Volume 23 Editorial Board
Summer 2022 to Spring 2023
Rachel Keylon, 4L (Evening)
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Publication
Rachel is from Seattle, WA and grew up with a love of the ocean. She graduated from Occidental College with a B.A. in Biology with a marine biology concentration then went on to get a M.S. in Zoology with a marine biology focus and a Graduate Certificate in Ocean Policy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
Rachel is an evening student and currently works full time as the Federal Affairs Director for Coastal States Organization. In addition to her work on SDLP, Rachel completed two years on Administrative Law Review including a year serving on the Instructional Board. She has also conducted independent research for an national environmental justice publication and has completed several environmental research efforts with a law firm in D.C. Rachel plans to transition from policy to legal practice upon completion of law school.
In her free time she enjoys running with her local running group, outdoor activities including hiking and SUP, baking delicious treats, and spending time with her fiancé and two cats.
Meghen Sullivan, 3L
Co-Editor-in-Chief, Management
Meghen grew up in rural Vermont, enjoying the beauty of the pristine Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. She earned her B.A. from North Carolina State University in Science, Technology, and Society (STS), concentrating in “Humans and the Environment.” Meghen’s legal experiences include interning for the Attorney General of Vermont, working in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) in the U.S. Department of Energy, and working at a mid-sized firm in D.C. doing Dakota Access Pipeline litigation. These experiences have inspired Meghen to pursue environmental and energy litigation after graduation.
Meghen joined SDLP as a junior staffer in the Spring of her 1L year, and published “Using Federal Public Lands to Model a New Energy Future: Why the Biden Administration Should Prioritize Renewable Energy Development on Public Lands” in SDLP’s Spring 2022 Issue. In addition to her work with the Brief, Meghen is the Dean’s Fellow for WCL’s Program on Environmental & Energy Law (PEEL).
In her free time, you can find Meghen exploring new areas of Rock Creek Park, playing tennis, and obsessing over her friends' pets.
Marina Mozak, 3L
Managing Editor
Marina Mozak is a 2L with a focus on legislative solutions to environmental problems. From coastal Maine, Marina loved nature from a young age but learned to appreciate it upon moving to Madison, New Jersey to attend Drew University. Through her undergraduate majors in Environmental Science and Political Science, as well as study abroad opportunities with SEA Education, the Drew Semester at the United Nations, and the George Washington University Semester on Washington Politics, she studied how law affects our natural world.
Between graduation and beginning at WCL, Marina served as Maine State Digital Director at NextGen America, registering young climate minded people to vote in the 2020 election. Last year, she pursued her interests in her first year at WCL as a Junior Editor for the SDLP. Outside of WCL she enjoys cooking, hiking, and swing dancing.
Bianka Ukleja, 3L
Executive Editor
Bianka grew up in the great state of Florida. She earned her BA in regional studies from Yale University (’18) and is currently pursuing a joint degree at AU’s School of International Service. She is fascinated by global migration and diaspora and its lasting implications for sustainable development and national security. She joined SDLP as a junior staffer in the fall of her 1L year and is now a Student Attorney for American University’s International Human Rights Law Clinic and President of the European Law Association.
In her free time, Bianka enjoys cooking, going to museums, hiking in Rock Creek Park, and hanging out with her pup, Coco.
Nate McCabe, 3L
Co-Symposium Editor
Nate grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where he studied psychology and screenwriting. At WCL, he served as a Teaching Fellow for the Marshall-Brennan program and he currently serves as Managing Editor of the American University Law Review. Nate is a rising 3L and spent last summer working as an International Environmental Law Clerk for the Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD). Nate is interested in using his law degree to explore the intersection of biodiversity law, climate law, and international law. In his free time, he enjoys biking, hiking, making music, writing stories, and hanging out with his cat, Theodore.
Pascale Steverlynck, 2L
Co-Symposium Editor
Pascale is from Cape Town, grew up in Phoenix, and studied environmental science and Spanish at UCLA. Her mom is a chef, and her big sister is a dietician, so food is one of her main sources of joy - second only to her giant dog, Cleo. She worked in a veterinary ICU during one of California’s devastating wildfire seasons, taught classes on waterborne parasites in Santo Domingo, proposed neighborhood-level approaches to urban forestry in Barcelona, introduced a bill that expands hunting regulations to mitigate degradation of protected forests in Kauai, and sought corporate liability for polluting the overburdened Patuxent River. Since visiting her cousin’s oyster farm in Maine, Pascale has been researching regenerative ocean farming, specifically seaweed and bivalve aquaculture.
Jaclyn Troutner, 3L
Articles Editor
Jaclyn is a 3rd year full time student. She has previously worked as a Senior Editor on SDLP and published “Paving a Path to Tiny Living, an Introduction to Roadblocks” in Fall of 2021. She has a background in American public policy and business and is interested in sustainable manufacturing and construction.
David Mullis, 3L
Senior Features Editor
David grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, getting out camping every month as an Eagle Scout. David is a double eagle, graduating from American University in 2016 with degrees in Economics and International Relations.
In addition to his work on SDLP, David is the VP of Legislative Affairs for GLAA, Senior Features Editor for the Legislation and Policy Brief, and External Affairs Director of SBA.
Interested in the work of federal government agencies, David hopes to improve access and people’s involvement with federal agency rulemaking.
Caroline Jones, 2L
Associate Features Editor
Caroline was born & raised in Houston, Texas and received her B.A. in English and M.A. in Writing and Publishing both from DePaul University in Chicago. Her legal interests include environmental justice, human rights, and civil rights. During her 1L summer, Caroline was able to work as a research assistant for Professor Snape, an intern for the Chair of the US Commission on Civil Rights, and as a judicial intern for the D.C. Superior Court. At WCL, Caroline is a member of LALSA, Communications Chair for the Environmental Law Society, and a junior staffer for the American University Journal on Gender, Social Policy, and the Law.
Outside of WCL and other law school extracurriculars, Caroline enjoys hiking, exploring D.C., and reading.
Zachary Bloom, 2L
Senior Editor
Zachary was born in Baltimore, MD, and grew up in Buffalo, NY. There, he spent much of his time sailing on Lake Erie, skiing just south of Buffalo, and hiking around Niagara Falls. After graduating high school, Zachary attended the George Washington University, majoring in political science and history. While at college, Zachary developed an interest in environmental-related public policy, especially regarding renewable energy. Zachary decided to attend law school so he could influence policy and regulation to advance America’s green energy transformation.
Zachary is currently a 2L and is a member of the American University International Law Review. During his 1L summer, Zachary interned for the Erie County DA’s Office in Buffalo, NY. In his free time, Zachary enjoys participating in a dodgeball league, hiking, cooking, playing board games, and generally being a DC tourist.
Kate Foley, 2L
Senior Editor
Kate grew up in Rhode Island being surrounded by the ocean and creating a love for being near and in the water. While at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), Kate received degrees in Biology and Environmental Studies. During her time at HWS, Kate completed an Honors Project studying the interactions between native and invasive fish species in the Finger Lakes of Upstate New York. Post graduation, Kate moved out to Big Sky, Montana where she worked as an AmeriCorps Member for the environmental non-profit the Gallatin River Task Force. There Kate worked on monitoring the water quality and the algae growth in the Gallatin River and helped host the Big Sky Water Rights Workshop for local stakeholders.
Currently, Kate is a Law Clerk for the Environmental Integrity Project. In her spare time she enjoys getting outside, finding new coffee shops, baking, and trying to keep her indoor plants alive!
Mary Mullen, 3L
Senior Editor
Mary grew up in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and Frisco, Colorado—where she developed a love for the environment by canoeing in the Boundary Waters and skiing in the Rockies. Mary graduated from the College of the Holy Cross as a student-athlete with a degree in Environmental Sciences. She decided to go back to school to impact environmental regulation, policy, and enforcement, particularly in the emerging field of Earth law. As a law student, Mary is on the Administrative Law Review and a member of the Environmental Law Society. During Mary’s 1L summer, she interned at American Rivers under their General Counsel. Her favorite activities include downhill skiing, hiking, cooking, and going to concerts.
Katie Meyers, 3L
Senior Editor
Katie Myers is a 3L at American University Washington College of Law. She is passionate about environmental and energy issues and hopes to work in environmental law after graduating. She is from Kansas City, MO, and went to undergrad in Chicago, so she is a total Midwest girl at heart. In her free time, you can find her at the dog park with her three dogs.
Shade Streeter, 2L
Senior Editor
Shade was born in Montana and raised in Oregon. From an early age public lands and the environment played an important role in his education and passion for public service. From Yellowstone to Crater Lake, the western states offered Shade an outdoor playground and classroom that can’t be beat. Following his graduation from the University of Oregon where he studied history and classics, Shade moved to Washington, D.C. to enroll at WCL. When he is not trying to corral his three cats, he is studying environmental and constitutional law with the hope of entering a career in the civil service here in Washington.
In his spare time Shade also enjoys insect collecting with his partner Hannah, a graduate student studying ecology at American University, and giving long-winded/unnecessarily exhausting tours of the National Mall to unwitting friends and family.
Volume XXII
The Sustainable Development Law and Policy Brief (SDLP) is celebrating twenty-two years of legal scholarship on issues related to environmental, energy, natural resources, and international development law. SDLP continues to provide cutting-edge solutions to these legal issues in the face of the global COVID-19 Pandemic, while also transitioning back into a “new normal.” This issue is no different, as we published articles challenging our lawmakers and policy heads to address the impending needs of our communities to develop more sustainable infrastructure—needs that are only exacerbated by man-made climate change. We are proud of the work published, and we are forever thankful to our staff who worked tirelessly on these pieces to bring our readership another great issue.This issue champions solutions to meet the needs of outdated infrastructure and drought, which will simultaneously address human rights challenges and conservation issues. From creating intentional surplus programs along the Colorado River, to finding a balance between preserving cultural heritage and updating old infrastructure, our authors provide an in-depth analysis into the current issues we face and possible ways we may be able to address these challenges. The Stelter article outlines the challenges states have faced in the decades long drought impacting the Colorado River and how Utah can use other Colorado River basin states’ intentionally created surplus (“ICS”) programs to create their own, which ultimately addresses Utah’s water conservation concerns and water management issues. Stelter hopes that by implementing such a plan, along with complying with state drought contingency plans, other basin states can use Utah’s ICS plan to improve upon their conservation and water management issues. The Babaturk article begins by emphasizing the importance of heritage and cultural preservation but recognizes the need for making room for change in an ever-rapidly changing world. The article aims to tackle this delicate balance of preserving the past but making way for the future, using several cities rich with cultural history as case studies. Both articles provide hopeful and possible workarounds of their issues by building on frameworks already in place, while also putting forward innovative and thoughtful explanations to achieve solutions.We would like to thank all the article and feature authors for their insights and dedication to raising important legal issues. Also, we would like to thank the professors, executive board, staff, and publisher of SDLP for making this publication possible. SDLP is a team endeavor, and having such a wonderful staff under our guidance has been nothing short of extraordinary. Finally, we would like to thank our readers, whose involvement and investment in SDLP are the reasons that we have been able to create this publication for so many years, and will continue to do so for years to come.Past Issues
Regulatory Schemes In Local, State, and Federal Governments
2 | Editors' Note
by Juliette Jackson and Bailey Nickoloff
4 | Rulemaking Doubletake: An Opportunity to Repair and Strengthen the National Environmental Policy Act
by Rachel Keylon
20 | Underserved Communities Trashed By Plastic: Slowing the Proliferation of Petroleum-based Products Through Stewardship Laws and Enhanced Back-end Regulatory Solutions
by Joan F. Chu
Industry v. Climate Change: Impacts of International Industry on the Environment
2 | Editors' Note
by Keanu Bader & Alexis Bauman
4 | An Opportunity That Should Not be Missed: Applying Chinese Policy That Promotes Efficient Air Conditioning to Countries That Need It
by Xiaopu Sun, Houfu Yan, Shekun Wang, Tad Ferris
17 | Risk Regulation and Management Against Illegal Wildlife Trade: Europe and America
by Olonyi Bosire
Climate Change in the New Decade
2 | Editors' Note
by Keanu Bader and Alexis Bauman
4 | 'At What Cost?': The Future of Securities Enforcement in Climate Change Litigation
by Angela Washington
11 | Accounting for Climate Change in United States' Regional Ocean Planning: Comparing the Obama and Trump National Ocean Policies to a Climate-Forward Approach
by Taylor Goelz
The American University Office of Sustainability was founded in 2009 to help meet the university's goal of "acting on our values of social responsibility, service [and] an active pursuit of sustainability."
The office develops and supports campus initiatives that promote sustainability within the campus community.
Tenley Campus
The Tenley Campus is LEED Gold certified.
LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) is a green building certification program that is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. To achieve certification, building projects must meet prerequisites and earn points to achieve varying levels of certification ranging from certified to platinum.
The design of the Tenley Campus places a high priority on environmentally sustainable development principles. Key components include water and energy efficient systems, sustainable material selection, and interior environments that promote occupant health.
The Tenley Campus construction adheres to the University’s Green Building Policy, which supports the University’s goal of having a positive impact on the environment, as it relates to all university owned and operated facilities.
“Ideally, the LEED certification process is most effective when sustainable approaches are incorporated very early on in the design process as was the case at Tenley,” said Jamie Lee, AIA LEED BD+C, Principal at Smith Group JJR, the D.C.-based architecture and engineering firm responsible for the design. “Both the law school and the university were committed to creating a sustainable LEED certified building and had aspirations and goals that were incorporated into the project.”
Some of the green features in the Tenley Campus:- Buildings are located to maximize public transportation options & access
- Bicycle use is promoted through amenities like locker rooms and showers, as well as over 200 bike rack spaces
- Infrastructure is provided for Electric Vehicle charging stations
- Open space on the site is maintained and maximized
- Storm water is managed for quantity and quality using on-site features such as rain gardens
- Light colored roof material is specified to minimize urban heat-island effect
- Buildings will utilize nearly 50% less water than typical buildings of similar size through the use of high efficiency fixtures
- A unique hydronic heating and cooling system will reduce energy consumption by more than 20%
- Construction procedures will divert more than 90% of construction debris from landfills
- Regionally-sourced material will make up at least 20% of the building
- Certified sustainably-harvested wood will be used on more than 50% of all wood on the project
Receptacles for items that you may need to recycle infrequently such as clothes, batteries, ink cartridges, cell phones, plastic bags, and computers, monitors, and other e-waste can be found in several locations on AU's campus. Do your part to keep these easily recycled and often toxic items out of the landfill.
- In 2010, AU adopted a Zero Waste Policy mandating the creation of a team to develop a plan for reducing and diverting 100% of the university's waste stream.
- AU collects paper towel waste from all restrooms around campus separately. Student sustainability educators audited the campus waste stream and discovered that paper towels represent 13 percent of AU's waste.
- The university is reducing solid waste by replacing bottled water with inline water filters.
- In fall 2009, AU eliminated trays in the Terrace Dining Hall, reducing food waste by an estimated 32 percent.
- The university reuses and recycles surplus furniture by partnering with several area surplus and reuse centers.
- In 2009, the university recycled 43 percent of the solid waste generated on campus by presorting cans, glass, paper, cardboard, plastic bags, batteries, cell phone batteries, cell phones, and fluorescent lights.
- We collect and recycle vehicle waste including lubricants, antifreeze, oil filters, tires, and batteries.
- University-owned electronics equipment can be recycled by simply submitting a form to AU Surplus.
- Personal electronics waste can be recycled at our quarterly e-waste recycling drives.
- We collect kitchen grease from TDR for recycling.
Campus Affiliations
Here are some of the Law Societies that we collaborate with! Many of their members are also SDLP staff!
We welcome all those who are interested in environmental law or those who love the outdoors and want to preserve the natural environment!
The Environmental Law Society is a student organization dedicated to creating an awareness of current environmental matters and the legal issues surrounding them. Our mission is to encourage students and community members to support environmental initiatives. We accomplish this mission by keeping students and the community informed of important issues in environmental law and policy, promoting environmental scholarship, advocating for environmentally sound decision-making, and by providing opportunities to protect the natural environment and its irreplaceable creatures.
Providing a forum for education, advocacy & scholarship aimed at protecting the lives & advancing the interests of animals through the legal system.
Because issues relating to Animal Law also relate to a broad spectrum of issues surrounding other legal fields, we are a group of Law Students who seek to show how Animal Law intersects with nearly every other law field.
The WCL Energy Law Society seeks to provide a forum for students, alumni, and professors to come together and promote discussion about developments in energy law and the global impact these developments have. The WCL Energy Law Society is both a professional and social network for friends and colleagues sharing an interest in energy.
The WCL Native American Law Students Association serves the beliefs and interests of Indigenous, Native American, and non-Native American Students, Faculty, and Staff of American University Washington College of Law. It seeks to provide an inclusive social and supportive community to foster development rooted in the practices and beliefs of Native American and Indigenous Peoples; Educate WCL administration and community on the needs of its Native American and Indigenous student population; and develop programming for the instruction of teachings and practices for interested Native Americans, Indigenous, and non-Native or non-Indigenous Allies.
Gallery
Events
Spring 2022 Symposium
Brought to you byAmerican University’s Sustainable Development Law & Policy Brief and the Program on Environmental and Energy LawThis event is part of American University Washington College of Law's Environmental Justice Symposium Series:Journal of Gender Social Policy & the Law —International Law Students Association & the Native American Law Students Association —Health Law & Policy Brief —Thursday, March 24, 2022
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Zoom
&
Friday, March 25, 2022
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Zoom
Registration is free, but necessary! Please register here:
https://www.wcl.american.edu/secle/registration?event_id=308948&listonly
