The Arnold Law Practice, lawyers in San Francisco, CA, California

The Plant Patents Amendment Act of 1998

In 1998, the Plant Patents Amendment Act was passed by Congress to amend the plant patent grant provisions of the Patent Act. Under the amendments, a plant patent owner is now given the right to exclude others from asexually reproducing, selling, or importing a patented plant, or any parts of the plant, for the patent term.More...

The Global Change Research Act of 1990

Congress recognized that developing effective policies to minimize and accommodate global climatic change would require better scientific understanding of the global environment and the ability to determine what global changes were natural and what changes could be attributed to human activities. Congress determined that, although significant research was being conducted by the federal government in the field of climate change, better interagency coordination as well as coordination with the research activities of states, other countries, and non-governmental organizations were necessary. Accordingly, Congress passed the Global Change Research Act, which provided congressional authority for the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP).More...

Solid Waste Disposal and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act

The stated objectives of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)are to protect the public health and environment, to conserve energy and natural resources by recovering usable parts of waste material, and to reduce the amount of waste, thereby decreasing demand on waste disposal systems.More...

The Takings Clause and Environmental Regulatory Takings

Under the United States Constitution, a government may not take private property for public use without compensation, whether federal, state, or local. More...

Public Participation in the Enforcement and Administration of Environmental

There are several avenues for public participation in the administration and enforcement of environmental laws. Under certain environmental statutes, federal agencies must solicit public comments at certain times, for instance, when they propose regulations to carry out environmental statutes, when a permit has been applied for under an environmental statute, and when they propose settlements with violators in enforcement actions.More...