CleanLaw

Robin and Hana talk about the legal landscape of offshore drilling, and the proposed rule changes and executive orders that may affect where and how oil companies operate. Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-23-Robin-Hana-Offshore-Drilling.pdf

Ari Peskoe talks to Matt Christiansen, legal advisor to FERC Commissioner Richard Glick, about the Federal Power Act and Matt’s recent article co-authored with Commissioner Glick about FERC and climate change. Ari and Matt discuss recent federal court decisions about Zero Emission Credits (ZECs) and what they mean for the future of state electricity policies. Then, Matt outlines his article and explains how FERC’s authority over interstate power markets and natural gas infrastructure siting relates to greenhouse gas reduction efforts. “FERC and Climate Change” is available on the Energy Law Journal’s website https://www.eba-net.org/assets/1/6/%5bGlick_and_Christiansen%5d%5bFinal%5d.pdf Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-22-Ari-Christiansen-FERC.pdf

Joe Goffman speaks with Bill Becker, former Executive Director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Bill and Mary Becker have just published a report on the Trump proposal to weaken vehicle greenhouse gas emissions standards. They describe the effects this proposal will have on public health, state compliance with the Clean Air Act, and industry operations. In addition to increasing greenhouse gas emissions, other harmful emissions will rise, such as smog-forming pollutants, fine particles, and cancer-causing air toxins. The report is on our website https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Becker-FINALGHGREPORT.pdf Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-21-Joe-Bill-Becker-Clean-Cars.pdf

In this episode, our Climate, Clean Air & Energy Fellow Caitlin McCoy speaks with Harvard Law student Michelle Melton about the proposed changes to the fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. They discuss the lead up to and details of the proposed rules, and talk about ongoing and future litigation around these rules. We recorded this in early February, so there are references to recent events that are not so recent anymore, but the legal analysis remains the same as we continue to wait for the final rules. Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-20-Caitlin-Michelle-Vehicle-Standards.pdf

Ari Peskoe talks to Jacob Mays about capacity markets. Jacob explains why regional power markets adopted capacity markets and outlines his research on the connection between risk and power plant operating and capital costs. Jacob and his colleagues published a paper on this topic entitled Asymmetric Risk and Fuel Neutrality in Capacity Markets - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3330932 Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-19-Ari-Jacob-Capacity-Markets.pdf

Ari Peskoe talks with Bill Hogan, Professor of Global Energy Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. After laying out fundamental principles of wholesale market design, Bill discusses the recent proposal filed by PJM about reforming price formation in its reserve market. Bill explains why the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should find that prices in the market are currently unjust and unreasonable and how the proposed market redesign will result in a more efficient market. Bill and his colleague Susan Pope wrote a paper in support of PJM’s proposal https://sites.hks.harvard.edu/fs/whogan/Hogan_Pope_PJM_Report_032119.pdf. Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-18-Ari-Hogan-PJM.pdf

Robin Just speaks with Caitlin McCoy about developments in the Keystone XL permitting process, now that President Trump has issued both a new permit for the pipeline and two new Executive Orders that relate to pipelines, and other infrastructure. Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-17-Robin-Caitlin-Keystone.pdf

Caitlin McCoy speaks with Sarah Light, Assistant Professor of Legal Studies and Business Ethics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania about her article, Regulatory Horcruxes, in which she describes how regulatory programs can be split up among federal agencies, state agencies, and even private actors, and how that fragmentation can insulate programs from future deregulatory actions. Read Prof. Light’s article in the Duke Law Journal here https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3123814 Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-16-Caitlin-Sarah-Light-Horcruxes.pdf

How can business law better incentivize companies to take environmental consequences into account? In her latest article, Wharton Prof. Sarah Light, asks this question. EELP Staff Attorney Hana Vizcarra spoke with her about her ideas. Read Prof. Light’s full article in the Stanford Law Review here https://www.stanfordlawreview.org/print/article/the-law-of-the-corporation-as-environmental-law/ Transcript available here https://eelp.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/CleanLaw-15-Hana-Sarah-Light-Enviro-Business-Law.pdf

When we spoke with Kathy Fallon Lambert about the science that should be underpinning the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards and the Clean Power Plan replacement, she told us why scientists should not be afraid to do work that is "usable, useful, and used." So here's a ten-minute crash course on the benefits of policy-relevant science. Enjoy!