The Right to a Healthy Environment

Join the Environmental Law Institute, Delaware Law’s Global Environmental Rights Institute, Barry University’s Center for Earth Jurisprudence, the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER), the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice (CRSJ), and the ABA Center for Human Rights for a breaking news series of webinars about the right to a healthy environment.

As the agency responsible for regulating the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity, in addition to natural gas and hydropower projects, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plays an integral role when it comes to U.S. environmental law and policy. In the latest episode of People Places Planet Podcast, Emily Mallen, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C, talks to Matt Christiansen, FERC’s General Counsel. Emily and Matt discuss a variety of topics, including climate change, renewable energy, the grid, and energy justice. To listen, visit www.eli.org/podcasts or find us on your favorite podcast app.
Zoe Vogel

Public Interest Environmental Law Fellow

Environmental Law Institute Releases Framework for “Migration With Dignity”
BE Magazine
April 11, 2022

Since the beginning of time, people have been on the move in hopes of a better life. Whether people relocate voluntarily in search of better jobs, or they are forced to leave their homes because of war or environmental displacement, all migrating people deserve to be treated with dignity. Sadly, human rights and human dignity are too often treated as an afterthought to the migration process. . . . 

Mayor Cooper Launches Early 2022 Sustainability Agenda
Nashville.Gov (Mayor's Office Media Release)
February 1, 2022

Mayor John Cooper’s early 2022 sustainability agenda begins with a bold pledge: cut Metro government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent. Meanwhile, the Mayor’s Office is working on a solar feasibility assessment for 600-plus city-owned sites as the mayor also pledged his support for a much-needed tree-planting effort. “America’s cities are on the front lines of combating climate change and increasing our resilience to natural disasters,” Mayor Cooper said. “Nashville has brought a sense of urgency and a practical, collaborative approach to getting this work done.

Study: Lessons learned from environmental justice screening tool development and resistance
Phys.Org (by Lori Atherton, Univ. of Mich.)
February 2, 2022

State-level environmental justice screening tools are being supported by environmental justice advocacy groups in Michigan and across the country, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. These  tools document the communities that are hardest hit by environmental injustices. In the new study, published online Feb.

Scott Drinkall

Ph.D. Student, Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University