Environmental Risk Management and Compliance Failures

This course focuses on environmental legal risk management and compliance. Students will learn about federal and state environmental statutes and regulations that provide the basis for compliance in the areas of air, water, solid waste, climate change, and environmental justice. Students will also explore best practices for identifying and managing environmental risks and remedying compliance failures. Students will learn about environmental due diligence, environmental policies and procedures, mandatory self-reporting, and voluntary self-policing (monitoring, disclosure, and remediation). Through environmental case studies, students will learn about the intersection of federal and state regulators and explore emerging environmental compliance challenges. Environmental risk management is important in almost every industry, including manufacturing, technology (e.g., AI, cloud computing, cryptocurrency), transportation, public utilities, energy, defense contracting, health care, real estate, and entertainment and hospitality. It is also important for those working in contract and transactional risk management in financial services, supply chain, HR, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial real estate. In a semester-long assignment, students will focus on an environmental risk management topic relevant to their industry and/or professional goals.