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Full-Text Articles in Law
Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Fertilization: Legal Challenges And Opportunities, Korey Silverman-Roati, Romany M. Webb, Michael Gerrard
Removing Carbon Dioxide Through Ocean Fertilization: Legal Challenges And Opportunities, Korey Silverman-Roati, Romany M. Webb, Michael Gerrard
Faculty Scholarship
Carbon dioxide removal (“CDR”) will be needed, alongside deep emissions cuts, to achieve global temperature goals. According to a 2022 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to keep global average temperatures within 1.5°C above preindustrial levels, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions must reach net-zero by mid-century. Scientists have proposed a number of land- and ocean-based CDR techniques. This paper focuses on ocean fertilization, which involves adding iron or other nutrients to the ocean to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton that uptake carbon dioxide and convert it into organic carbon. The hope is that the organic carbon …
Emergency Exemptions From Environmental Laws, Michael B. Gerrard
Emergency Exemptions From Environmental Laws, Michael B. Gerrard
Faculty Scholarship
The national response to the coronavirus crisis may face several impediments but federal and state environmental laws should not be among them. Most of these laws have emergency exemptions that allow the usual (and sometimes lengthy) procedures to be bypassed, and some substantive requirements to be waived, in instances of true urgency. However, there is concern that some agencies and corporations will use this as an excuse to bypass environmental laws that aren’t actually getting in the way of responses to the crisis.
Legal Pathways For A Massive Increase In Utility-Scale Renewable Generation Capacity, Michael Gerrard
Legal Pathways For A Massive Increase In Utility-Scale Renewable Generation Capacity, Michael Gerrard
Faculty Scholarship
Decarbonizing the U.S. energy system will require a program of building onshore wind, offshore wind, utility-scale solar, and associated transmission that will exceed what has been done before in the United States by many times, every year out to 2050. These facilities, together with rooftop photovoltaics and other distributed generation, are required to replace most fossil fuel generation and to help furnish the added electricity that will be needed as many uses currently employing fossil fuels (especially passenger transportation and space and water heating) are electrified. This Article, excerpted from Michael B. Gerrard & John Dernbach, eds., Legal Pathways to …
How Did Federal Environmental Impact Statements Address Climate Change In 2016?, Saloni Jain, Omri Klagsbald, Giovanna Leigh Crozier-Fitzgerald, Taylor Quinn, Elana Sulakshana
How Did Federal Environmental Impact Statements Address Climate Change In 2016?, Saloni Jain, Omri Klagsbald, Giovanna Leigh Crozier-Fitzgerald, Taylor Quinn, Elana Sulakshana
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
In partnership with the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, this project surveyed 31 federal environmental impact statements (EISs) published from September through November 2016. The objective was to evaluate how federal agencies were implementing the guidance released in August 2016 by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on how to account for climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the environmental review process.
Using Online Databasing To Unlock The Full Value Of Environmental Impact Assessments, Jessica A. Wentz
Using Online Databasing To Unlock The Full Value Of Environmental Impact Assessments, Jessica A. Wentz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
This paper considers how a multi-disciplinary research community can build upon these efforts to further enhance online access to EIA documents and make it easier for the public to use the information contained in those documents. Part I lays the groundwork for this inquiry: it describes the types of information contained in EIA documents and the extent to which existing online databases provide an effective means of locating and searching through these documents. Part II discusses the potential applications of the information contained in these documents, and how this might inform priorities related to online database development. Part III contemplates …
A Mitigation Based Rationale For Incorporating A Climate Change Impacts Fee Into The Federal Coal Leasing Program, Michael Burger
A Mitigation Based Rationale For Incorporating A Climate Change Impacts Fee Into The Federal Coal Leasing Program, Michael Burger
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
This paper describes the legal and policy rationale for imposing a fee on federal coal that reflects the costs of the climate change impacts generated by that coal. It notes that the federal government has a duty to mitigate climate impacts from the federal coal leasing program, and that the Department of Interior (“Interior”) and the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”) have ample authority to impose a climate change impacts fee on coal leases as a form of compensatory mitigation for those coal leases. The paper also discusses technical issues that should be considered when assessing the effectiveness of this …
Considering The Effects Of Climate Change On Natural Resources In Environmental Review And Planning Documents: Guidelines For Agencies And Practitioners, Jessica A. Wentz
Considering The Effects Of Climate Change On Natural Resources In Environmental Review And Planning Documents: Guidelines For Agencies And Practitioners, Jessica A. Wentz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
This paper describes how climate change will affect natural resources in the United States, and explains why consideration of how climate change will affect those resources is necessary in order to fulfill legal requirements under NEPA and other statutes governing the management of these resources. It also presents examples of how climate change has been meaningfully accounted for in environmental review and planning documents. The accompanying protocol contains guidelines for considering the impacts of climate change in environmental reviews as well as other planning documents (e.g., resource management plans and resource assessments).
Assessing The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Built Environment Under Nepa And State Eia Laws: A Survey Of Current Practices And Recommendations For Model Protocols, Jessica A. Wentz
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Federal agencies are beginning to incorporate descriptions of climate change impacts into environmental reviews for buildings and infrastructure, but there is no consistent methodology for evaluating these impacts and mitigating any foreseeable risks to the project or affected environment. This Article asserts that an assessment of climate-related risks and adaptation options falls within the scope of considerations that should be addressed under the National Environmental Policy Act and similar laws. It concludes with a set of recommended protocols for identifying the impacts of climate change on projects and their affected environment, evaluating physical and environmental risks, and selecting appropriate mitigation …
Nepa And Downstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions Of U.S. Coal Exports, Elizabeth Sheargold, Smita Walavalkar
Nepa And Downstream Greenhouse Gas Emissions Of U.S. Coal Exports, Elizabeth Sheargold, Smita Walavalkar
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
As U.S. coal exports increase and new infrastructure is proposed to improve access to markets in Asia, controversy has arisen regarding the scope of environmental review that should be carried out by government. In particular, there is significant disagreement as to whether the end-use of exported coal and the emissions generated by its combustion fall within the scope of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). This paper considers this issue, examining the requirements of NEPA and its implementing regulations, as well as current practice by Federal agencies.
Consideration Of Climate Change In Federal Eiss, 2009-2011, Patrick Woolsey
Consideration Of Climate Change In Federal Eiss, 2009-2011, Patrick Woolsey
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
In recent years, climate change has become an increasingly prominent subject of discussion in EISs. A comparison of agency approaches to EIS scope and methodology shows widely varying treatment of climate change impacts. Agencies differ in the methods used to calculate emissions and assess their significance. In addition, the types of indirect impacts addressed and the extent to which the impacts of climate change on the project are included vary.
Encouraging Energy Efficiency Through Nepa Comments, Adam Reidel
Encouraging Energy Efficiency Through Nepa Comments, Adam Reidel
Sabin Center for Climate Change Law
Environmental impact statements (EISs) should analyze the potential for energy efficiency to reduce the adverse impacts of new projects, to make the projects smaller, or to provide more benign alternatives. The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its state counterparts require EISs for major actions, and provide numerous opportunities for public participation in the EIS process. These opportunities can be used to press for greater consideration, and perhaps adoption, of energy efficiency measures. This paper serves as a guide to commenting on and challenging EISs on the basis of insufficient consideration of the issues of energy efficiency and conservation. It …