seeks to encompass a broad range of viewpoints and attitudes. Each item is accompanied by a journal article co-authored by a law student and a law professor unraveling the legal framework of ...
February 06, 2024
Attorney General brings case against central Vermont loggers
Michale Carriveau of Plainfield says he was ripped off by unscrupulous loggers. He is seen at his home on April 7, 2023. Photo by Glenn Russell/VTDigger
Attorney General Charity Clark is suing three loggers, alleging that they stole lumber from five different landowners between February 2018 and February 2020.
Clark alleges that David, Paul and Joseph Codling, who own Codling Brothers Logging, have violated the Consumer Protection Act by "making misleading statements about their services and subsequently taking more logs than agreed, failing to compensate landowners and leaving a mess ...
February 05, 2024
A proposed constitutional amendment looks to shore up equal rights protections
More than two-thirds of the Vermont Senate has signed on to legislation that would add an equal protection clause to the state's constitution. In calling for the change, the bill's proponents have cited attacks on marginalized communities nationwide and U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have whittled away key federal protections.
Proposal 4, sponsored by 23 senators, seeks to amend Article 7 in Chapter 1 of the Vermont Constitution to say that "the government must not deny equal treatment and respect under the law on account of a person's race, ethnicity, sex, disability, sexual orientation, ...
February 05, 2024
A Superfund for climate change? States consider a new way to make Big Oil pay.
Last June, the normally warm and humid but still pleasant New England summer was disrupted by a series of unusually heavy rain storms. Flash floods broke creek banks and washed away roads, inundating several cities and towns. Vermont and upstate New York in particular saw immense damage. As communities attempted to recover from the havoc, legislators in these states, and several others, asked themselves why taxpayers should have to cover the cost of rebuilding after ... climate disasters when the fossil fuel industry is at fault.
Vermont is now joining Maryland, Massachusetts, and New York in a multi-state effort to hold Big Oil accountable for the expensive damage wrought by climate change . Bills on the docket in all four states demand that oil companies pay states millions for such impacts by funding, as Vermont ... 's proposal outlines , energy efficiency retrofits, water utility
February 02, 2024
Addison County cops dismayed by local prosecutor’s disparaging email
MIDDLEBURY, Vt. (WCAX) - The relationship between Addison County's prosecutor and law enforcement has gone from bad to worse in the course of two weeks. It began with DUI-refusal charges against Eva Vekos last Thursday after police said she got behind the wheel after drinking. Now, a disparaging email chain between Vekos and law enforcement is calling into question the state's attorney's relationship with local police.
Addison County Sheriff Michael Elmore calls Eva Vekos' conduct unprofessional and says bridges have been burned. "To talk to us in that way was shocking to say the least," he ...
February 01, 2024
Plastic Chemicals Were Found in These Grocery and Fast Food Favorites—Here's What You Need to Know
You may not have heard of plasticizers, but you have probably encountered bisphenols (BPA) and phthalates in the news or on social media. Both bisphenols and phthalates are collectively known as plasticizers, chemical ingredients added to plastics to make them more durable and flexible. So what does this have to do with our groceries? Turns out, a lot.
Consumer Reports recently released a report indicating that plasticizers were found in every food tested. With research citing the long-term potential negative impacts on health when exposed to these chemicals, ingesting foods with ...
February 01, 2024
The US uses endangered monkeys to test drugs. This law could free them.
Everything from Ozempic to Covid vaccines is tested on long-tailed macaques. Experts believe many are illegally trafficked from the wild.
Tanya Sanerib has some advice for your next life: "Don't come back as a crab-eating macaque."
That's what Sanerib, international legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity, concluded after looking at data on the vast numbers of crab-eating macaques, monkeys also known as long-tailed or cynomolgus macaques, imported into the United States for animal testing.
These playful, fruit-loving monkeys have the misfortune of being a standard research ...
January 31, 2024
Truth and reconciliation focus of Vermont law school’s MLK event
Valley News - Truth and reconciliation focus of Vermont law school's MLK event
Mia Schultz (Courtesy photograph)
SOUTH ROYALTON — Mia Schultz, who relocated to Bennington, Vt., from Southern California in 2016, describes herself as a "former insurance claims adjuster turned activist."
"Vermont is like no other place I've ever been to before," Schultz, who is ... among people of color because we're so spread out. And community matters." She emphasized the need to create space for people to share and bond over similar experiences.
Schultz, the Rutland Area NAACP president and a Vermont Truth and Reconciliation commissioner, is scheduled to speak at the Vermont Law and Graduate School on Tuesday, Jan. 16 from 12:45 to 2 p.m. The event will take place at the Chase Community Center on the VLGS campus in South Royalton.
Schultz, a longtime community organizer and advocate for the rights
January 15, 2024
Vermont State Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner to speak about MLK at Vermont Law and Graduate School
Embracing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy: Moving from Symbolic to Systemic Change
Vermont Business Magazine The public is invited to join Vermont Law and Graduate School in celebrating the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Tuesday, Jan. 16, from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in the South Royalton campus' Chase Community Center.
Guest speaker Mia Schultz (she/her), Vermont State Truth and Reconciliation commissioner is a devoted advocate for truth, healing, and reconciliation in Vermont's diverse communities. Originally from Arizona, Schultz's transformative journey led her to Bennington, ...
January 13, 2024
Robert Sand: More carrots please — a healthier approach to public safety
This commentary is by Robert Sand of Woodstock. He is founder of the Center for Justice Reform at Vermont Law and Graduate School and adviser to the National Center on Restorative Justice.
Recently, a member of the Scott Administration testified that the public perceived the criminal justice system as all "carrots and no sticks." While I generally understood that expression, I decided to look it up. After extensive research (OK, Wikipedia), I learned that one of the first uses was a 19th-century tale of a race between two donkey riders. One rider incentivized the donkey to move forward ...
January 11, 2024
Embrace legacy of service at Rutland Area NAACP Freedom Fund event
The Rutland Area branch of the NAACP invites the community to join in commemorating the enduring legacy of service at the annual Freedom Fund event.
This inspiring brunch celebration, in alignment with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will take place on Jan. 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Congregational Church in Rutland.
Step into a day of inspiration and reflection as the group celebrates the community's resilience and honor the legacy of service at this year's unique Freedom Fund brunch. The event, which stands as the Rutland Area NAACP's principal fundraiser, is an opportunity to ...
January 10, 2024
Decoding the Diet: Laurie J Beyranevand Of Vermont Law and Graduate School On How to Read Food Labels to Truly Understand What Is In Your Food
Thank you so much for joining us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to "get to know you" a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your 'backstory'?
Thanks so much for the invitation! My backstory is a bit of a long one. I went to law school thinking I wanted to be an environmental lawyer and then wound up working in legal services in the Disability Law Project at Vermont Legal Aid. My cases involved a mix of civil and human rights issues and access to healthcare. I had a lot of clients who were children and many who lived in rural, relatively isolated households with lower incomes. ...
January 09, 2024