With its deeply forested mountains, unique rock formations, vast plains, and moonlike deserts, New Mexico—the fifth largest state of the nation—boasts a unique landscape. Tasked with protecting and restoring the environment while fostering a healthy and prosperous New Mexico for present and future generations, the New Mexico Environment Department covers a lot of ground. In this episode, Justin Savage, a Partner and the Global Co-Leader of the Environmental practice at Sidley Austin LLP, speaks with New Mexico Environment Secretary James Kenney and the former Director of EPA's Criminal Investigation Division, Doug Parker.
People Places Planet
Welcome to People Places Planet, ELI's leading environmental podcast. We talk to leading experts across sectors who share their solutions to the world's most pressing environmental problems. Tune in for the latest environmental law, policy, and governance developments.
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February 2 is World Wetlands Day! Wetlands are critically important ecosystems contributing to biodiversity, climate mitigation and adaptation, freshwater availability, and world economies. Sadly, nearly 90% of the world’s wetlands have been degraded since the 1700s, and we are losing wetlands three times faster than forests. Urgent action is therefore needed to reverse wetland loss and protect existing wetlands. In this episode, we speak with Ross Weaver, the Program Assistant Director for Wetlands Watch. This podcast is the first in a series of episodes dedicated to highlighting the incredible work done by wetland heroes throughout the country. Some of the project discussed in this podcast include the Community Rating System Workgroup, the Design Collaboratory, the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Program, and the Fight the Flood Program.
The Environmental Law Institute has been making law work for people, places, and the planet for more than 50 years. And the year 2022 was no different. In this episode, John Pendergrass, ELI’s Vice President of Programs and Publications, and Sandy Thiam, Associate Vice President of Research & Policy and head of the Judicial Education Program, share highlights from our research department in 2022. Jay and Sandy also offer a preview of what’s in store for 2023.
Tune into other podcasts mentioned in this episode: Artificial Intelligence, State Protection of Nonfederal Waters, ELI’s Pro Bono Clearinghouse, and the National Wetlands Awards.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts future warming, climate scientists play a crucial role in understanding what ecosystem functions and services are impacted by climate change. Without effective climate science communication, coordination and collaboration among federal agencies, NGOs, scientists, and legislators, environmental policymaking processes will be incredibly difficult. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray speaks with ELI Science Fellow John Doherty about his paleoclimatology research, current climate change policy discussions, and barriers associated with making climate science education accessible.
The significant environmental and human health benefits that are linked to electrifying transportation cannot be downplayed. Electric vehicles (EVs) do not produce tailpipe emissions, and, when charged using electricity generated from renewable sources like solar and wind, result in no operational upstream emissions either. But as more EVs reach the roads, governments will need to address a host of new environmental and social challenges. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray and Jack Lyman, a partner at Marten Law LLP, reflect on the role EV production and use plays within a just energy transition. The episode is part of The Youth Review podcast series.
Interested in learning more? Check out these articles and posts on EV emissions, EV battery production, EV charging networks, and environmental justice.
Once the subject of science fiction, artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. From self-driving cars to “smart” appliances to movie recommendations from your favorite streaming service, AI pervades so many aspects of modern daily life. And while the conveniences AI offers are not without their environmental costs, it can hold great promise for protecting the planet. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray speaks with Jed Anderson, the founder of EnviroAI, to discuss the role of AI in environmental compliance. Jed shares how we can leverage the sophisticated pattern-recognition capabilities implicit in AI technology to better monitor emissions and takes Georgia on a virtual tour of a Texas oil refinery.
The renewable fuel standard program seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, grow the United States’ renewable fuels sector, and lessen our reliance on imported oil. At its most basic, the program requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce petroleum-based transportation fuel, heating oil, or jet fuel. Yet, the program fails to confer benefits to all Americans, and in some respects, it may even disproportionally burden disenfranchised communities. How can we leverage renewable energy standards to better aid vulnerable communities so that energy systems advance rather than thwart environmental justice? In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray talks to two people who have been following the issue closely: Carlos Garcia, a Federal Policy Manager at Bloom Energy, and Joel Porter, a Policy Manager for CleanAIRE NC.
Interested in learning more? Contact Carlos Garcia via email; check out Bloom Energy’s webpage on biogas and its resources on energy sources for animal agriculture; and/or read about the issues Joel Porter describes in these articles on: wood pellets, marginalized communities in the American South, biogas and methane leaks, hog farms, and manure wastewater. Also check out Joel’s blog on the cost of livestock factory farming in North Carolina.
INTERPOL’s Pollution Crime Working Group, a global network of national experts, initiates and leads a number of projects to combat the transport, trading, and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources in contravention of national and international laws. Justin Savage, a Partner and the Global Co-Leader of the Environmental practice at Sidley Austin LLP, and Nicole Noelliste, a Managing Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, talk to two members serving on INTERPOL’s Pollution Crime Working Group: Joseph Poux and Anne Brosnan. Also available on video!
Since 1984, the faces and voices of ELI’s constituents have come together in a gathering of environmental professionals at the annual ELI Environmental Achievement Award. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray sits down with the recipient of this year’s Environmental Achievement Award: Benjamin F. Wilson, an environmental lawyer and civil rights advocate who has worked tirelessly to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal field.
What happens when federal regulatory changes to the CWA framework result in regulatory “gaps” for the states to resolve? Jim McElfish, a Senior Attorney and Director of ELI’s Sustainable Use of Land program, explains the challenges of water regulation when federal protections are taken away. Jim also offers his thoughts on what may happen if the U.S. Supreme Court’s impending decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency results in a rollback in what qualifies as WOTUS. Listeners hungry for more information on this important topic are encouraged to read Jim’s article from the September 2022 issue of ELR—The Environmental Law Reporter, available for free download here.