T H E GEORGE WA SHI NGTON U N I V ER SIT Y L AW SCHOOL
ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY LAW
Perspectives
PROGRAM ESTABLISHED 1970
PERSPECTIVES
California’s Climate & Energy Innovations: Lessons for Other States Caitlin McCoy, GW Environmental Law Fellow
FALL 2017 ISSUE PERSPECTIVES 1, 15–19 NEWS 1, 10–15, 20 PROFILES 2–6 EVENTS 6 FACULT Y PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS 7–10
NEWS
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alifornia has developed a reputation for its landmark environmental laws as well as its unique status under some federal schemes, such as the Clean Air Act. California regularly takes advantage of the often-quoted opportunity posed by Justice Brandeis: “It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous State may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.”1 For decades, California has engaged in such experiments, particularly with regard to environmental and energy laws. More recently, California has been making strides in its efforts to address
climate change and transition its electricity system to sustainable and increasingly renewable generation. In the first few months of his administration, President Trump mandated review of the Clean Power Plan, reversed the Obama administration’s moratorium on leasing federal lands for coal mining, and started withdrawing the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change. The Secretary of the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, has questioned the seriousness of climate change and the need for regulations to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It is becoming increasingly clear that the dramatic reductions in continued on page 15
Energy and Environmental Law Student Advocacy Competition Successes
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aylor Morosco, 3L, and Madeleine Skaller, 2L, finished second in the Robert R. Merhige National Environmental Negotiation Competition at the University of Richmond. They were coached by Assistant Dean of Students Robin Juni, with key assistance from Environmental Law Fellow Caitlin McCoy, our resident expert on coal ash issues. The four rounds of negotiations were held on March 25 and 26. The GW Law students participating in the Seventh Annual National Energy and Sustainability continued on page 20