This op-ed was originally published in The Hill.
Conventional wisdom has it that the federal legislative process is broken and that, no matter how urgent the need the American people can no longer rely on the U.S. Congress to adopt legislation to promote the public interest. In the area of environmental protection, this characterization has some basis in reality.
Congress has not updated key environmental legislation in decades. It has failed to do so despite significant changes in the nature of the problems posed by polluting activities, the scientific knowledge about the effects of pollution and available means of curtailing it and the enormous risks to public health that inaction will create.
Congress has never passed a comprehensive bill to address the adverse public health effects and disruption to ecosystems upon which we all depend that stem from climate change. But in a development that somehow largely escaped public notice, Congress recently took an important step toward filling this legislative vacuum. In doing so, it may have created a blueprint for overcoming some of the obstacles that have stymied past efforts to pass climate change legislation.
In August, with relatively little fanfare, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. While the act’s provisions do indeed have the potential to reduce inflation, it also represents the most significant measure Congress has ever adopted to combat climate change. The act’s measures to mitigate climate change have attracted some attention in the press, but what has been largely missing has been an analysis of its potential to deliver important protections against the myriad adverse public health consequences that scientists have linked to climate change. In an article published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, I describe those benefits and the novel policy tools that the Inflation Reduction Act relies on to achieve them.
Read the full op-ed in The Hill.
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Robert L. Glicksman | January 3, 2023
In August, with relatively little fanfare, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act. While the act’s provisions do indeed have the potential to reduce inflation, it also represents the most significant measure Congress has ever adopted to combat climate change. The act’s measures to mitigate climate change have attracted some attention in the press, but what has been largely missing has been an analysis of its potential to deliver important protections against the myriad adverse public health consequences that scientists have linked to climate change.
Catalina Gonzalez, Katlyn Schmitt | December 15, 2022
In 2021, President Joe Biden created the Justice40 Initiative, which directs at least 40 percent of federal investments in climate, energy, transit, workforce, infrastructure, and environment-related programs to “disadvantaged communities.” The benefits are far-reaching and range from reduced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy burdens (the share households spend on electric and other energy bills), improved public transportation, and the creation of clean energy jobs and training opportunities, among others.
Karen Sokol | December 14, 2022
Climate-driven geophysical shifts are driving geopolitical shifts that are putting increasing pressure on international law and global governance. The recent landmark decision to establish an international “loss and damage” fund offers a glimpse into the challenges and opportunities presented by these ongoing disruptions.
Catalina Gonzalez | December 13, 2022
After a year and a half of work, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is poised to vote on an updated statewide climate plan. The final draft of the plan incorporates ambitious targets for achieving carbon neutrality by 2045, which were updated in September to reflect new legislation and Governor Gavin Newsom’s push for stronger action.
Allison Stevens | December 9, 2022
Gentle giant. These two words appear over and over again in tributes to the late Rep. Donald McEachin, who died on November 28 from complications from cancer. He was 61. The Virginia Democrat indeed stood tall in the halls of Congress, where he served constituents in and south of Richmond. But he was a giant in the figurative sense of the word, too, particularly when it came to racial equity and environmental justice — issues he championed over two decades in political office.
James Goodwin | December 8, 2022
Last month, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it was conducting a public listening session to obtain ideas about how the Biden administration could strengthen the public’s ability to engage in the regulatory system. This is an issue we at the Center have been working hard on in recent years. So, we were happy to answer OIRA’s call.
Alice Kaswan, Allison Stevens, Emily Hammond, Karen Sokol | November 22, 2022
We asked our Member Scholars how the election outcomes will affect policy going forward in our three priority policy areas. Today’s post covers the implications for climate justice.
Allison Stevens, David Driesen, James Goodwin, Sidney A. Shapiro, Thomas McGarity | November 21, 2022
We asked several of our Member Scholars how the midterm election outcomes will affect policy going forward in our three priority policy areas. Today’s post covers the implications for regulations.
Allison Stevens, Dave Owen, Michael C. Duff, Noah Sachs | November 18, 2022
We asked several of our Member Scholars how the election outcomes will affect policy going forward in our three priority policy areas. Today’s post covers the implications for public protections such as environmental health, clean air and water, and workers’ rights.