<p><img style="float: right; margin: 5px;" src="irl://457//" alt="" width="33%" />It&rsquo;s Earth Day every day at the <a href="ipl://127//W10=">Environmental and Natural Resources Law Clinic</a>, where students get hands-on practical training in this popular, specialized area of the law.<br /><br /> Clinic intern Patrick DeArmey has used the opportunity to build skills and expand his knowledge of the Clean Water Act and the intricacies of discharge permits. DeArmey, a 3L from Carroll County, Md., has logged about 30 pro bono hours this year working on a compliance sweep project that holds businesses and industry accountable for excess pollution.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been important to me, for whatever I want to do in the future, to know how this process works,&rdquo; said DeArmey, who chose Widener Law for the strength of its environmental law program. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve gained these skills so I can make a difference.&rdquo;</p>
<p>The clinic has partnered with the Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center &ndash; housed at Widener Law in Delaware &ndash; on the Upper Potomac Compliance Sweep. DeArmey has worked with attorney Hannah Leone, the center fellow and clinic Director and Associate Professor <a href="ipl://20//WyIxMjAiXQ==">Kenneth T. Kristl</a>, researching discharge permits for businesses and industries within the Upper Potomac region. The region comprises Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.</p>
<p>First they searched Environmental Protection Agency online records to determine which businesses have permits to discharge into geographically relevant watersheds. From there they formulated Freedom of Information Act requests of the states &ndash; which are charged with enforcing the discharge permits &ndash; to view reports that detail the amount of pollution being discharged. Permits are typically held by industrial parks, chemical companies, coal companies and waste water treatment plants.</p>
<p>Tracking and enforcing permit compliance is a massive job for the states, which may prioritize differently or not track permits as closely as many feel is necessary, Leone said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why our work is so important,&rdquo; she said.</p>
<p>DeArmey and Leone analyzed the data and put it into charts, looking for patterns in the pollutants. Then they shared the charts with the Potomac Riverkeeper &ndash; the client on the project &ndash; to review and elect how to proceed. DeArmey said the clinic so far has sent warning letters, notifying polluters they are being monitored and advising them to get in compliance.</p>
<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been very enlightening on how the whole process works,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been able to see all the groundwork that goes into it and I&rsquo;m doing something that makes sure people are following the rules and what they agreed to do.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Kristl, who also serves as executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Environmental Law Center, said the sweeps have provided students like DeArmey with a valuable learning experience that contributes to protecting the environment.</p>
<p>&ldquo;We seek to prepare students for practice by having them engage in and learn from the real, practical steps an attorney takes to serve a client &ndash; exactly what Patrick had the opportunity to do,&rdquo; Kristl said. &ldquo;That it also protects the Potomac River watershed and its environment allows Patrick and other clinic interns to have a real, positive impact on the environment while learning these valuable skills.&rdquo;</p>