Environmental Law Paper Earns Recognition

This past semester, the Environmental Law Section of the Wisconsin State Bar sponsored a competition for the best student paper in environmental law. To be eligible, students had to submit a 7,500-10,000 word paper based on original research.

Ryann Beck — who just graduated in May — won this year’s competition with her article entitled “Farmers’ Rights and Open Source Licensing.” Michael O’Hear blogged here about Ryann’s article, which will be published in the Arizona Journal of Environmental Law and Policy.

Ryann received a cash prize for winning the competition, and her article will also be published by the Environmental Law Section on its website. Congratulations, Ryann!

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Water and People Conference

2880829064_eae0f10628On Friday, February 26, 2010, Marquette University Law School (MULS) will hold its annual Public Service Conference at the Alumni Memorial Union on the Marquette University campus on the increasingly important topic of water law.  The conference, entitled “Water and People,” will address water issues in Wisconsin (as well as nationally and internationally), development and the environment, regulation, and water ethics.  Statewide leaders from business, government, and non-profit served on a steering committee that worked with Assistant Dean for Public Service, Dan Idzikowski, and myself (I coordinate the MULS water law program) to plan the conference.  Based on the group’s efforts, experts from Wisconsin, around the United States, and from Canada will gather to talk about some of the most important topics in the field of water law.  The conference will also feature a keynote address by Cameron Davis, senior advisor to the United States EPA Administrator for Great Lakes Restoration.  You can learn more about the conference and register for the conference at http://law.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?2130&pageID=4303.

While no blog post can truly capture all that this conference will entail, here is a preview of the panels and topics.

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Time for a Baseball Salary Cap?

Today, sources say that the New York Yankees signed free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira to a whopping eight-year contract totaling $180 million.  Teixeira is arguably the best non-pitcher free agent on the market (one could make an argument for Manny Ramirez, but it seems the market has focused more on Teixeira first).  This signing comes on the heels of the Yankees signing CC Sabathia to a seven-year contract worth $161 million and A.J. Burnett to a five-year contract worth $82.5 million.  Sabathia was hands-down the elite free agent pitcher, and Burnett was considered the second- or third-best free agent pitcher (depending on whether you ranked Derek Lowe above or below Burnett).  That’s an extraordinary $423.5 million on three guys, all in the last month.  And the Yankees got all three of them — three of the top five free agents on the market.  

Now, just because the Yankees are spending money like drunken sailors does not mean they will win.  Indeed, even with these signings, it appears that the Yankees may wind up with a smaller payroll than last year (when they failed to make the playoffs), when it stood at $222.2 million.  In fact, the Yankees’ payroll may wind up south of $200 million.  But this situation still strikes me as problematic for the longevity of Major League Baseball (MLB), especially in small- or mid-size markets.  

It leads to a debate which may be worth revisiting: That is, should MLB adopt a salary cap? 

Continue ReadingTime for a Baseball Salary Cap?
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