US Climate Regulations and the Supreme Court

On February 9, 2016, the Supreme Court decided 5-4 to stay implementation of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), putting on hold President Obama’s signature initiative against climate change and a critical building block of the Paris Agreement. The death of Justice Scalia less thantwo weeks later casts further uncertainty over the future of Obama’s ambitious climate change policies.

What will a reconfigured Supreme Court mean for the future of the CPP? What are the implications of delaying CPP implementation for individual state plans — and for the climate more generally? How are utilities responding?

Join the Steyer-Taylor Center as we host a panel discussion on the interface between US climate regulations and the Supreme Court Friday, March 4th from 12:45 – 2pm @SLS .

Panelists:

Dan Reicher – Dan Reicher is Executive Director of Stanford’s Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance and a faculty member at the law and business schools. Reicher came to Stanford in 2011 from Google, where he served as Director of Climate Change and Energy Initiatives. Reicher has more than 25 years of experience in energy and environmental policy, finance, and technology.  He has served three Presidents including in the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Department of Energy Chief of Staff, as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team and Co-chair of the Energy and Environment Team for Obama, and as a staff member of President Carter’s Commission on the Accident at Three Mile Island.

Michael Wara – An expert on energy and environmental law, Michael Wara’s research focuses on climate and electricity policy. Professor Wara’s current scholarship lies at the intersection between environmental law, energy law, international relations, atmospheric science, and technology policy. Professor Wara joined Stanford Law in 2007 as a research fellow in environmental law and as a lecturer in law. Previously, he was an associate in Holland & Knight’s Government Practice Group, where his practice focused on climate change, land use, and environmental law.

Kate Larson – Kate Larsen is a Director at Rhodium Group and manages the firm’s work on US and global climate change issues. Previously, Kate worked at the White House Council on Environmental Quality where she was Deputy Director for Energy and Climate Change.From 2007 to 2013, Kate worked in the Office of Climate Change at the US Department of State, serving as lead US negotiator on mitigation commitments and compliance in the UN climate negotiations. She received a Bachelor’s in Human Biology from Stanford University and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Texas, Austin.