Editors' Summary: Standardized appraisal methods for charitable contributions of conservation easement donations do not currently exist. Without such standards, landowners may potentially overvalue their donations of conservation easements to land trusts. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has recognized this abuse of the tax laws and has threatened to severely limit or eliminate the charitable contribution deduction program for conservation easements. In this Article, Jessica A.

Editors' Summary: The recent ESA delisting of gray wolves in the Western Great Lakes region has challenged the states in that region to develop wolf management plans to protect the species. Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin are at the forefront of efforts to develop comprehensive wolf conservation plans. In this Article, Edward Fitzgerald discusses the case of the gray wolf and its delisting in this region. He begins with a history of gray wolf protection, then examines the delisting and the development of wolf management plans in the region.

Editor's Summary: Efforts to protect and restore the Chesapeake Bay began as early as the 1970s, but the agencies and organizations working on the issue lack direction, coordination, and cohesion. As a result, progress toward protecting the bay and its watershed has been slow, while the threat of interstate pollution has grown. In this Article, Matthew L. Paeffgen offers a solution to increase the effectiveness of Chesapeake Bay protection efforts: the interstate compact.

Editors' Summary: On September 19, 2007, the Environmental Law Institute hosted a seminar to examine developments in environmental standing in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit following the Supreme Court's decision last term in Massachusetts v. EPA. The panelists discussed the concept of a risk-based standard for proving "injury-in-fact" in environmental and public safety cases in light of such recent decisions as NRDC v. EPA I and II and Public Citizen v. NHTSA. The seminar concluded with a question-and-answer period. Below is a transcript of the event.

Editor's Summary: Although the United States has not ratified the Kyoto Protocol, governments at local, state, regional, and even federal levels have taken steps to begin reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this Article, Charles Openchowski explains that five presidential Executive Orders mentioning GHGs have been signed since the Kyoto Protocol was drafted, two others related to GHGs have been issued, and several state governors have signed similar orders.

Editors' Summary: In this Article, Kerry E. Rodgers presents an overview of Germany's current efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from cars, including discussions of the proposed European Union legislation to set binding CO emissions targets for cars and supporting measures.

Editors' Summary: The international community is intensifying its efforts to combat nitrogen pollution, a threat to human health and the environment. In this Article, Jeremy S. Scholtes examines the nature of this type of pollution and the legal instruments currently in place that deal with it. He begins by explaining the theoretical concerns that negotiators must consider when designing legal instruments, recommending that regional hard law instruments in concert with partnership coordination platforms are the most effective tools for addressing nitrogen pollution.

Editor's Summary: EPA's enforcement effort is starting to recover after a recent ebb in activity. In this Article, Eric Schaeffer examines how appointees under the next Administration can take advantage of the new momentum to build an even stronger enforcement program.

Editors' Summary: In this Article, William W. Wade evaluates the conceptual measurement of economic impact within the Penn Central test for income-producing properties recently adjudicated in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The discussion considers measurement of the denominator of the takings fraction related to Penn Central's parcel as a whole and whether it differs between permanent and temporary takings.

Editors' Summary: Profs. J.B. Ruhl and James Salzman suggest that random peer reviews be conducted of regulatory agencies' reliance on scientific information in order to better inform regulators and the public of the nature of regulatory decisionmaking. Brian Mannix responds that the laws directing regulatory decisions often create distinctions that are too sharp and that the laws should either allow agencies more decisionmaking discretion or that discretion should be retained for Congress once agencies have conducted fact-finding.