Course Syllabus

O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

V424 Environmental Law, Policy, and Justice Syllabus

 

Instructor: Dr. Laura Helmke-Long; lhelmke@iu.edu; Room 412

Class Meeting: Tuesdays and Thursday 3:55PM - 5:10PM, SPEA (PV) A201

Office Hours: After class or please contact me by email at lhelmke@iu.edu to set up a time and place to meet.

 

Course Description: An introduction to U.S. environmental politics and policy, focusing on the institutions and political actors involved in environmental protection. It emphasizes the difficult political, economic, and social justice questions that arise in the context of managing current and future public health and ecological risks.

 

Learning Outcomes: There are several learning objectives in this course. First, you will gain an understanding of how the U.S. government addresses environmental problems, both historically and presently. Second, you will learn about the advantages and drawbacks of different policyinstruments, ranging from command-and-control regulation and market-based mechanisms (e.g., emissions trading, taxes) to information provision and voluntary regulation. Third, you will learn about several challenges (philosophical and more pragmatic) in thed ecision-making processes used in the current system of U.S. environmental protection. Fourth, you will consider several contemporary issues in environmental politics and policy including wetlands, hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”), water scarcity, environmental justice, and climate change. Finally, you will develop the ability to understand and analyze current and/or historical events through the lens of the concepts covered in this course.

Students will be asked to demonstrate their knowledge of the course through a combination of thoughtful engagement with course content through weekly reading and writing, in-class discussion, small projects, and three exams.

The course does not assume prior knowledge about environmental policy, but it does require basic familiarity with U.S. political institutions and the public policy process. If you have questions about your preparation, please consult with me at the beginning of the course.

The focus of this course is on U.S. environmental issues. Within that focus, I have selected class materials that present a variety of topics and arguments. It is (possible/likely) that connections between our course and current and/or historical events outside the classroom will come up in (lectures/class discussions/ assignments). Those connections may require careful thought rather than being immediately obvious, but the ability to understand and analyze connections among ideas and events is a core skill in professional careers and will serve you well in your life beyond IU.

 

How much time should you be spending on this class:  Since this is a standard 3-credit semester length class, you are expected to spend an average of 6 or more hours outside of class per week on reading, studying, assignments, etc.  

 

Course Policies:

  1. Attendance

I expect you to attend and participate in class and both factor into your grade (see below for details). To best prepare yourself, be sure to complete all assigned readings before class. It will be very difficult to do well in the course if you do not attend, complete the readings, and participate in class discussion.

  1. Make-up Exams

I will only schedule make-up exams in rare emergency circumstances. You must notify me prior to missing the exam. The makeup exam will be given on the Friday on the week of the missed exam, including the final exam. If you miss a second exam, you will receive a zero.

  1. Late Assignments

Please plan to complete all of the work for this course by the specified due dates, including designated exams. Late work will not be accepted without exception so please plan accordingly. I will only grant an Incomplete grade for the entire course if you meet the definition of an incomplete under IU policy.

  1. Technology Use

Phones, computers, and other devices should be put away during class time. Computers should be used only when needed for assignments. Exams will be done on paper and in-class.

  1. Late Withdrawal.

See https://calendars.registrar.indiana.edu/official-calendar/ for dates. After the auto-W deadline, withdrawal will be significantly limited, and you will need permission to withdraw and must meet requirements established by O’Neill.

 

Texts:  

There is one required book for the course:

Elliott, E. D., Esty, D. C., & Babich, A. (2026). Advanced Introduction to U.S. Environmental Law (2nd ed.). Edward Elgar Publishing.

All other readings for the course are available on the course Canvas website. Many of these materials will require access through the IU library system.

 

Course Requirements:

Attendance and Participation (10%)

I expect that you will be in class ready to participate in every session. Being present for class and participating in discussions and class activities contributes to your learning and encourages better preparation. This grade will be calculated based on two factors: your attendance and your participation. It is every student’s responsibility to sign the attendance roster when arriving to class.  If you simply attend class, you will get 75  points for this and if you participate, you will get 50 points more for this that can carry over within a two week period. This will be input for each class period. You are given three miss days for being sick and other exentuating circumstances that will not count against your participation score.

 

What is In-Class Participation?

In-class participation is:

  • Raising and answering questions.
  • Sharing ideas, observations, and personal experiences.
  • Pointing out relevant data.
  • Generating potential solutions.
  • Relating and synthesizing the ideas of others.
  • Pointing out relationships to earlier discussions.
  • Helping others develop their views and ideas.

 

In-class participation is NOT:

  • Only talking when the instructor asks you a specific question.
  • Asking about course administration topics.

 

In-class participation is an opportunity to:

  • Make class interesting.
  • Explore ideas both closely to and sometimes tangentially related to the topic for the day.
  • Substantively engage course material that is complex.
  • Examine issues from multiple perspectives.
  • Practice speaking in front of a large group conveying complex thoughts/ideas.
  • Discuss topics about which you are uncertain in a safe environment. No one should be “afraid to be wrong” in this course. Also, if you are confused or have questions, it is likely others do too. Speak up.

 

Weekly Online Assignments and In-Class Quizzes on Readings (15%)

Each week of the course, there will be an assignment posted to Canvas. The assignment will relate to the week’s topic(s) and will usually require you to do some independent research and writing. These assignments are due by 5pm on the Friday of each week.

Most weeks, there will be reading quizzes. You can bring in 3x5 note cards with from your notes to help you with quiz.

Grading of these assignments will be done on a High Pass-Pass-Fail scale, with a percentage score of 100% for High Pass, 70% for Pass, and 0% for Fail. Grading criteria are as follows:

High Pass: Assignment fully responds to all questions and requests.

Pass: Assignment does not fully respond to all questions and requests.

Fail: Assignment not completed or submitted after deadline.

 

Congressional Hearing Report (15%)

For this assignment, you will watch a congressional committee hearing about an environmental topic, and then write a 2-page report (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) that 1) summarizes the key issues discussed at the hearing, and 2) provides an analysis of the underlying policy and political issues that you can infer from the interactions among the officials and/or between the officials and individuals testifying at the hearing. This report is due Oct. 2nd at 5pm. More details are provided in Canvas.

 

Environmental Justice Mapping Project (15%)

The U.S. EPA and state governments have developed environmental justice mapping and screening tools to provide agency decision-makers with information on environmental and demographic indicators. In this assignment, you will use EPA’s EJScreen tool to describe the circumstances in a community (e.g., city, county) of your choice. The main objectives of this assignment are to 1) evaluate the overlaps of demographic indicators and environmental conditions in a specific geographic location; and 2) analyze the strengths and limitations of the EJScreen tool. Your report should be 4 pages in length (double spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins) and include several visuals (e.g., maps, figures, tables) extracted from the tool. The report is due on Oct. 30th at 5pm. More details are provided in Canvas.

Exams (45%)

There are three in-person exams to evaluate your understanding of course material. The first and second exams will be given in class on Sep. 22nd (15%) and Oct. 20th (15%), respectively, and the third exam on the assigned date during IU’s final exam period on Dec. 15th (15%),

Grading:

Each assignment will be given a percentage grade, based on the scale below, and your final grade will be a weighted average of those grades, using the below conversion to determine your final letter grade:

 

A 93-100%

C+ 77-79%

A- 90-92%

C 73-76%

B+ 87-89%

C- 70-72%

B 83-86%

D 60-69%

 

Class Schedule: The schedule for the course is subject to change, and any modifications will be posted to the course Canvas website.

 

PART I. INTRODUCTION

Aug 25: Introduction

Aug 27: Setting the Stage for New Policy

Griswold. 2010. “How ‘Silent Spring’ Ignited the Environmental Movement.” New York Times, September 21.

Barnes. 2021. “The Establishment of the EPA,” In: Fifty Years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Progress, Retrenchment, and Opportunities.

Sep 1: The Institutions and Process of Environmental Policy

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapters 1-2, 14 (pages 246-254).

Howe. 2024. “Supreme Court strikes down Chevron, curtailing power of federal agencies,”

scotusblog.com, June 28.

 

PART II. POLLUTION CONTROL

Sep 3: Air Pollution Control: Clean Air Act and Command and Control

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 3.

Lattanzio and Canis. 2022. “Vehicle Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Standards,”

Updated May 9. [Skim]

Sep 8: Air Pollution Control: Markets and Acid Rain

Schmalensee and Stavins. 2013. “The SO2 Allowance Trading System: The Ironic History of

a Grand Policy Experiment.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 27(1): 103-122.

Sep 10: Disparities in Air Quality and its Consequences

Mikati et al. 2018. “Disparities in Distribution of Particulate Matter Emission Sources by

Race and Poverty Status,” American Journal of Public Health.

Neavling. “Struggling to Breathe in 48217, Michigan’s Most Toxic Zip Code.”

Sep 15: Water Pollution Control

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 5.

Sep 17: Wetlands and WOTUS

Rabinow. 2020. “The Shape of Water Regulations: The Disputed Waters of the United States,” SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government.

Totenberg. 2023. “The Supreme Court has Narrowed the Scope of the Clean Water Act,”

NPR, May 25.

Sep 22: Exam 1

Sep 24: Safe Drinking Water

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 6.

Arsenic in Drinking Water,” Harvard Kennedy School case.

Tabuchi. 2025. “In a first, the E.P.A. Warns of ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Sludge Fertilizer, New York Times, January 14.

Sep 29: Flint Water Crisis and Lead Contamination

Michigan ACLU, “Here’s to Flint: Documentary on Flint Water Crisis” (video).

Runwal. 2024. “10 Years on, Flint still faces consequences from the water crisis,” C&EN,

May 6.

Oct 1: Managing Chemicals and Toxics

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 7 (pp. 95-101), Chapters 8-9.

Oct 2: Congressional Hearing Report Due

Oct 6: Hazardous Waste Cleanup

Revkin. 2013. “Love Canal and its Mixed Legacy.” New York Times, November 25 (video and article).

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 7 (pp. 87-95).

 

PART III. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Oct 8: “Sacrifice Zones”

John Oliver, “Environmental Racism: Last Week with John Oliver,” HBO [watch video]. Taylor. 2014. Toxic Communities, Chapters 2 and 4.

Oct 13: Environmental Justice Policy: Past

Konisky. 2017. “Environmental Justice” from Environmental Governance Reconsidered.

Maldonado. 2020. “How a long-stalled ‘holy grail’ environmental justice bill found its moment in New Jersey,” Politico, August 27.

Oct 15: Environmental Justice Policy: Present

White House, Justice40 Initiative.

White House Executive Order 14096, “Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to

Environmental Justice For All”.

White House Executive Order 14151, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing”.

Oct 20: Exam 2

 

PART IV. PROTECTING NATURAL AND BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES

 Oct 22: Extinction, and Endangered Species Protection

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 12.

Oct 27: The Northern Spotted Owl case

“The God Squad and the Case of the Northern Spotted Owl” [watch documentary in class]

Oct 29: TBD

Oct 30: Environmental Justice Mapping Project Due

Nov 3: Federal Public Lands

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 13. CRS. 2020. Federal Land Ownership: Overview and Data.

Nov 5: ANWR, Permitting, and Energy Extraction on Federal Land

Fortune, “What is ANWR?”, September 15, 2017 (watch video).

Friedman. 2025. “Trump Wants Oil Drilling in Alaska. A Lease Sale There Just Flopped,”

New York Times, January 8.

“What FERC Does,” https://www.ferc.gov/what-ferc-does

CRS. 2024. Energy Production on Federal Lands: Leasing and Authorization.

Nov 10: Water Scarcity

CRS. 2025. Management of the Colorado River: Water Allocations, Drought, and the Federal Role. November 19.

Flavelle and Healy. 2023. “Arizona Limits Construction Around Phoenix as Its Water Supply Dwindles,” New York Times, June 1.

Famiglietti. 2024. “Will We Have to Pump the Great Lakes to California to Feed the Nation?” New York Times, August 5.

 

PART V: ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Nov 12: Trends in US Energy

Congressional Research Service. 2024. “U.S. Energy Supply and Use: Background and Policy Primer,” March 14. [Skim.]

Nov 17: Climate Science I

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2021. Climate Change 2021, Summary for Policymakers.

Fifth National Climate Assessment, 2023. Chapter 1: Overview.

Nov 19: Climate Science II

EPA Endangerment Finding 2009, Executive Summary

Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards Waldman and Storrow. 2025. “DOE reframes climate consensus as a debate.” E&E News, July 31.

Nov 24 and 26: Thanksgiving Break

Dec 1: Climate Mitigation: US Policy

Mildenberger. 2020. “The Dynamics of Federal Climate Policy Conflict,” in Handbook of

U.S. Environmental Policy.

Inflation Reduction Act, Summary. [Skim.] Trump EO 14154, “Unleashing American Energy”

Dec 3: Climate Mitigation: International Policy

Elliott and Esty, U.S. Environmental Law, Chapter 4.

Dec 8: Climate Adaptation and Geoengineering

Fifth National Climate Assessment, 2023, Chapter 31: Adaptation.

Jacobo, Manzo, Zee. 2023. “These Geoengineering Technologies Could Help Combat the Climate Crisis, Scientists Say,” ABC News, April 21.

Dec 10: Review and Synthesis, Course Wrap-Up

Dec. 15:  Final Exam 3:00-5:00

 

Academic Integrity

 Students are responsible for maintaining academic integrity. See the following for full details: https://studentcode.iu.edu/

 Course Materials—Instructor’s Exclusive Rights: The faculty member teaching this course holds the exclusive right to distribute, modify, post, and reproduce course materials, including all written materials, study guides, lectures, assignments, exercises, and exams. While you are permitted to take notes on the online materials and lectures posted for this course for your personal use, you are not permitted to re-post in another forum, upload to AI, distribute, reproduce content from this course, or sell the instructor’s course materials (including notes and study guides) without the express written permission of the faculty member.

Violations of this policy will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct (violation of course rules). Sanctions for academic misconduct may include a failing grade on the assignment for which the notes/study guides are being sold, a reduction in your final course grade, or a failing grade in the course, among other possibilities.

Additionally, you should know that selling a faculty member’s course using IU email, or via Canvas may also constitute a violation of IU information technology and IU intellectual property policies; additional consequences may result.

Use of generative AI (such as ChatGPT) in this class:  Using AI to assist in completing assignments will be allowed only in the following ways:

  • ChatGPT (or other AI platform) may be used to find sources.
  • ChatGPT (or other AI platform) may be used to help you understand concept

 All other use of AI is prohibited. Any written material submitted by you as an assignment needs to be your own words and not created by AI.

 You are permitted to use the free version of Grammarly and Microsoft Word’s spelling and grammar tool. 

WARNING: Submitting any questions, assignments, notes, slides, or other instructor-produced course materials into Generative AI without permission is a violation of the faculty member’s exclusive rights and will be reported to the Dean of Students as academic misconduct.

If you use AI in an unauthorized manner, you will be committing plagiarism* and will be subject to penalties in this class and sanctions by Indiana University. 

*Plagiarism: Plagiarism is defined as presenting someone else’s work, including the work of other students, as one’s own. Any ideas or materials taken from another source for either written or oral use must be fully acknowledged, unless the information is common knowledge. https://studentcode.iu.edu/responsibilities/academic-misconduct.html.

 

O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs

Student Honor Code

 Introduction

The O’Neill School takes matters of honesty and integrity seriously.  We expect O’Neill students will, at all times, maintain academic integrity and civil and professional standards of conduct.

Scope

O’Neill’s Student Honor Code applies to all courses and programs offered by O’Neill, and to all students who participate in O’Neill classes and programs, regardless of whether students are admitted to O’Neill. Students studying at O’Neill are expected to continue their commitment to ethical behavior in all their endeavors, including, but not limited to, coursework inside and outside of O’Neill, internships, community service, and overseas study.

O’Neill’s Student Honor Code incorporates IU’s Code of Student Right, Responsibilities, & Conduct and extends to matters of civility and professional conduct, including, expectations about class attendance, punctuality, participation in class, and decorum in class and at other school functions.

Academic Conduct Requirements  

All students enrolled in O’Neill courses are subject to the academic misconduct provisions found in the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct.  

Academic misconduct is defined as any activity that tends to undermine the academic integrity of the institution.

The IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct lists and defines many types of academic misconduct, including cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, interference, violation of course rules, and facilitating academic dishonesty.   

Academic misconduct includes the use of any technology or assistance, including AI, that is not permitted by the instructor.

Civility and Professional Conduct Requirements

O’Neill requires that all students treat others with mutual respect and behave professionally in the classroom and during all academic and non-academic activities.

These civility and professional conduct requirements foster an appropriate atmosphere inside and outside the classroom:

  • Students must act in accordance with the O’Neill School mission and values.
  • Students must regularly attend and be fully prepared for class, including completing readings.
  • Students must not behave in a way that interrupts or distracts from teaching or learning. For example, students must be punctual in their arrival to class and be present and attentive for the duration of the class. They must not sleep, do work for another class, or wander in and out of the classroom, pack up, or leave class early (unless an emergency exists).
  • Students must abide by the course policy regarding use of electronic devices in the classroom, including a requirement that no electronics are allowed or that students are not permitted to use devices for non-class related purposes.
  • Students must responsibly participate in class activities and during team meetings for course assignments.
  • Students must attend scheduled meetings with faculty or staff, events for which they have RSVPed, interviews with prospective employers, and student organization meetings.  
  • Students must address faculty members, other students, and others appropriately and with respect, whether in person, in writing, or in electronic communications.
  • Students must show tolerance and respect for others.
  • Students must practice respect and responsible stewardship of the physical resources of the school, refraining from destroying or defacing school property, integrating practices of sustainability, and contributing to a clean and orderly physical environment in all buildings, classrooms, offices, and meeting spaces.   
  • Students must comply with the personal misconduct responsibilities within the IU Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities, & Conduct.

Reporting 

Students must abide by the O’Neill Student Honor Code themselves and hold their peers to the same standards. Students should report suspected instances of academic, civility, or professional misconduct to the instructor of the course. Students should report suspected instances of personal misconduct to the IU Office of Student Conduct.

 

Additional Information:

Counseling and Psychological Services

For information about services offered to students by CAPS:  http://healthcenter.indiana.edu/counseling/index.shtml

TimelyCare

Indiana students have free, 24/7 access to virtual mental health care services with TimelyCare. Students do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services. https://www.iu.edu/mental-health/find-resources/timely-care.html#0

Religious Accommodation Requests

The "Request for Accommodation for Religious Observances" form must be submitted by the student to the professor no later than two weeks prior to the anticipated absence.  A separate form must be submitted for each absence and for each course. Faculty do not have to consider accommodations for the purpose of allowing students to travel away from Bloomington for religious observance.  Information about the policy is found here: https://vpfaa.indiana.edu/resources/religious-observances-information.html.

Accessible Educational Services (formerly Disability Services for Students) 

Securing accommodations for a student with disabilities is a responsibility shared by the student, the instructor, and the AES Office. For information about support services or accommodations available to students with disabilities, and for the procedures to be followed by students and instructors: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/care-advocacy/iub-aes/index.html  

Sexual Harassment 

As your instructor, one of my responsibilities is to help create a safe learning environment on our campus. Title IX and our own Sexual Misconduct policy prohibit sexual misconduct.  If you have experienced sexual misconduct, or know someone who has, the University can help.

If you are seeking help and would like to talk to someone confidentially, you can make an appointment with:

  1. The Sexual Assault Crisis Service (SACS) at 812-855-8900
  2. Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 812-855-5711
  3. Confidential Victim Advocates (CVA) at 812-856-2469
  4. IU Health Center at 812-855-4011

For more information about available resources:  http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html. It is also important to know that federal regulations and University policy require me to promptly convey any information about potential sexual misconduct known to me to our campus’ Deputy Title IX Coordinator or IU’s Title IX Coordinator.  In that event, they will work with a small number of others on campus to ensure that appropriate measures are taken and resources are made available to the student who may have been harmed.  Protecting a student’s privacy is of utmost concern, and all involved will only share information with those that need to know to ensure the University can respond and assist.  I encourage you to visit http://stopsexualviolence.iu.edu/help/index.html to learn more.

IU Culture Centers: https://studentlife.indiana.edu/communities/culture-centers/index.html