Joseph Goffman – Page 5 – Environmental and Energy Law Program

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In the Media

Pandemic ‘totally predictable.’ How Trump dismissed warnings

EPA officials have said the task force responsible for setting assumptions for the last National Climate Assessment was directed by Obama political appointees, who, they say, were concerned with making the effects of climate change look as dire as possible to justify regulation. But Joe Goffman, EPA’s top lawyer on air and climate under Obama, said it was run by career staff.

March 23, 2020

In the Media

Exhibit A: Science advisers’ critiques of EPA rules

In contrast, a court could reprimand EPA for disregarding such guidance without a rational explanation for that decision, said Joseph Goffman, an Obama-era EPA official who is now at Harvard Law School.

March 10, 2020

Legal Analysis

How Statutory Interpretation of the Clean Air Act Serves the Trump Administration’s Deregulatory Agenda

We worked with the Case Western Reserve Law Review to publish an article in which we analyze how the Trump administration is using Clean Air Act rulemakings to “deconstruct the […]

February 14, 2020

In the Media

What does Trump actually believe on climate change?

Meanwhile, Joseph Goffman, executive director of Harvard’s Environmental Law Programme, argues that Mr Trump “believes nothing on climate change – he’s a climate nihilist”.

January 27, 2020

CleanLaw Podcast

CleanLaw: Joe Goffman and Alex Barron on Carbon Pricing Models

For a full transcript of this podcast please click here. Our executive director Joe Goffman speaks with Smith College Professor of Environmental Science and Policy Alex Barron. Alex is a […]

January 10, 2020

In the Media

Advisers Call Proposed EPA Science Rule ‘License to Politicize’

Joseph Goffman, executive director of the Environmental and Energy Law Program at Harvard Law School, said, “What’s really interesting is that the report echoes what an absolute legion of commenters from the science community have said about the proposal. There’s something at least in the ballpark of consensus that the proposal is really flawed.”

January 6, 2020

In the Media

EPA Proposal Seeks to Speed Up Permit Dispute Process

Joseph Goffman, who served as the EPA’s associate assistant administrator for climate during the Obama administration, said the elimination of the amicus process would effectively narrow who has access to the board “to have a full range of considerations presented, including environmental justice.”

December 9, 2019

In the Media

Voters Want Presidential Action on Climate—With or Without Congressional Support

Clearly, the two most popular ideas were “Public info on corporate pollution” and “Energy efficiency standards for buildings and appliances.” If a president wanted to accomplish these goals, says Harvard Law School’s Environmental and Energy Law Program executive director Joe Goffman, he or she wouldn’t necessarily need the approval of Congress—there’s plenty of precedent for executive action. For example: Elizabeth Warren has proposed legislation forcing companies to disclose the environmental harm they cause as well as their risk of being affected by climate change through her Climate Risk Disclosure Act. But Goffman noted that a president could do the same thing through the Securities and Exchange Commission, whose members are appointed by the president, but is otherwise independent.

November 13, 2019

In the Media

Trump carbon rule defense: A double-edged sword?

EPA has taken an unexpected approach to defending its rollback of the Obama-era rule against challenges by states, environmental groups, public health organizations, and even industry and conservative groups in federal court, Joseph Goffman and Caitlin McCoy of Harvard University’s Environmental and Energy Law Program wrote in a recent analysis.

November 5, 2019