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Environmental Justice Initiatives at ELI Jan 12, 2022

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Environmental justice embraces the principle that all people deserve equal access to environmental protection and enforcement while acknowledging the fact that, both historically and still today, this fails to play out in reality. Recognizing that the legal system has contributed to an unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits, ELI is committed to providing research and educational tools to help alleviate the harm faced by environmental justice communities across the nation. In this episode, Arielle King, ELI’s Environmental Justice Staff Attorney, shares with listeners some of the tools ELI is developing to eliminate the harmful impacts of environmental injustice.

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Glasgow to Dane County: Student Led Climate Action Dec 29, 2021

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Last November, as the world focused its attention on the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, high school students in Dane County, Wisconsin, co-sponsored and moderated a climate action conference of their own that connected COP26 to local climate initiatives and progress. Rebecca Kihslinger, a Senior Science and Policy Analyst at ELI, talks to four of the student organizers — Daphne Wu, Claire Neblett, Kirshna Elwell, and Felicia Zheng — to learn more.

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Groundtruth: Environmental Justice in 2022—Perspectives From EPA Dec 08, 2021

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Interest and urgency in advancing environmental justice has gained new momentum. The Biden-Harris Administration has placed an unprecedented federal focus on environmental justice using a whole of government approach. Meanwhile, a growing list of states continue to develop, implement, and enforce EJ-focused legislation, accelerated by the intensity at the federal level. Will this momentum carry into the new year? In this episode, Stacey Halliday of Beveridge & Diamond talks to two EJ leaders at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Charles Lee, Senior Policy Advisor, and Matthew Tejada, the Director of the Office of Environmental Justice – to find out what’s in store for 2022. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms.

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Bubble Trouble Nov 10, 2021

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Land use climate bubbles are popping up all over the nation at an alarming rate, and they could very well lead to an economic crisis that will be more damaging than that of the housing bubble of 2008. What can we do to respond? Land Use Law expert John Nolon describes how the local land use legal system can leverage state and federal assistance to reduce per capita carbon emissions as an important and now recognized component of global efforts to manage climate change. The podcast is being released in tandem with CNN’s Call to Earth Day, an initiative to share the stories of those dedicated to conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability.

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The Enforcement Angle: SEC’s Kelly Gibson Nov 03, 2021

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As investor demand for climate and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) products soars, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formed a climate and ESG task force and taken other steps.

In this episode, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with Kelly Gibson, Director of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office who also leads the Climate and ESG Task Force within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and Ranah Esmaili, a partner at Sidley who recently joined the firm from the SEC’s Asset Management Unit within the Division of Enforcement. The panel discusses a wide range of SEC developments, including potential rulemaking, risk alerts, investor bulletins, and the task force.

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Groundtruth: Operationalizing Environmental Justice Oct 13, 2021

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Environmental Justice has gained new momentum in recent years, amplified by a global focus on social justice, climate, and equity. Shortly after taking office, President Biden released Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crises at Home and Abroad. The Executive Order includes a new initiative, Justice40, which states that 40% of the overall benefits from specific federal investments—including energy efficiency, clean energy, clean water infrastructure, and training and workforce development—will be directed toward disadvantaged communities. In this episode, Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, a partner at Van Ness Feldman, and Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, discuss the Justice40 initiative. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms.

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Groundtruth: All of Industry—Corporate Approaches to Advancing Environmental Justice Sep 29, 2021

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Environmental Justice (EJ) has gained new momentum in recent years, amplified by a global focus on social justice, climate, and equity. The Biden-Harris Administration has brought EJ to the federal spotlight, and even before 2021, states were starting to implement ambitious, history-making EJ-focused legislation. But what about corporate America? In this episode, Roy Prather, a Shareholder at Beveridge & Diamond who advises clients on corporate social responsibility and environmental justice, interviews Chonda Nwamu, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for Ameren Corporation, and Roger Martella,Chief Sustainability Officer for General Electric. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms.

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Is the U.S. Government Ready for the Climate Crisis? Examining Federal, State, and Local Climate Adaptation Sep 15, 2021

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It’s official: climate change isn’t the future. It’s here now. How ready are we for this unwelcome visitor? And how prepared are we to adapt to the climate change impacts we’re already experiencing—at every level of government? ELI’s Cynthia Harris talks to three climate law experts—Dr. Barrett Ristroph, Katie Spidalieri, and Jennifer Li—about climate adaptation at the federal, state, and local level. Ristroph, Spidalieri, and Li co-authored the Climate Change chapter in the most recent edition of ELI’s legal treatise, Law of Environmental Protection.

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Toxic Beauty Products and Environmental Justice Aug 25, 2021

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The United States has enacted hundreds of environmental laws and regulations to keep our communities and the people who live in them healthy and safe. But what should be done when these legal safety nets fail, as is too often the case with environmental justice concerns and racial environmental health inequalities? In this episode, ELI’s Caitlin McCarthy talks to Dr. Neha Pathak, a Medical Editor and writer with WebMD, about disproportionate exposure from toxic beauty products, environmental justice, and more.

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The Enforcement Angle: EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division Aug 11, 2021

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EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division is tasked with investigating the most significant and egregious environmental violations – ones that are negligent, knowing, or willful. In this episode, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with Jessica Taylor, the Director of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. Joining them is Doug Parker, who served as the Division’s Director from 2012-2016. The episode is part of The Enforcement Angle series, featuring conversations about state and federal enforcement of environmental laws and regulations with senior enforcement officials and thought leaders on environmental enforcement in the United States and globally.

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