Data gathering by members of the public—often called “citizen science” or “community science”—is gaining traction in the field of environmental protection. In this episode, Jay Benforado, Chief Innovation Officer at EPA’s Office of Research and Development, talks about the recent revolution of citizen science brought about by emerging technologies and what it means for environmental agencies. Joining him are Graeme Carvlin, an official at Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, and Meghan Smart, an official at the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Those interested in learning more should check out ELI’s recent reports on citizen science.
People Places Planet Podcast
Welcome to ELI’s People Places Planet Podcast. Here, listeners can gain insight on some of the thinking behind ELI's work. Below you will find our most recent episodes.
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Gas stations are America’s largest carbon spigot, a leading source of neighborhood-based pollution, and a sacred cow. Today, four emerging issues—the climate crisis, the rise of electric vehicles, the aging of underground storage tanks, and new research establishing the dangers of gas station pollution—are challenging the gas station status quo and intensifying the need for tighter governance. In this episode, Hunter Jones, Associate Editor for ELR—The Environmental Law Reporter, talks to Matthew Metz and Janelle London, co-executive directors at Coltura, about an article they wrote for the January 2021 issue of ELR. In it, they posit that state and local governments should regulate gas stations to advance their climate goals, reduce pollution, improve public health, and save taxpayers money.
Founded on the first Earth Day in 1970, the New Jersey DEP protects the Garden State’s air, lands, water, and natural and historic resources. In the latest episode of People Places Planet Podcast, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP who co-leads the firm’ global environmental practice, talks to NJ DEP Commissioner Catherine McCabe. The two discuss a wide range of issues, including the incoming Biden Administration, PFAS, and environmental justice.
For decades, there has been a bipartisan consensus that federal agencies should base their decisions on evidence, expertise, and analysis. But under the Trump Administration, inconvenient evidence has often been ignored, experts have been sidelined, and analysis has been misused to intentionally obscure important truths. In this episode, we talk to Prof. Michael Livermore (University of Virginia School of Law) and Prof. Richard Revesz (New York University School of Law) to discuss current challenges as well as considerations for the road ahead. Their new book, Reviving Rationality: Saving Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Sake of the Environment and Our Health, offers analysis on critical aspects of the regulatory process and calls for the reinstatement of expertise, sound cost-benefit analysis, and the rule of law in public administration.
No matter their practice area, today’s lawyers should have a basic understanding of climate change. Yet, most law courses do not include climate-related cases and other materials, even when such resources would be useful in teaching fundamental competencies and skills. In this episode, we hear from Prof. Warren G. Lavey about his article, Toolkit for Integrating Climate Change into Ten High-Enrollment Law School Courses (2019). Tune in to learn why an understanding of climate change needs to be integrated into the law school curriculum and how we might overcome the climate competency shortfall in legal education.
The United States has created an intricate system of laws, regulations, policies, and programs to respond to environmental and public health concerns. Enforcement is vital to the system’s effectiveness. In the latest episode of People Places Planet Podcast, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP who co-leads the firm’ global environmental practice, talks with Todd Sax, Section Chief of CARB’s Enforcement Division. The two discuss a wide range of issues, including COVID-19, wildfires, and environmental justice.
The United States has created an intricate system of laws, regulations, policies, and programs to respond to environmental and public health concerns. Enforcement is vital to the system’s effectiveness. In the latest episode of People Places Planet Podcast, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP who co-leads the firm’ global environmental practice, talks to Susan Bodine, the Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. This episode is the first of a year-long series, The Enforcement Angle, created in partnership with Sidley Austin LLP.
Hurricane season is in full swing, and this year is unlike any before. What is driving this year’s record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season? And what implications is it having on coastal communities in the Gulf of Mexico states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida? In this podcast, we talk to Amy Reed, Director of ELI’s Gulf of Mexico program, to discuss the 2020 hurricane season and what it means for those who call the Gulf home.
Compensatory mitigation offers a viable way to protect the long-term health of the nation’s watersheds, and its success relies on a robust review and approval process that ensures that the protections in federal regulations are implemented in practice on the ground and that compensation projects effectively offset permitted impacts. However, the review and approval process can often be lengthy, sometimes greatly exceeding the regulatory timelines. In this episode, Rebecca Kihslinger, Director of ELI’s Wetlands Program, discusses a new ELI research report that aims to identify some of the main impediments to efficiency in compensatory mitigation project review, as well as best practices to improve the process and ensure timely, ecologically viable mitigation outcomes.
As renewable energy development is happening throughout the country, changes in environmental regulations and related court decisions are impacting project development. What does this shifting terrain mean for the development, expansion and maintenance of renewable energy technologies? In this episode, we hear from Brooke Marcus Wahlberg, a Partner at Nossaman LLP, and her colleague Rebecca Barho as they unpack changes to environmental regulations and their related court decisions. Tune in to learn about what recent regulatory and judicial developments mean for renewables.