Univ. Of Maryland Hosts Environmental Moot Court

BALTIMORE (AP) -- Environmental law students from five continents will compete this weekend in Baltimore in a test of their knowledge of international oil spill law.

The University of Maryland School of Law is hosting the moot court competition because it won last year's competition. This year marks the first time the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition has been held outside of Florida.

Legal issues to be argued at the moot court include whether failure to properly regulate offshore drilling violates international law; whether nations are allowed to authorize widespread use of chemical dispersants under international law; and whether a nation has a legal obligation to compensate another for oil spill damages.

The competition begins Friday morning and concludes Sunday afternoon with an awards ceremony.

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