Environmental justice – a mix of environmental and civil rights law and policy – is receiving increased attention in the Obama Administration, bringing with it challenges and opportunities for municipalities, facilities and others operating in low-income and minority communities. This alert discusses various aspects of environmental justice and the implications for the Obama Administration. Federal agencies, including the DOJ and EPA, have concluded that low-income and minority communities bear a greater environmental risk than the general population. Now is the right time to take stock of your environmental justice situation and take any prudent proactive steps.
More
On November 30, 2009, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Graham County Soil & Water Conservation District v. United States ex rel. Wilson, a qui tam action brought under the False Claims Act (FCA) and appealed from a Fourth Circuit decision. The Court will use the case to resolve a split among the circuits over the scope of the FCA's "public disclosure" bar. A decision affirming the Fourth Circuit could increase qui tam litigation against any organization that does business with, or receives federal money through, federal, state and local governmental entities – and would further expand the reach of the FCA to any state or local program involving the use of federal funds.
Search