"This Understanding treatise provides a comprehensive overview of environmental and land use law in the United States. While a major focus of Understanding Environmental Law, Third Edition (2013) is the federal framework of U.S. environmental law, many chapters include coverage of state-specific laws as well. Topics addressed include: The role the United States Constitution plays in protecting the environment; Policy issues affecting environmental law, such as the need to balance economic factors against specific environmental costs; Common law causes of action in the environmental arena; Environmental quality review issues that arise under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and state equivalents to NEPA; Air and water pollution laws; Hazardous waste laws and regulations; Endangered species laws including international controls applicable to endangered species; and International laws applicable to environmental issues, including international treaties, global climate changes, and ozone layer protection"--