This article surveys the history of hydropower-salmon tradeoffs in the Columbia Basin in the 20th century. The resolution of those tradeoffs has overwhelmingly favored hydropower, as often the federal agencies running the Federal Columbia River Power System claimed a lack of authority to improve...

Pharmaceuticals in the environment and public water supplies are believed to have serious impacts on human and environmental health. Current research suggests that exposure to certain drugs and their residues may result in a variety of adverse human health effects. Other studies more...

As more ethanol plants throughout the United States produce cellulosic ethanol at a commercial level, ethanol policies must catch up. Cellulosic ethanol, regarded as more sensible than corn ethanol in several environmental criteria, is a biofuel made of nonfood materials. Policies to spur...

While the Army Corps of Engineers could use adaptive management to better utilize water resources under its control, it currently does not. After discussing the history of the water rights issue in the ACF basin, the paper details current Corps authority and what additional changes could be made...

Los Angeles is a major net importer of water and relies on sources several hundred miles away in Northern California and Colorado for two-thirds of its supply. The ecosystems of these source regions are significantly impacted by decades of diverting water for agricultural, industrial and...

This article explains why industrial waste that is not legally hazardous must be given greater attention and regulatory oversight. Industrial waste (including coal ash) may represent as much as 94 percent of municipal, hazardous, and industrial wastes combined. The article explores the existing...

Despite the 21st century being more educated, richer, healthier, peaceful and better connected than the previous centuries, a negligent happening of the past - Exxon Valdez oil-spill of 1989 still looms, hovers and monitors our actions today. Though it is not the largest oil spill recorded, the...

This report discusses water management in the western U.S. and investigates related problems. The first part reviews theoretical and empirical economics literature on the motivations for water management. Following that, it discusses barriers to effective water management and potential knowledge...

The public trust doctrine is an ancient doctrine of public property law that governs sovereign stewardship of natural resources. The doctrine both promote public access to trust resources and requires sovereign protection of them for the benefit of the public, including future generations. The...

The Klamath River, draining some 12,000 square miles in southern Oregon and northern California, was once the third largest salmon stream on the West Coast, the life force of Native Americans. The river runs 263 miles from headwaters in Oregon and flows through the Cascades to the Pacific Ocean...