Environmental brief ~ Maine first state to charge TV, monitor makers for recycling News
Environmental brief ~ Maine first state to charge TV, monitor makers for recycling

[JURIST] Leading Thursday's environmental law news, Maine has became the first state in the US to require manufacturers to pay the cost of recycling computer monitors and televisions [press release] under a program [backgrounder] that began Wednesday pursuant to Maine's amended E-Waste Law [text]. The state has approved 5 consolidation centers that will sort through the materials and bill manufacturers directly for the recycling cost, with payments being split for material produced by currently defunct companies. Maine has also banned the landfilling or incineration of computer and television monitors effective July 20, 2006. AP has more.

In other environmental law news…

  • The Chinese city of Shanghai [municipal website] will ban vehicles that do not meet Euro I emissions standards [text] from its inner city during the day. The Shanghai traffic authority will issue certificates for vehicles that meet the standards from January 20 to February 14, 2006, and restict access to the area to vehicles with the certificate beginning February 15, 2006. The Shanghai Daily has more.
  • US District Judge Paul Magnuson of the US District Court of Minnesota [official website] has fined ConAgra Foods Inc. [corporate website] $138,513 and ordered the company to provide $110,000 in community service for violating the Clean Water Act [text]. The company failed to record and report the water temperature of discharges from its flour mill in Hastings Minnesota, in violation of its operating permit. AP has more.
THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.