Insights by Terri Gerstein (Director, State and Local Enforcement Project at the Harvard Labor and Worklife Program)

Terri Gerstein is the Director of the State and Local Enforcement Project at the Harvard Labor and Worklife Program, and is a Senior Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute. Prior to these roles, she worked for over 17 years enforcing labor laws in New York State, including as the Labor Bureau Chief for the New York State Attorney General’s Office, and as a Deputy Commissioner in the New York State Department of Labor.

  • Reports An illustration of a just transition: construction workers overlook a green valley with a winding road; solar panels are being installed in the foreground; in the distance, transmission towers and lines connect wind turbines on one side of the image to a skyline on the other side; a train riding along a viaduct connects the foreground and background.

    A Role for State Attorneys General in a Just Transition

    Resources Updated 5.25.23
    Report Published 12.1.22


    This report considers how state attorneys general (AGs) can help ensure that the shift to renewable energy supports communities and leads to good climate jobs. The report provides insight into the role of AGs, highlights recent AG enforcement of workers’ rights and environmental protection, and offers additional ideas for what state attorneys general can do in relation to a just transition.

  • Articles Pace Environmental Law Review Logo

    Examining the Role of AGs in a Just Transition

    Fall 2022


    This article reviews many of the policies and tools that can be and are being harnessed to bring about a “just transition,” ensuring that the emerging clean energy sector provides high quality jobs and that needs of current fossil fuel workers are also adequately addressed. These policies exist at the intersection of workers’ rights and environmental policy.