This course analyzes how our society protects (or fails to protect) the environment through land regulation. Students will examine and compare several U.S. environmental laws that are designed to redress environmental damage and to protect the environment. In doing so, they will analyze the relative costs and benefits of various forms of environmental regulation within the context of the American political, administrative, and legal systems. The course focuses on U.S. Environmental law, but will also consider the increasingly important field of international environmental law and agreements.