Cities, states, and countries around the world face a significant challenge in limiting pollution that harms local air quality and contributes to climate change. In recent years, some jurisdictions have begun to engage in coordinated governance of pollutants, planning policies that “kill two birds with one stone” to achieve climate and air quality goals at the same time.
On behalf of 29 U.S. Senators and 118 U.S. Representatives, the Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic filed an amicus brief on July 6, 2020, in a D.C. Circuit case challenging the Trump administration's attempt to revoke California's clean car standards.
Pritzker Brief No. 5 | October 2013
An estimated 20 million tons of plastic litter enters the ocean each year. This litter has a wide range of adverse environmental and economic impacts, from wildlife deaths and degraded coral reefs to billions of dollars in cleanup costs, damage to sea vessels, and lost tourism and fisheries revenues. Despite increased attention to the problem and general agreement about the need for reduction and cleanup of marine plastic litter, there is presently no overarching action plan that would effectively address the problem.
Pritzker Brief No. 4 | September 2013
Fumigant pesticides are widely used in agriculture in California and other states to control soil pests for high-value crops such as strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, and stone fruits. This report focuses on one fumigant--methyl iodide--and the story of its approval for use in California by the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) in a process known as registration.
Pritzker Brief No. 4 | September 2013
Publication Number 37 Harv. Envtl. L. Rev. 365 (2013)
California will begin construction of a proposed high speed rail system in the San Joaquin Valley in 2013, which will ultimately connect to Los Angeles and San Francisco. If implemented poorly, however, the system could lead to unchecked development in the Valley that could increase traffic, exacerbate the loss of farmland, and generate more air pollution.