Insights

Carving Out Funds for Clean Energy

Hocus Pocus? Not in the IRA! The Inflation Reduction Act is designed to push money towards clean energy and clean transportation and to supercharge these issues at the state and local level. Here is a breakdown of some of its major goals along with the current status.

Take the Next Exit: Getting to Decarbonized, Equitable Transportation

Electric vehicles (EVs) are going from zero to sixty due to changing consumer preferences, recent state policies, and federal legislation. With EV investment accelerating, it is time to consider what a just transition to a decarbonized transportation sector looks like.

WOTUS, SCOTUS, and Pigs, Oh My!

The Supreme Court is starting up its new term next week. What is on its environmental docket, you ask? Could it be bigger than last year? Quite possibly!

EJ Statutes Grow at the State Level

Several states have started to address the disproportionate and inequitable effects that their low-income and minority communities have long faced through new statutes that impose permitting limits or enshrine additional environmental review requirements.

EJ Issue to Watch: Governor Hochul Sitting on Passed Cumulative Impact Analysis Bill

Student Blog Series

The passage of New York’s cumulative impacts analysis bill by the state legislature in April 2022 was heralded by environmental justice groups as groundbreaking. If Governor Hochul signs the bill, New York can pave the way toward environmental equity in the state.

How the Biden Administration is Shaping State AG Enforcement Efforts

Student Blog Series

Eighteen months into Biden’s presidency, it is clear that there has been a significant shift within environmental work by state attorneys general.

Can Crypto Mining Ever Go Green?

Student Blog Series

Even as the crypto market fluctuates dramatically, it seems the industry is here to stay. This begs the question: now what? With our climate in crisis and that future at risk, crypto-billionaires and climate activists alike need to find common ground in sustainable, renewable-fueled crypto.

It's Gettin' Hot in Here: Extreme Heat and Urban Heat Islands

Heat islands create a multitude of issues, such as health problems, increased energy consumption and related costs, and various ecological issues. Many are working on solutions to this growing concern.

Something’s in the Water: Litigation and Community Action Against Polluting Industrial Farms

Student Blog Series

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) are disproportionately placed in EJ communities. This is an area where states have a lot of potential to change the environmental landscape positively.

Environmental Justice in the Sunshine State

Student Blog Series

The state of Florida has a wide range of pressing environmental challenges that disproportionately affect underserved communities. This post covers the three issues at the forefront of Florida’s EJ battle, and highlights EJ activism in the state.

Any (Major) Questions? Environmental Law at the Supreme Court

Yes, the Supreme Court’s recent decision in West Virginia v. EPA was a big deal. But how big a deal was it really? And what does it mean for EPA’s climate policies and regulatory authority?

Plastics in the Courtroom: The Evolution of Plastics Litigation

Student Blog Series

This post introduces the State Impact Center and Guarini’s new Plastics Litigation Tracker, which tracks state and federal cases addressing plastics, and discusses four major trends evident in plastics litigation thus far.