In 2017 and 2021, the Pennsylvania Environmental Defense Foundation (PEDF) obtained decisions from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that royalties and other money the state receives from oil and gas drilling in state forests must be used to…
I was privileged to give an Earth Day sermon on Sunday, April 24, 2022, at my home church, St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The sermon is set out below. The Dean has honored me, with her invitation to speak…
A newly filed amicus brief in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court argues that the state’s Environmental Rights Amendment requires the Department of Environmental Protection to consider in advance the environmental impacts of its decisions. This is…
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important normative framework the U.S. should use to improve human quality of life, freedom, and opportunity. See what 22 experts say about steps the Biden-Harris Administration should take now to…
Imagine that the government had the same responsibility for protecting the environment that your banker has for protecting your money. Could traditional trust law–the law that protects your bank account–strengthen environmental…
Students at Widener Commonwealth Law School have created a two-column comparison chart to enable you to quickly compare and contrast the positions of Joe Biden and Donald Trump on a range of sustainability and climate change issues. The chart is…
Almost 50 years ago, in 1971, Pennsylvania voters overwhelmingly approved an Environmental Rights Amendment (ERA) (Article I, Section 27) to the state constitution. The ERA creates a public trust in “public natural resources, and requires…
April 14–A new Model Laws for Deep Decarbonization in the United States website was launched today to help accelerate a sustainable U.S. transition to net zero greenhouse gas emissions. It contains hundreds of model laws that can be provided…
The American Bar Association (ABA) has adopted a resolution urging all levels of government as well as the private sector to “to recognize their obligation to address climate change and take action” to “[r]educe U.S. greenhouse gas…
A recurring question for many lawyers is what they can do to address climate change and make a contribution to sustainable development. One answer is to help turn the recommendations in Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States…