Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash In June 2023, the Clinic produced a report for the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) titled Opportunities to Advance Environmental Justice in Renewable Energy Siting. The report considers how transitioning to clean energy has triggered concerns about the environmental justice…
Image: Mystic Generating Station in Everett, Massachusetts. Credit: Fletcher6 / Creative Commons July 2022 – The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic published Opportunities for the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board to Advance Environmental Justice, which explores how the Massachusetts Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB) can or…
July 13, 2022—Today, the Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic and Native American Rights Fund (“NARF”) published Putting Land in Trust: A Guidebook for Alaska Native Tribes and Individuals, which informs and guides Alaska Natives about the process of applying to have their privately held land converted to land…
June 1, 2022 – The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic submitted an amicus brief today on behalf of three leading experts supporting a challenge to an action by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) involving the toxic herbicide paraquat dichloride (often simply called “paraquat”). Specifically, EPA approved paraquat’s use…
April 11, 2022 – The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic submitted comments today on behalf of a group of leading scientists supporting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to reaffirm earlier findings underlying the agency’s regulation of mercury and other toxic air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants. The…
March 18, 2022 – Today, the Clinic submitted comments on the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources’ Straw Proposal for Stretch Code Update and New Specialized Stretch Code. The comments highlight opportunities to preserve municipal flexibility to address climate change and minimize compliance burdens for municipalities and building owners. The comments…
February 8, 2022 – The Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic submitted comments yesterday on the Biden Administration’s proposal to revise the definition of “the waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act. That definition determines the scope of a wide range of the Act’s programs to safeguard…
November 22, 2021 – Today, the Clinic submitted comments to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) supporting its proposed partial reversal of the Trump administration’s weakening of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) implementing regulations. The Clinic’s comments argue that agencies are required under NEPA to examine cumulative and indirect…
On June 14, 2021, the Clinic submitted comments on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and National Parks Conservation Association supporting EPA’s decision to rescind the Trump-era regulation regarding the use of cost-benefit analyses in Clean Air Act rulemakings. The letter supported EPA’s conclusion that the rulemaking was unnecessary, unresponsive…
In June 2021, the Clinic filed a comment letter on behalf of a group of Massachusetts municipalities and regional planning associations in the Department of Public Utility’s investigation regarding the role of local gas distribution companies in helping the Commonwealth achieve its 2050 net zero climate goal, which includes reducing…
