An easement deals with the right to use another owner’s property, given a specific need to do so. This type of purpose can deal with having access to travel through the property of the owner, or use certain areas for allowable utilities to be provided. One common example is the need for utility companies to install a support beam on someone’s front property to transport new power lines for electricity, or phone services. 

Another can be the utility companies digging the ground on someone’s property in order to install or repair gas, water, or sewage lines. Although these are the most prevalent of scenarios, there are other examples that can affect one’s property,such as an access route to a street. 

Sometimes houses are built behind one another, obstructing a property owner’s path to a road. In this case, an easement would grant the rear property owner (dominant tenement) access to building a driveway, through the property of the front owner (servient tenement), so the dominant tenement can properly access the road . Easements are split into two main categories:easements in gross, and appurtenant easements.

Appurtenant easements deal with an easement specifically for the benefit of a particular lot of land. This type of easement is transferable to a new owner, if a sale of that land takes place. In regards to the example of the house being built behind the other house, that type of easement would be considered an appurtenant easement. 

The access route would be built on the property of the servient tenement to the benefit of the dominant tenement. Should a sale take place of the land, the property of the dominant tenement would transfer the easement over to the new owner without any issue or complication. In fact, the easement is not required to be mentioned in the title of deed of the property. An easement in gross deals with a similar concept, but the difference is that the owner of the easement does not benefit from it. 

This relates to the example with the utility companies. Since the purpose of the easement is simply to grant those companies access to the land in order to install their necessary components, the benefit of such action does not lie within the company or a specific owner. One could argue that the installation of such measures provides services necessary or essential to the people living in the area, but this still does not constitute benefit of specific ownership.

The way easements are created can occur by different means. They can be conceived due to implication, express grant, necessity, or prescription. An implied easement deals with an easement created by the actions of a party over another without a written documentation. 

It is an understanding or ‘implication’ that an easement is required for access, such as buying a landlocked piece of land requiring access to the roadways. This would create an implied easement in which the owner of the landlocked land has the right to access that roadway through the property blocking it, if belonging to the owner who sold him his current property (two parallel properties).

It is extremely important for both, property owner’s and prospective buyers, to be fully aware of the environmental protection laws. When building a new commercial property, or a home, construction companies, must be aware of any potential damage they can cause if they are not notified of the type of area they are looking to build upon.

Most construction companies or property owners looking to develop their property, will come up with an environmental protection plan. This environmental protection plan, outlines the mandatory laws or requirements for the people working on the land. For example, if the site being built, stands close to a wetland preservation area, the workers must stay as far away from the boundaries of that wetland preserve. 

Crossing into the protected area can not only cause the collapse of the structure, but also, it can lead to severe consequences pertaining to the violation of particular environmental laws. The wetlands are seen as a crucial spot for certain species of birds to breed, as well as an excellent source for oxygen production. Taking these things into consideration, as well as the fact that the ecological chain is dependent on organisms that dwell in these environments, wetlands are a pivotal ecosystem. Now aside from these areas, how can the environmental protection plan affect a household built in a general non wetland area is a question widely pondered. 

When a property is built, soil needs to be moved around, as foundations are dug up and structures are raised. The movement of the topsoil can result in erosion, and possible problems with rainfall by disturbing the ground. This would not only affect the lot where the home is built, but also the areas around it, where the soil would get washed away by rainfall over time. Certain erosion control measures need to be taken by the companies to prevent this from happening, according to guidelines in the environmental protection plan. 

This can avoid possible disaster later on, by implementing these measures at the base (literally) of the construction. Somewhat related to this issue, such a plan should also contain measures regarding storm water. The diversion of storm water into sewers is extremely important to prevent such things as erosion, or flooding in an area.

The particular environment around which a home can be built, can help determine the amount of rainfall experienced, and if heavy in the area, take certain precautions in the construction phase to promote the proper diversion of storm water. A survey of the land must be conducted based on previous patterns, of course taking into consideration the new obstacles created during construction. It is important that the storm water be guided to appropriately placed storm drains. If a house lacks gutter trenches where there is heavy precipitation, the rain fall in front of a house on a path walkway heavily can collect varying sediments. 

This water can then (during a downpour or constant rainfall) make its way down to the grass (commonly filled with fertilizer) of a property. The water then finally reaches the street, where by going to the storm drain, has carried a great amount of fertilizer with it. If these storm drains empty to the waterways, then you have a contamination issue from that property. These are some examples of the measures that must be implemented into an environmental protection plan, to ensure the safety of a property, as well as the surrounding areas.

The Clean Water Act, is an example of a well-known and prominent environmental law. The Clean Water Act assures the quality of our water supply, and additionally preventing the tampering with, or pollution and contamination of it. 

The contamination can include individuals dumping chemicals into the water, as well as certain structures of a property that can contribute to the pollution of a nearby water source. Depending on the severity of the infraction, strict fines can be imposed on people or businesses for their contamination of a water supply.

Another common environmental protection law is the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. The CERCLA, which is enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency, was passed in 1980 and deals with problems relating to closed or abandoned hazardous waste properties/sites. This act directly can impose a liability on different parties coming into contact with hazardous waste and their dealing of it. These parties can be companies that deal with the production of hazardous waste, to people who transport, or dispose of it. 

As a result of their direct contact with the waste during any given phase of its existence, these are the people who can be held responsible in case of a spill or improper disposal or use of the waste. If a person or group of persons is found liable for any of these actions with hazardous waste they will face serious implications. These can include heavy fines, as well as lawsuits from any possible people that were harmed in result of their actions.

Also, the person(s) will be responsible for the proper cleanup of the mishap or site, whether through their own means, if fitting under EPA standards, or by hiring an outside company specializing in that type of cleanup. Those held liable will be responsible for the entire cost of the cleanup and safe removal/disposal of the hazardous waste.

Aside from federal laws, there are state laws that regulate certain types of products that may come in contact with the environment as well. For example, certain state laws oversee the use of underground storage tanks containing petroleum or petroleum products. 

These laws state a specific type of storage type that must be used, and what components it can be made of to store such liquids. Should an unfortunate leak happen with the tank, these state laws bring forth liability to the owner of that tank. Leaks can contaminate the soil on the property as well as ground water, and through rainfall, can travel to other areas spreading the contamination. Those held liable,  aside from suffering a great deal of penalties, will also be responsible for the proper cleanup of such sites. 

On a residential level, there is a concern for home owners purchasing houses that contain lead-based or radon-based paints. If directly contacted, these are both potentially harmful substances to a person’s health. This is why a home owner is told to report the levels of such contaminants in the house prior to sale.

The laws that are set by the government (both federal and local) are meant to not only protect the environment, but also the health of people in and around the areas prone to contamination. Environmental protection laws are focused on creating a safer existing environment for everyone, as well as cleaning up areas that were harmed in the past.

The benefits of a property easement lie within the holder of an easement, and their use or access over a property. In appurtenant easements, the dominant tenement holds the benefit over the servient tenement over the use of their land. This can pertain to an access or need to cross over to their property with or without a structure being built.

The dominant tenement also benefits from the easement, even if ownership of the property is transferred to a new owner. The new owner would automatically receive the easement for that property without legal implications, or due notification. This privilege is not shared by the owner of the servient tenement, which is where the easement is located. A situation that would help understand this concept is thinking of it as a property owner (X) who has land behind their house after their lot ends, and prior to a different owner’s lot beginning, or a wall, structure, forest, lake, etc….

The owner of that vacant land decides to sell it to a person looking to build a home in the lot within it’s boundaries, and of course following by all zoning guidelines through the municipality(after approvals of course). Once the home is built, the owner (Y) will need a means of accessing the roadway with a vehicle. The way the person would go about this, is by requesting the creation of an easement for his or her access to the public street through the property of a different owner (owner ‘A’ as mentioned before).Once the easement is granted, then a driveway can perhaps be built through the property of the owner (X).

This will grant the owner of the concealed property (Y) full access to the road using a vehicle, as well as to their own property and home. The benefit of such types of easements are clearly visible to the dominant tenement, the servient tenement simply has the easement located on their property (without such benefit). In the case of implied easements, had the property owner (x) owned the property lot behind his home and sold it to the new owner (Y), then in this case the new owner may not even have to file for an easement to be created.

In such case, the owner of both properties (X) has knowingly sold a property that was clearly blocked by his property in relation to road access. This creates an implied easement, stating that it in a way it is obvious that the owner of the new property will most certainly need an easement to enter and exit their property. With this type of easement, the new owner would benefit from the implied easement, through which the easement would lie on the original owner’s second property (closest to the roadway).

These examples are meant to outline the favorable attributes that an easement can grant a property owner, over the use of the land they are entitled to through it. In some cases, such as that of easements in gross, there is no beneficiary because the easement deals with things such as power, and water, giving the access to utility company.

Due to the growing concern over the environment in recent years, environmental protection laws have been created to protect the varying ecosystems of the United States. These laws were set to promote a better environment for tomorrow’s generations, by the people of today. It is with the prevention of harmful activities and pollution to our environment that we can secure a safe and bright future for our children, and their children as well. 

Some of the laws set for environment protection can deal with the overall construction of new property and where it can and cannot take place. For example, in an area limited with forests, there may be laws preventing developers from building a condominium complex where there is a significant amount of woodlands. This is due to the scarcity of forest area as well as to promote a “green” zone for that area with a valuable source of plant life for the residents and the atmosphere. 

There are environmental protection laws that prevent people from building onto endangered property. One of these examples is the laws protecting the preservation of the wetland areas. This is in direct relation to the benefit the wetlands provide to wildlife as well as to our air and overall environment. Keeping the number of existing wetlands high will benefit all organisms of the broader environment. As a result of their nonexistence, in the past, people disregarded such things as environmental protection laws. 

Thanks to organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency, we can credit the awareness given to the general public today. Along with other agencies and organizations, the EPA can enforce their laws and oversee certain tasks permitted on specific grounds or near them to assure that there is no harm done to the area they intend to protect.

The EPA also has taken a step further into the protection of the environment by setting regulations to commercial properties that deal with fuels and harmful substances and their containment and disposal. This can relate to auto mechanic shops, gas stations, certain factories, etc.. Some of these places have storage tanks underground that can be vulnerable to decay over time-that is why only specific tanks can be used that are made up of the components stated in the clear environmental protection laws. 

The laws also prevent such liquids from being disposed of into the ground, or water sources and contaminating them. In essence, dumping into the ground can contaminate ground water that can travel to water sources as well. The EPA is extremely strict with these regulations, and will provide the necessary sanctions and penalties to anyone that comes in violation of such regulations and standards. The environmental protection laws do not only relate to commercial property, but also to residential land. 

Along with the disposal of particular products, these laws may regulate the use of certain paints on a home or items outside of a home. It is wise to become acquainted with laws designed to promote environment protection, and to follow them accordingly.

For a long period of time, people have neglected the environment and gone about their business carefree, some not realizing the potential damage they could have on the ecosystems. The EPA decided it was time to enforce such rules and regulations by setting environmental protection laws to take care of our environment. These laws have helped to improve the quality of the environment today, and for the future to come.