Natural Resources Law and Policy - 4th Edition - James Salzman

Natural Resources Law and Policy 4th Edition ISBN 9798895450062

This law school casebook offers a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the law and policy of natural resource management. Designed to be both engaging and student-friendly, it covers a broad array of natural resources—including forests, wildlife, oceans, rivers, and more. Through thoughtfully crafted problem exercises and real-world case studies, students are challenged to deepen their understanding of complex legal and policy issues.

The book begins by examining the foundational forces that shape natural resource policy: economic, scientific, political, and ethical considerations. It introduces students to key management challenges such as common pool resource dilemmas, scientific uncertainty, scale mismatches, market failures, and institutional capacity.

Building on this framework, the book then explores core legal regimes governing a diverse set of resources—including wildlife, fisheries, whaling, water, public lands, rangelands, mining, and forests. Special attention is given to the management of resources across different contexts: public and private lands, tribal governance, and international law.

Changes in New Edition

Chapter 1

• New section on Rights of Nature
• Expanded and critical perspectives on Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic

Chapter 2

• Greater focus on tribal history and foundational principles of Federal Indian Law
• Inclusion of Indigenous scholars’ voices in the evolution of natural resource governance

Chapter 3

• Analysis of Loper Bright and its implications for judicial deference to agency decisions
• Examination of Kisor v. Wilkie (deference to agency interpretations of their own regulations)
• Discussion of West Virginia v. EPA and the Major Questions Doctrine
• Updated developments under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Chapter 4

• Overview of new federal regulations issued in recent years
• Case update on Maine Lobstermen and regulatory impacts on fisheries

Chapter 5

• Revisited analysis of Loper Bright in the context of marine resource governance
• Introduction of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions treaty
• Expanded coverage of the Marine Mammal Protection Act

Chapter 6

• Updates on presidential designations and related litigation involving national monuments
• Revised Izembek Road case study
• Discussion of the 2023 Solicitor’s Opinion on refuge land exchanges and proposed new regulations
• Added material on water rights in refuges
• New content on BLM’s evolving emphasis on land preservation and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs)

Chapter 7

• In-depth case study on the Colorado River with updates from federal, state, and tribal levels
• Coverage of the latest Supreme Court rulings on interstate water compacts

Chapter 8

• Updated data on public land range conditions
• New problem exercise addressing the Cliven Bundy standoff in Nevada

Chapter 9

• Added Rosemont case (Center for Biological Diversity v. USFWS) on mining waste disposal
• Included Earthworks litigation involving the use of multiple mill sites

Chapter 10

• Latest developments in coal and oil & gas leasing
• Coverage of new regulations and programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
• Updates on oil and gas activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
• Expanded discussion on the push for renewable energy on public lands, including recent regulatory initiatives

Chapter 11

• Updated national forest data and management trends

Salzman, Squillace, Kalen, Pappas and Rasband Natural Resources Law and Policy Fourth Edition ISBN 9798895450062 & 979-8895450062