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Clinic Publications News

Clinic’s Jacobs, Goho Co-Author Commentary on Health Benefits of Mercury Regulation

Clinic Director Wendy Jacobs and Staff Attorney Shaun Goho recently co-authored a perspective commentary with faculty from several universities and departments, including Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science, on how the benefits associated with mercury emissions reductions outweigh the…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Submits Comments on Proposed Regulations for Offshore Drilling in the Arctic

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic submitted comments today on the Department of the Interior’s (“DOI”) proposed regulations for offshore exploratory oil drilling in the Arctic.  The Emmett Clinic supported the agency’s proposals to require that operators maintain a secondary drill rig in the Arctic to respond to…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Files Amicus Brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in State of Michigan v. Environmental Protection Agency

On March 4, 2015, the Clinic filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists in State of Michigan, et al., v. Environmental Protection Agency, et al., (U.S. 14-46 and consolidated cases).  This case involves challenges to the Environmental Protection Agency’s…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Releases Report on Access to Information in Offshore Drilling

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic released a new report, Offshore Drilling: Coordinating and Improving Access to Information, which recommends mechanisms for facilitating public access to, and intra- and inter-agency sharing of, information from companies engaged in offshore drilling. The Clinic focused specifically on the accessibility of information…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Submits Comments on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Draft Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSSEIS) for the Chukchi Sea Planning Area

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic submitted comments today on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) Draft Second Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSSEIS) for the Chukchi Sea Planning Area. The Clinic’s comments focus on the DSSEIS’s discussion of the risks associated with a very large oil spill and…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic and Environmental Law Institute Submit Comments on Proposed Regulations to Implement the Fishery Management Plan for Regulating Offshore Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, in collaboration with the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), submitted comments today on regulations proposed by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to implement the Fishery Management Plan for Regulating Offshore Aquaculture in the Gulf of Mexico (FMP).  While the proposed regulations represent…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Submits Comments on Proposed Rulemaking Regarding Oil Spill Response Planning by Railroads

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic, in collaboration with Earthjustice, the Sierra Club, ForestEthics, and Oil Change International submitted comments today on an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) on potential revisions…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Releases Report on Microgrids in Massachusetts

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic released a new report today, Masschusetts Microgrids: Overcoming Legal Obstacles, which summarizes the conclusions of the Clinic’s research into legal constraints on the ownership structure of microgrids in Massachusetts.  The Clinic undertook this work at the behest…
ELP News & Events News

T.A. Barron Fellows Reflect on Their Work With the Emmett Environmental Clinic

Our summer T.A. Barron Fellows were recently interviewed by the HLS Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs. Fellows were asked to reflect on how their work with the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic has prepared them for their summer jobs and helped them achieve their career goals. The…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Students Visit Historic Dam That They Seek to Protect

Clinic students Sarah Peterson (JD ’15) and Albert Teng (JD ’15) started their academic year seeing the real world impact of their work. First, they attended oral arguments in the case of United States Department of the Interior v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission before the First Circuit Court of Appeals…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News Policy Initiative

Green Infrastructure Certification Report Released

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and the Environmental Policy Initiative released a new report, Certifications for Green Infrastructure Professionals – The Current State, Recommended Best Practices, and What Governments Can Do to Help.  The report surveys the current state of Green Infrastructure (GI) professional certification programs, discusses…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Releases Revised Edition of Its Fracking Guide for Landowners

The Clinic released a newly revised edition of its fracking guide today, entitled A Landowner’s Guide to Hydraulic Fracturing: Addressing Environmental and Health Issues in Oil and Gas Leases (Revised Edition, July 2014).  This expanded version of the guide builds upon the previous edition.  In particular, it is aimed…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News Policy Initiative

New Report on Regional and Municipal Stormwater Management

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and the Environmental Policy Initiative released a new report, Regional and Municipal Stormwater Management: A Comprehensive Approach.  This report analyzes options for addressing stormwater pollution at both the regional and municipal level, encourages the adoption of green infrastructure by municipalities as a stormwater…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News Policy Initiative

The Clinic and Policy Initiative Release New Report on Responding to Landowner Complaints from Oil and Gas Activity

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and the Environmental Policy Initiative released a new report today, Responding to Landowner Complaints of Water Contamination from Oil and Gas Activity: Best Practices.  The report provides recommendations for state lawmakers and agencies to consider implementing to develop robust, comprehensive policies for responding…
ELP News & Events News

Clinic Amicus Brief Referenced During Supreme Court Oral Argument

During oral argument in UARG v. EPA, the greenhouse gas permitting case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Solicitor General Don Verrilli, arguing on behalf of EPA, cited the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic’s amicus brief. The clinic’s brief was filed on behalf of…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Files Amicus Briefs in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Regarding Brockton, MA Power Plant

The Clinic filed two amicus briefs on February 14, 2014 in related cases before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court involving a proposed power plant in Brockton, Massachusetts. In the first case, City of Brockton v. Energy Facilities Siting Board (SJC No. 11406), the questions before the court included whether the…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Files Amicus Brief in U.S. Supreme Court Case, Utility Air Regulatory Group v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

On January 28, 2014, the Clinic filed an amicus brief in the case Utility Air Regulatory Group v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. Nos. 12-1146 and consolidated cases) on behalf of Calpine Corporation.  This case involves challenges to EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources under the Prevention…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Report Identifies Environmental Performance Indicators for Companies Proposing to Drill in the U.S. Arctic

In December 2013, the Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic released a new report, Suggested Indicators of Environmentally Responsible Performance of Offshore Oil and Gas Companies Proposing to Drill in the U.S. Arctic.  As the offshore oil and gas drilling industry expands into U.S. waters off the coast of…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

New Clinic Report Reviews the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan

The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic released a new report, Beyond the 2020 Plan: A Review of the Massachusetts Clean Energy and Climate Plan, in August 2013.  The report presents a dozen concrete suggestions for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to achieve its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions…
Clinic Publications ELP News & Events News

Clinic Study Recommends Changes to State Property Tax Exemption for Solar Projects

A new analysis by the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School recommends the Massachusetts legislature remove confusion about tax incentives for solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, to enable more homeowners and business owners to install renewable energy. Under a state law that dates back…