Professor Frank Comments for Daily Journal on Climate Change Cases

Professor of Environmental Practice Richard Frank serves as a source of information and commentary for a recent Daily Journal report on recent court decisions concerning the ability of government agencies to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in response to climate change.

"Federal and state courts are increasingly being confronted with a host of climate change issues," said Frank. With numerous cases pending, "the judiciary seems likely to play at least as influential a role in charting state and national climate change policy as will the other two branches of government."

In several cases, businesses and states have challenged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's use of the Clean Air Act to curb greenhouse emissions, but so far the agency has prevailed.  Utility Air Regulatory Group v. Environmental Protection Agency, in which the U.S. Supreme will address whether the EPA's authority extends to regulating stationary sources of pollution such as power plants, is the "Super Bowl" of this year's environmental cases, Frank said.

Frank, a 1974 graduate of King Hall, is a leader in the field of environmental law and the founding Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.

Primary Category

Tags