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EVST 255: Environmental Politics and Law

Lecture 06 - Marine Food-Chains: Mercury. The military's use of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques as a training site is discussed to highlight the challenges involved in identifying and restoring hazardous sites. Political opposition is faced while attempting to get a site recognized as hazardous, deciding how to compensate those affected, and determining an appropriate level of environmental restoration. The recurring theme of government secrecy and its effect on efforts to protect the environment is also covered during this lecture, as the US military is reluctant to allow researchers to examine testing grounds. The reclamation of these sites involves many environmental statutes, including the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, the Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). (from oyc.yale.edu)

Lecture 06 - Marine Food-Chains: Mercury

Time Lecture Chapters
[00:00:00] 1. Recognizing and Restoring Hazardous Sites
[00:12:25] 2. The Problems of Historical Reconstruction at Vieques
[00:19:31] 3. Vieques Prior to U.S. Military Takeover
[00:27:04] 4. Weaponry and the Island's Changing Landscape
[00:42:15] 5. The Consequences of Leasing Out Vieques

References
Lecture 6 - Marine Food-Chains: Mercury
Instructor: Professor John Wargo. Resources: Lecture 6 [PDF]. Transcript [html]. Audio [mp3]. Download Video [mov].

Go to the Course Home or watch other lectures:

Lecture 01 - Introduction to the Course
Lecture 02 - Principles and Strategies in Environmental Law
Lecture 03 - Nuclear Experiments
Lecture 04 - Nuclear Secrecy and Ecology
Lecture 05 - Preparing for War: NEPA
Lecture 06 - Marine Food-Chains: Mercury
Lecture 07 - Site Restoration Law
Lecture 08 - Chemically Dependent Agriculture
Lecture 09 - Risk and Law: Pesticide Paradigm
Lecture 10 - Safe Drinking Water: Science and Law
Lecture 11 - Safety Claims and Free Speech: Preemption and Defamation
Lecture 12 - Air Quality Law: Margins of Safety
Lecture 13 - Vehicle Emissions and Public Transit
Lecture 14 - The Quiet Revolution in Plastics
Lecture 15 - The Tobacco Paradigm
Lecture 16 - Evolution of Tobacco Law
Lecture 17 - Land Use and Conservation Law: The Adirondack History
Lecture 18 - Property Rights and Public Lands Management
Lecture 19 - Land Use Law and Property Rights
Lecture 20 - Managing Coastal Resources in an Era of Climate Change
Lecture 21 - Certification: Design and Green Architecture
Lecture 22 - Past and Future of Nuclear Power
Lecture 23 - Renewable Energy Policies
Lecture 24 - Reflection and Lessons