Legal Analysis GAO Report on EPA’s Science Advisory Panels The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report analyzing the member appointment process and practices for EPA’s advisory committees. The report describes a sharp decrease in the number of university researchers […] August 28, 2019
CleanLaw Podcast CleanLaw: Caitlin McCoy talks with Michelle Melton about Vehicle Standards In this episode of CleanLaw, Caitlin McCoy speaks with Harvard Law student Michelle Melton about the proposed changes to the fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. They discuss the lead up to and details of the proposed rules, and talk about ongoing and future litigation around these rules. May 9, 2019
Legal Analysis President Trump’s Energy Executive Orders: In-Depth Analyses President Trump signed two executive orders on April 10, 2019 in Crosby, Texas, outside of Houston: EO 13868, titled “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Energy Growth”, and EO 13867 on […] April 30, 2019
Quick Takes Energy EOs In Depth: The Trump Administration’s Efforts to Restrict State Authority in the Water Quality Certification Process This is part of a series analyzing the April 10th executive orders on energy infrastructure. President Trump signed two executive orders on April 10, 2019 in Crosby, Texas, outside of […] April 30, 2019
Greater Sage-Grouse Amended Resource Management Plans In March, the Trump administration introduced its final revisions to Obama-era greater sage–grouse conservation plans in Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, and Nevada/Northeastern California. The revised plans were drafted in the context of SO 3353, an order from the […] April 26, 2019
Legal Analysis A Post-Trump Accounting of State Climate Action States are innovating with both policy design and implementation, offering a testing ground for the success and failure of these policies. The surge of state interest in climate policies indicates that there is growing local support in the U.S. for addressing climate change. March 29, 2019
Legal Analysis Comparing EPA’s 2018 Year in Review with its Mission “The mission of EPA is to protect human health and the environment.” This straightforward mission should guide EPA in its work across a wide range of policy areas and statutes. […] March 7, 2019
Legal Analysis Willing to Face Legal Obstacles, Washington State Persists in Climate Policy Efforts Washington State has been in the news recently for its twice-failed efforts to pass a carbon tax via voter initiative. The state would have been the first U.S. jurisdiction to impose a carbon tax, and its failure to enact the tax has been deemed a “parable” for the challenge of addressing climate change. Instead, it may offer a different lesson: a failure at the ballot box (or in the legislature) does not necessarily foreclose climate action. February 21, 2019
Legal Analysis Beyond the Waiver: EPA’s Plan to End State GHG Vehicle Standards The comment period recently closed for the Trump administration’s proposed Light Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards governing model years 2021-2026, known as the Safer Affordable Fuel Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule. Barring a miraculous change of heart from either party, it looks like the administration and California are eventually headed for a battle royale, with enormous implications for the auto industry, consumers, American federalism, and the planet. November 5, 2018