Professor Frank addresses Conference of Western Attorneys General

On June 19, Professor of Environmental Practice Rick Frank spoke to the annual meeting of the Conference of Western Attorneys General in Santa Barbara.

The subject of his presentation was the Trump administration’s efforts to reconstruct the process by which states may condition federal licenses and permits to address states’ environmental concerns under section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act.

Frank observed that the “401 certification process” has generally worked quite well over the past 47 years as a successful example of cooperative federalism.  However, recent policy pronouncements of the Trump administration and USEPA’s pending regulatory changes seek to narrow and weaken the states’ congressionally authorized authority under the Clean Water Act in order to facilitate numerous, problematic energy projects favored by the administration.

Richard M. Frank ’74 is a leader in the field of environmental law, Professor of Environmental Practice and the founding director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center at UC Davis School of Law.