News & Highlights

American Exceptionalism and Our Public Lands: The Case for a New Public Lands Law Review Commission

Andrew Mergen on how now is the time for Congress to form a bipartisan commission to rethink and renew the laws, policies, and agencies governing America’s public lands.

The E.P.A. Is Barreling Toward a Supreme Court Climate Showdown

Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping Out U.S. Climate Regulation

Biden Monuments Case to Focus on State Lawmakers’ Ability to Sue

The fallout from EPA’s pollution shift

One year of Trump’s ‘Energy Emergency’ in Context and in Court

An analysis of the declaration, the policies and actions it has produced, and how they compare with historical uses of emergency authority.

Now Hiring: Clinical Fellow

Work with the Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic on a broad array of environmental, energy, and natural resource cases and projects. Application review process begins in Feb. 2026.

Practice makes practice perfect

Harvard Law School’s Environmental Moot Court Initiative empowers advocates and inspires students.

EPA’s Proposed Endangerment Finding Rescission: Implications for State Climate Action

An analysis by Sommer Engels, Erika Kranz, and Andrew Mergen looks at the far-reaching implications of EPA’s proposal including the stakes for climate policy nationwide.

In One Week, Trump Moves to Reshape U.S. Environmental Policy

“It’s really hard for the public to keep track of this news, but it’s really important that they do,” Mr. Mergen said. “We’re going to lose species and their habitats in a death-by-a-thousand-cuts way, but there are things that can be done to right the ship and help these species recover.”

CleanLaw — Behind the Curtain of the Clean Utility Transition

How do you drive clean energy adoption in investor-owned utilities?

Electricity Law Initiative Files Supreme Court Amicus Brief on Behalf of 11 Former FERC Commissioners

The brief seeks to preserve Congress’s authority to create and maintain bipartisan ratemaking commissions.

Voice of DOJ experience makes case for ‘deference doctrine’

Andrew Mergen sees urgent need to protect presumption of regularity.

CleanLaw — How Maine Became a Heat Pump Leader

How the state surpassed its clean energy goals ahead of schedule by focusing on affordability, simplicity, and strong local partnerships.

Now Hiring: Managing Attorney to Advance Equitable Climate and Environmental Policy

Lead legal and policy research at the Environmental & Energy Law Program on climate change, equitable disaster preparedness and response, and durable legal frameworks that drive meaningful engagement and produce more just outcomes for impacted communities.

EPA Proposes to End Greenhouse Gas Reporting

A summary of EPA's proposal to eliminate the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program and a look at the potential impacts to federal, state, and industry efforts.

Harvard Law experts weigh in on climate law ‘retrenchment’ 

Attacks on statutes and regulations are unprecedented, panelists say during Harvard Climate Action Week.

How data centers may lead to higher electricity bills

In an interview with Harvard Law Today, Ari Peskoe explains the ways in which data centers sometimes obscure their effect on utility prices, and why state regulators may need to radically rethink their approach to rate-setting if they want to avoid higher energy costs for residents.

CleanLaw — What Science and the Law Say About EPA’s Authority to Regulate GHGs

Jody Freeman, Richard Lazarus, and Stanford’s Solomon Hsiang discuss EPA’s proposal to eliminate greenhouse gas regulations and the flawed science the proposal relies on.

EPA’s Proposal to Eliminate the Endangerment Finding and Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Regulations

Analysis of EPA's proposal and assessment of its legal risks and gaps.