Environmental Law Research

Devan Orr
revised July 2022

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Some resources on this page are subscription databases that require a W&M ID and password for off-campus access.  See Off-Campus Access to Library Resources for more information.

Bloomberg, Lexis, and Westlaw require individual IDs and passwords for both off-campus and on-campus access


Books

Library Catalog
To search for books, journals, and audiovisual materials held by William & Mary libraries, use the online catalog.

Search Tips:

  • Subject Queries--environmental law and united states, environmental policy and united states
  • Remember that individual jurisdictions can be searched, e.g. environmental law and virginia, environmental policy and virginia

Library of Congress Call Numbers for Environmental Law: KF 1298-1300 (environmental damages), KF 3783 (global warming and climate change), KF 3786-3792 (water pollution), and KF 3817-3820 (generally). Browse the shelves under these call numbers to locate relevant treatises.

To search for materials from other libraries, use the Worldcat database on FirstSearch.

Selected Treatises

  • Grad, Frank P., Treatise on Environmental Law
    KF3817 G73updated version available on Lexis
  • Gerrard, Michael B., Environmental Law Practice Guide
    available on Lexis
  • Salzman, James E. and Barton H. Thompson Jr., Environmental Law and Policy
    available on West Academic Study Aids  

Journal Articles

Indexes to Journal Articles
Legal Source

Subject Queries--environmental law and united states, environmental policy and united states, or specific topics such as air pollution or hazardous waste

Indexes articles from legal journals, bar association publications, and law reviews. Includes book reviews and legal newspapers. For more information on finding law review articles, including older ones, see Locating Legal and Non-Legal Journal Articles.

Environmental Law Reporter--Journal Bibliography

  • The News & Analysis section contains a Journal Literature Bibliography that has recent journal articles by topic. It is published monthly. A subject index is issued annually. Options for accessing this index include:

    • Westlaw. Coverage: 2008- present.
    • HeinOnline. Coverage: 1983-present.
    • Print subscription. Coverage: 1971-2002. Location: KF 3817 .A6 E68
Full Text Articles (from journals, newsletters, and legal newspapers) Specialized journals on environmental law include:

Looseleaf Services & Newsletters

Topical Services & Reporters
  • BNA Environment Reporter
    • Reports on federal and state action related to pollution control including legislation, regulations, standards, enforcement, research, and litigation. This set includes relevant statutes, regulations, and cases. Options for accessing this service include:
  • Environmental Law Reporter
    • Reports on recent developments in Congress, the courts, federal agencies, and the news. This set includes relevant treaties, statutes, administrative materials, selected briefs and pleadings, and cases. Options for accessing this service include:

Newsletters
  • International Environment Reporter
    • Contains short news articles arranged alphabetically by topic or country. The set also summarizes the environmental law in selected foreign countries. Options for accessing this service include:

W&M Databases

Lexis-Nexis  
Westlaw  

Other Databases
Bloomberg Law News
Contains legal news on developments in environmental and energy law, as well as environmental, social and governance issues. Note: individual Bloomberg Law log-ins are required, and available to current students and faculty only. 

Environment Complete
Contains articles from scientific journals and books regarding all aspects of the environment including ecology, energy and natural resources, environmental law, public policy, social impacts, and more. 

ProQuest Environmental Science Database
Contains articles from scientific journals and books, as well as multimedia sources, conference papers, government and official publications, and more regarding environmental science as well as related and specialized fields.

World Wide Web Resource

EPA
The EPA web site contains information about pertinent federal litigation and legislation, as well as descriptions of proposed regulations and non-binding guidance documents. The site also contains numerous databases which include thousands of agency documents and reports.

Department of Justice Environmental and Natural Resources Division
ENRD responsibilities include litigation concerning the protection, use and development of the nation's natural resources and public lands, wildlife protection, Indian rights and claims, cleanup of the nation's hazardous waste sites, the acquisition of private property for federal use, and defense of environmental challenges to government programs and activities.

U.S. Department of the Interior
The DOI protects and provides access to natural and cultural heritage and honors trust responsibilities to tribes. Agencies include the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Bureau of Land Management.

Associations

ABA Section of Natural Resources, Energy and Environmental Law
An ABA section that provides a national forum for lawyers working in areas affecting natural resources, energy, and the environment.

EarthJustice
EarthJustice, formerly known as the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, provides links to current litigation and environmental issues. It offers information about current executive, judicial, and legislative actions concerning environmental law, as well as international environmental policies.

The Environmental Law Institute
ELI is an independent research and education center. Its website provides information on environmental research, policies, and programs, including topical research links.