Advocacy

About the Advocacy Project

One of GreenLaw's core functions is to advocate for a cleaner environment, better administration of environmental law, and greater awareness of environmental issues. Our advocacy project serves as a way to introduce law students to the practice of environmental law by giving them practical experience working on a real environmental problem that affects the Northwest.

Past Clients and Projects:

Washington Toxics Coalition

The Advocacy project won our case on behalf of the Washington Toxics Coalition! The Pollution Control Hearings Board ruled for our side, affirming Ecology's denial of a commercial pesticide applicator's permit application to treat noxious aquatic weeds under a nuisance NPDES general permit.  The decision is available here in PDF format.

We're very excited to have advocated for the Washington Toxics Coalition's interests in this case.  WTC, in turn, has expressed several times to us how grateful they are for all our efforts this year, both on this case in the PCHB and for our comments on Ecology's proposed draft permit.

 Center for Environmental Law and Policy (CELP)

January – June 2005

GreenLaw reviewed and commented on the State of Washington 's proposed Columbia River Initiative (CRI). Had the CRI not been suspended, it would have created a new water account for the mainstem Columbia River for the purpose of providing more water for both instream and diversionary uses.

To evaluate the CRI, GreenLaw reviewed the notice of the proposed rule, the draft Environmental Impact Statement, the related National Academy of Sciences report, and the draft House and Senate bills. Based on this review, GreenLaw identified several significant flaws in the CRI as it was originally proposed. GreenLaw first presented its findings to CELP to use in its work. GreenLaw then submitted written comments to the Washington State Department of Ecology as part of the public comment process and

individual GreenLaw members testified at a public hearing conducted by the Department of Ecology in February 2005. Shortly after the public hearing, Governor Gregoire suspended the rule-making process and CRI remains in suspension at this time.

Friends of Discovery Park

September – December 2004

Discovery Park is a 534-acre wilderness and recreational refuge in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle . As a current and former military installation, the U.S. Navy retains ownership over parts of park, while the City of Seattle and King County possess much of the rest. Friends of Discovery Park enlisted GreenLaw's assistance when the Navy appeared to be considering private development on 25 acres of Navy-owned land

in the middle of the park. GreenLaw researched and drafted a memo that analyzed the covenants of the deed for the 25 acres in question, the federal statute that empowered the Navy to consider deeding land to a private developer, and the relevant National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements. In December 2004, the parties settled; the City of Seattle agreed to purchase the 25 acres and return it to open park land.

Tri-Valley CAREs (Citizens Against a Radioactive Environment)

September 2003 – June 2004

GreenLaw participated in legal advocacy on behalf of Tri-Valley CAREs (Citizens Against a Radioactive Environment). The organization focuses on protecting citizens and the environment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California . GreenLaw students presented comprehensive and detailed oral and written comments at the public hearings sponsored by the Department of Energy hearings in Livermore , California .