Land in the USA not located in the east or Texas is divided into 6 mile-square townships by the Public Land Survey System. The townships are further divided into sections one mile square. These sections can be further subdivided.
Environmental Law in Washington State
Environmental Law in Washington State, published by Paul Hirsch, covers legal issues related to land use, property rights, environmental regulation, and natural resource management within Washington State. Topics include land surveying systems and their impact on property values and disputes, judicial processes in environmental litigation, election law as it relates to political contributions and environmental ballot measures, floodway restrictions and nonconforming structures, and liability concerns arising from stream restoration projects. The blog discusses court decisions, statutory interpretation, and practical implications for environmental and land use law practitioners and stakeholders in Washington.
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Latest from Environmental Law in Washington State
Ninth Circuit Issues Amended Opinion Concerning PAC Money in Washington
On January 31, 2011, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a decision and an amended opinion on Washington’s election laws as they pertain to financial contributions by PACS for or against ballot measures.
We address the…
Are Floodway Restrictions Unduly Oppressive?
Nope, not according to Division 3 of the Washington Court of Appeals. In a decision issued today the court reviews the current law of nonconforming structures and substantive due process in Washington.
Sun-Tides Mobile Home Park is located in the…
Stream Restoration: A Source of Liability?
As an attorney and a geomorphologist interested in stream restoration, I wonder about liability for a restoration project if it damages property. Stream restoration is a popular and growing activity. Be it to improve habitat or other worthy goals, what…
Court of Appeals Issues New Opinion Upholding Jefferson County's Channel Migration Zone Critical Area Ordinance
Yesterday, Division II of the Court of Appeals withdrew its prior opinion in Olympic Stewardship Foundation v. Western Washington Growth Management Hearings Board, 4027-6-II, and issued a new opinion. The new opinion finds that the County properly applied “best…
News from the Deepwater Horizon Multidistrict Litigation
Not Washington, but interesting:
BP tried and failed to get a piece of Transocean’s $750M insurance coverage: Order(InsuranceActions).pdf Note the language from the Drilling Contract at p. 40:
Article 24 of the Drilling Contract allocates responsibility for pollution risks between…
Court lifts stay on Yucca Mountain case
Annette Cary, writing in the News Tribune reports that, in my paraphrase, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has lost patience with the NRC commissioners playing politics with the Yucca Mountain issue.
Attorney General's Opinion on Exempt Wells
The Attorney General’s opinion concerning exempt wells is now online
Exempt Wells: Attorney General Weighs In
David Lester, writing in the Yakima Herald-Republic reports on the Attorney General’s opinion on Ecology’s authority to restrict new exempt wells.
YAKIMA, Wash. — The Washington Department of Ecology has legal authority to forbid new water wells, including the small,…