Environmental Justice Committee

Results of the Third Annual ABA Environmental Justice Essay Competition
Sponsored by the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities
Co-sponsored by the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources

The American Bar Association is pleased to announce the winners of the Third Annual ABA Environmental Justice Essay Competition.

This year's topic: Congress enacted the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to "assure for all Americans safe, healthful, productive, and esthetically and culturally pleasing surroundings," a goal that some have likened to "environmental justice." But, is NEPA an appropriate venue to address environmental justice concerns? Are the criteria and the analytic approaches developed thus far by the courts and agencies adequate? What are the potential and the potential limitations of NEPA as a tool to address environmental justice? Can the courts adequately oversee implementation under typical standards of review, and what should a court look for, anyway? These, and other questions, have led to this year's issue: "NEPA and Environmental Justice: Integration, Implementation and Judicial Review."

The Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities and the Section of Environment, Energy and Resources designed this year's environmental justice essay competition to: (1) increase the level of discourse about the integration of environmental justice into existing statutory authorities, generally, and into the National Environmental Protection Act, in particular; and (2) encourage student scholarship to the field. The Committee gratefully acknowledges the generous support of the law firm of Beveridge & Diamond, P.C., Benjamin Wilson, Esq., and Steven Herman, Esq.

This year's winners will receive a check for $1,000.00 for first place and $500.00 for second place.

First Place - Uma Outka, NEPA and Environmental Justice: Integration, Implementation and Judicial Review

Second Place - Ayaka Sato, Has the Air Been Let Out of NEPA?: An Analysis of Senville v. Peters, A Case Involving Environmental Justice, NEPA, and Executive Order 13,274