On August 5, 2024, the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) House of Delegates (HOD) overwhelmingly approved Resolution 513, which reaffirms its longstanding support for sustainable development and emphasizes the importance of incorporating…
As the global movement for social and environmental justice gains momentum, we are in need of grounded and implementable solutions. A new book co-edited by Scott Schang and me–Governing for Sustainability–provides just that. The book…
The Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) recently honored me with its Curtin Winsor award for lifetime achievement. PEC is a nonprofit statewide organization that aims to protect and restore the natural and built environments through innovation…
The American Bar Association has just published a short practical guide for lawyers who seek to build climate change and sustainable development work into their law practice, regardless of the practice area. The book, Sustainability Essentials: A…
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…
Much of my professional life is about law and policy concerning sustainable development and climate change. But there is another dimension to healing the earth and improving human wellbeing that receives less attention. “[U]nless there is…
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…
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…
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…