The founding of the United States was far from perfect, reflecting the deep flaws and exploitative practices of the founders themselves. But there was one thing they got right: They created a government charged, in part, with protecting the general welfare. That includes you, me, the American people writ large, and our environment. We at the Center for Progressive Reform have worked for two decades to ensure our government can fulfill this vital mission.
Twenty years ago, a small group of legal scholars came together to found what they called the Center for Progressive Regulation. Over the years, the Center sought to help our government protect public and environmental health for all – and particularly for the most historically marginalized among us.
Our small “think and do tank” has seen remarkable success over the years: We became the nation’s leading authority on progressive regulation, setting the national agenda for government safeguards that protect people and the planet. We led efforts to rescue scientific discovery from political manipulation and expose industry efforts to weaken protective regulations. We pressed presidents, lawmakers, and decision-makers to protect the planet and advance environmental justice. And that’s just the start, as our new impact section shows.
Changing with the Times
During this time, our government – and our society – have changed in profound ways, and so has our organization. A while back, we changed our name to reflect our growing portfolio. We hired a full-time executive director and grew our staff to take on a wider array of projects to protect the public, advance equity, and curb climate change. And we formalized relationships with our network of Member Scholars, a group of five dozen of the nation’s leading legal minds.
These changes ramped up two years ago, as we headed into our 20th year.
In 2021, we hired a new executive director and undertook a strategic planning process that resulted in a new strategic focus, a wholesale content rebrand, and an upgraded website, which we are launching today as we prepare to celebrate our 20th anniversary next month.
Our top priority going forward is bold and equitable climate action. We’re pressing government at the federal and state levels to accelerate a just and equitable transition to clean energy; prevent and repair climate-induced harm to disenfranchised communities; and redress societal inequities relating to the climate crisis.
Another major priority is building a federal bureaucracy that is more inclusive of and responsive to the people. Our administrative state – staffed by thousands of dedicated experts and civil servants – is an inherently democratic institution. It is the government organ through which members of the public can shape the rules and regulations that shape their lives. We’re working to protect and strengthen it.
We’re also continuing our longstanding work to strengthen public protections as our climate changes and inequity widens. We’re working to hold corporations accountable for harming workers and communities and polluting our natural resources in violation of the law.
Embedded in all of our work is a renewed commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ). We are undertaking a comprehensive initiative to apply DEIJ recommendations throughout all aspects of our organization, from operations to programming to communications.
Reflecting a New Focus
To reflect our new strategic focus, we’ve revised our logo, mission, vision, and values statements and reshaped our website to capture and communicate our new focus – and the energy behind it. We’ve anchored our site around our three priorities and emphasized solutions over problems as a way of building engagement. We’ve also added elements to tell our story, highlight our impact, and feature our volunteer Member Scholars, without whom we could not do this work.
As we enter our third decade, we’re committed to helping our government help all of us – from the ravages of climate change, economic inequity, racial discrimination, and corporate greed – and we believe our new look will help us communicate with our audiences and accomplish our goals. We hope you’ll agree and will join us in this important work. Please subscribe to our email list, follow us on social media, and share our new site with your friends, colleagues, and family.
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Allison Stevens | September 13, 2022
The founding of the United States was far from perfect, reflecting the deep flaws and exploitative practices of the founders themselves. But there was one thing they got right: They created a government charged, in part, with protecting the general welfare. That includes you, me, the American people writ large, and our environment. We at […]
Katlyn Schmitt | September 12, 2022
At the end of August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a draft rule to better protect people who live near industrial facilities with hazardous chemicals on site. The rule would strengthen EPA’s Risk Management Program (RMP), which regulates more than 12,000 facilities in the United States that store, use, and distribute significant amounts of dangerous chemicals.
Daniel Farber | September 9, 2022
States have played a critical role in U.S. climate policy. The federal government is now supporting that role with federal funding for states. In the meantime, a number of states have moved a step further in plans to phase out gas and diesel vehicles. Two key states have ramped up their plans for carbon neutrality, while offshore wind made a big step forward in the Midwest.
Sophie Loeb | September 8, 2022
The Center for Progressive Reform recently launched the Campaign for Energy Justice to ensure that North Carolina’s transition to a clean energy economy serves all North Carolinians regardless of wealth or background. The campaign puts equity at the center of the state’s transition to clean sources of energy like wind and solar power. Unfortunately, a plan submitted to the North Carolina Utility Commission (NCUC) by Duke Energy to reduce carbon emissions fails to take equity into account.
Sophie Loeb | September 8, 2022
In the spring of 2022, Duke Energy submitted a Carbon Plan to help North Carolina achieve goals laid out in recently enacted laws to curb climate change. The plan ostensibly aims to achieve the state's climate goals to curb carbon emissions. Under this plan, however, low-wealth North Carolinians, who are disproportionately people of color, risk losing access to reliable, affordable electricity.
Clare Henry | September 7, 2022
From family farmers to biofuel investors, over 900 people and advocacy groups submitted comments on California’s draft plan for achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. In their comments, environmental advocates and justice groups expressed three major concerns with the state’s draft “scoping” plan. First, the plan fails to recognize the urgency of transitioning to a clean energy economy. Second, it relies too heavily on unproven technology. And third, it fails to specify concrete implementation measures.
David Hunter, Shade Streeter, William Snape, III | September 1, 2022
Our hemisphere’s shared natural heritage is threatened. The Convention on Nature Protection and Wild Life Preservation is a low-risk, high-reward pathway for the Biden administration to strengthen our strategic relationships in the hemisphere.
Grace DuBois | August 31, 2022
Climate change poses a serious threat to occupational health and safety. Workers — especially low-income workers and those who work outdoors — are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures and increasingly frequent extreme weather and other climate-related disasters.
Daniel Farber | August 19, 2022
Production and combustion of fossil fuels impose enormous costs on society, which the industry doesn't pay for. I want to talk about some options for using the tax system to change that.