Changing Policy without Changing Law: Addressing Climate Change Under the Clean Air Act

When

Mar. 20, 2013, 6pm

Campus Location

Office/Remote Location

Auditorium
Brookings Mountain West

Description

Brookings Mountain West presents “Changing Policy without Changing Law: Addressing Climate Change under the Clean Air Act” a talk by Philip Wallach, Senior Fellow, Governance Studies.

As much of the rest of the developed world has adopted climate change laws, Congress has remained almost entirely inactive.  America’s policies have not remained static, however.  In 2007, litigation (Massachusetts v. EPA) required the EPA to re-interpret the Clean Air Act to also apply to greenhouse gases. This presentation will recount the legal arguments in that landmark case, review the legal and practical challenges emanating from the ruling and follow-up decisions by lower courts, and consider the state of policy today as well as the likelihood that Congress might become involved.  Philip Wallach will then ask what setting such an important policy without passing any new law means for contemporary American policymaking and democracy.

Admission Information

Lecture is free and open to the public. No reservation or ticket required.

Contact Information

Brookings Mountain West
William Brown

More info on this event