People Places Planet

The Environmental Law Institute has been making law work for people, places, and the planet for more than 50 years. And the year 2022 was no different. In this episode, John Pendergrass, ELI’s Vice President of Programs and Publications, and Sandy Thiam, Associate Vice President of Research & Policy and head of the Judicial Education Program, share highlights from our research department in 2022. Jay and Sandy also offer a preview of what’s in store for 2023. Tune into other podcasts mentioned in this episode: Artificial Intelligence, State Protection of Nonfederal Waters, ELI’s Pro Bono Clearinghouse, and the National Wetlands Awards. ★ Support this podcast ★

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts future warming, climate scientists play a crucial role in understanding what ecosystem functions and services are impacted by climate change. Without effective climate science communication, coordination and collaboration among federal agencies, NGOs, scientists, and legislators, environmental policymaking processes will be incredibly difficult. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray speaks with ELI Science Fellow John Doherty about his paleoclimatology research, current climate change policy discussions, and barriers associated with making climate science education accessible. ★ Support this podcast ★

The significant environmental and human health benefits that are linked to electrifying transportation cannot be downplayed. Electric vehicles (EVs) do not produce tailpipe emissions, and, when charged using electricity generated from renewable sources like solar and wind, result in no operational upstream emissions either. But as more EVs reach the roads, governments will need to address a host of new environmental and social challenges. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray and Jack Lyman, a partner at Marten Law LLP, reflect on the role EV production and use plays within a just energy transition. The episode is part of The Youth Review podcast series. Interested in learning more? Check out these articles and posts on EV emissions, EV battery production, EV charging networks, and environmental justice. ★ Support this podcast ★

Once the subject of science fiction, artificial Intelligence (AI) is here to stay. From self-driving cars to “smart” appliances to movie recommendations from your favorite streaming service, AI pervades so many aspects of modern daily life. And while the conveniences AI offers are not without their environmental costs, it can hold great promise for protecting the planet. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray speaks with Jed Anderson, the founder of EnviroAI, to discuss the role of AI in environmental compliance. Jed shares how we can leverage the sophisticated pattern-recognition capabilities implicit in AI technology to better monitor emissions and takes Georgia on a virtual tour of a Texas oil refinery. ★ Support this podcast ★

The renewable fuel standard program seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, grow the United States’ renewable fuels sector, and lessen our reliance on imported oil. At its most basic, the program requires a certain volume of renewable fuel to replace or reduce petroleum-based transportation fuel, heating oil, or jet fuel. Yet, the program fails to confer benefits to all Americans, and in some respects, it may even disproportionally burden disenfranchised communities. How can we leverage renewable energy standards to better aid vulnerable communities so that energy systems advance rather than thwart environmental justice? In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray talks to two people who have been following the issue closely: Carlos Garcia, a Federal Policy Manager at Bloom Energy, and Joel Porter, a Policy Manager for CleanAIRE NC. Interested in learning more? Contact Carlos Garcia via email; check out Bloom Energy’s webpage on biogas and its resources on energy sources for animal agriculture; and/or read about the issues Joel Porter describes in these articles on: wood pellets, marginalized communities in the American South, biogas and methane leaks, hog farms, and manure wastewater. Also check out Joel’s blog on the cost of livestock factory farming in North Carolina. ★ Support this podcast ★

INTERPOL’s Pollution Crime Working Group, a global network of national experts, initiates and leads a number of projects to combat the transport, trading, and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources in contravention of national and international laws. Justin Savage, a Partner and the Global Co-Leader of the Environmental practice at Sidley Austin LLP, and Nicole Noelliste, a Managing Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, talk to two members serving on INTERPOL’s Pollution Crime Working Group: Joseph Poux and Anne Brosnan. Also available on video! ★ Support this podcast ★

Since 1984, the faces and voices of ELI’s constituents have come together in a gathering of environmental professionals at the annual ELI Environmental Achievement Award. In this episode, ELI’s Georgia Ray sits down with the recipient of this year’s Environmental Achievement Award: Benjamin F. Wilson, an environmental lawyer and civil rights advocate who has worked tirelessly to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal field. ★ Support this podcast ★

What happens when federal regulatory changes to the CWA framework result in regulatory “gaps” for the states to resolve? Jim McElfish, a Senior Attorney and Director of ELI’s Sustainable Use of Land program, explains the challenges of water regulation when federal protections are taken away. Jim also offers his thoughts on what may happen if the U.S. Supreme Court’s impending decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency results in a rollback in what qualifies as WOTUS. Listeners hungry for more information on this important topic are encouraged to read Jim’s article from the September 2022 issue of ELR—The Environmental Law Reporter, available for free download here. ★ Support this podcast ★

Digital technologies have steadily woven themselves into the global economy, transforming the pace at which we access and process information. “Digital sharing services” like Airbnb and Lyft often promise broad society benefits, including a reduction in energy usage, a lower environmental footprint, and more efficient use of existing products. But are these sharing innovations really changing our environmental outlook for the better? This podcast on digital sharing services is based on comprehensive research by Tamar Makov, Tamar Meshulam, and Sarah Goldberg supported by the Network for the Digital Economy and the Environment (nDEE) with grants from the Internet Society Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The nDEE is a collaboration of the Environmental Law Institute, the Yale School of the Environment, and the University of California Berkeley. ★ Support this podcast ★

Water utilities are tasked with providing clean, affordable water to their constituents, yet, a growing number of utilities are charging high prices for water and/or carrying out policies that decrease, rather than increase, water access. Participatory governance, which aims to enable those who are most closely affected by a problem to influence how policymakers solve that problem, may offer a path to a more just water policy. In “Turning Participation into Power: A Water Justice Case Study,” Prof. Jaime Lee of the University of Baltimore School of Law offers a revamped model of participatory governance she dubs the “Constituent Empowerment Model.” The model, which was recently implemented in Baltimore, Maryland, goes beyond traditional community involvement mechanisms and has the lofty goal of shifting power dynamics. In this episode, Linda Breggin, a Senior Attorney at ELI and Lecturer in Law at Vanderbilt Law School, speaks with Professor Lee to learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, ELI’s six summer interns (Jesse Ferraoili, Rebecca Huang, Fatima Lawan, Priyanka Mahat, Raf Rodriguez, and Jeremy Rubin) join host Georgia Ray to reflect on their time as summer interns, talk a little more about who they are, what they are interested in, and what brought them to ELI. They discuss their independent research work, work done on broader projects at the organization, and things they have learned throughout the summer.A Tufts rising senior will tell you about her fight for maternal health in the Black community, especially as it pertains to air quality. Another will dive into uranium contamination in America’s southwest. A third will talk about his work with prison populations and the heat related illnesses that can occur inside the system. All of them will discuss what it was like to work at ELI, how they hope to continue in the environmental space, and the lessons they have learned spending the summer in D.C. You can find Raf and Priyanka on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rafjrodriguez & https://www.linkedin.com/in/priyanka-mahat-b16642151/If you are interested in learning more about The Center for Black Maternal Health & Reproductive Justice at Tufts (with whom Fatima worked closely on her project), you can visit their website. ★ Support this podcast ★

In this episode of the People Places Planet Podcast, former Research Associate Shehla Chowdhury joins host Georgia Ray to reflect on her time as a research associate, which ended in June 2022. She discusses her work in the nascent field of environmental peacebuilding, while also delving into her contributions to the local government environmental assistance network, differences between domestic and international environmental work, and her takeaways from studying non-governmental organizations in the Global North and Global South. ★ Support this podcast ★

Interest and urgency in advancing environmental justice has gained new momentum in the United States in recent years. In 2021, we spoke to New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette to learn about New Jersey’s newly enacted EJ law. In this latest episode, he joins us again to discuss proposed regulations for implementing the law. The episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

Interest and urgency in advancing environmental justice has gained new momentum in the United States in recent years. But what about the rest of the world? This episode takes a global look at EJ, including its relationship with human rights and climate justice issues, and shares what companies can do to advance EJ goals more broadly. The episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

For more than a decade, ELI and Vanderbilt University Law School have featured some of the year’s best academic thinking on legal and policy solutions to pressing environmental problems via the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR). Linda Breggin, a Senior Attorney at ELI and a Lecturer in Law at Vanderbilt University Law School who co-founded ELPAR, and Kritsen Sarna, a Vanderbilt law student who served as editor-in-chief, talk to Howard Learner, President and Executive Director of the Environmental Law & Policy Center, to find out his thoughts on environmental citizen suits, the subject of one of this year’s featured articles. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Environmental Law Institute’s Blight Revitalization Initiative for Green, Healthy Towns (BRIGHT) program released The BRIGHT Guide to help communities develop and execute corridor projects in their own neighborhoods to produce positive health, ecological, and economic outcomes. In this episode, ELI Research Associate Georgia Ray speaks with Scott Wilson Badenoch Jr., Founder and Executive Director of ELI’s BRIGHT Program; Alda Yuan, Managing Director and Lead Editor of The BRIGHT Guide; and Noble Smith, Guide Author and Editor. Scott, Alda, and Noble explain what is inside The BRIGHT Guide and how it works, who it benefits, and how listeners can get started using the resource in their own communities. To learn how communities are using the guide, watch this free webinar. ★ Support this podcast ★

As the agency responsible for regulating the interstate transmission of natural gas, oil, and electricity, in addition to natural gas and hydropower projects, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plays an integral role when it comes to U.S. environmental law and policy. In the latest episode of People Places Planet Podcast, Emily Mallen, a partner at Sidley Austin LLP in Washington, D.C, talks to Matt Christiansen, FERC’s General Counsel. Emily and Matt discuss a variety of topics, including climate change, renewable energy, the grid, and energy justice. To listen, visit www.eli.org/podcasts or find us on your favorite podcast app. ★ Support this podcast ★

The Martín Peña channel is an urban tidal channel connected to the San Juan Bay Estuary, located in Puerto Rico’s capital of San Juan. According to the 2020 Census, nearly 11,000 people live in the Martin Peña channel area. Sadly, flooding is a constant threat. In this episode, Elissa Torres-Soto, a Staff Attorney at ELI, speaks with three young activists from the area: Krystal Géigel, Mayrita Rosario, and Jeymi Benítez. The trio are members of Líderes Jóvenes en Acción (LIJAC), which in English translates to Young Leaders in Action. ★ Support this podcast ★

El Caño Martín Peña es un canal urbano conectado al estuario de la Bahía de San Juan, ubicado en la ciudad de San Juan, la capital de Puerto Rico. Según el Censo de 2020, existe una densidad poblacional en el área de casi once mil personas. Desafortunadamente, un grave riesgo para los residentes son las constantes inundaciones. En este episodio, Elissa Torres-Soto, abogada de ELI, habla con tres líderes comunitarios jóvenes que viven en el área: Krystal Géigel, Mayrita Rosario y Jeymi Benitez. Los tres son miembros de Líderes Jóvenes en Acción (LIJAC), Young Leaders in Action en inglés. ★ Support this podcast ★

Since 1989, ELI has honored over 200 champions of wetlands protection through the National Wetlands Awards program, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional effort, innovation, and excellence in protecting these critical ecosystems. In this episode, hear from our five 2022 awardees, who share their perspectives and insight on a variety of wetlands-related matters. ★ Support this podcast ★

More than 30 years ago, roughly 1,100 people attended the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., to discuss the environmental injustices they were experiencing in their communities. Considered by many as the birth of the environmental justice movement, the four-day summit concluded with the adoption of the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, still relevant today. In this episode, ELI’s Arielle King meets with key organizers and leaders of the historical summit: Vernice Miller-Travis and Charles Lee. The episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

ELI’s Climate Judiciary Project bridges the gap between the climate science community and the judiciary, providing judges with neutral, objective information about the science of climate change. In this episode, ELI Research Associate Heather Luedke talks to Sandy Nichols Thiam, ELI’s Director of Judicial Education, and Dr. Paul Hanle, the Project Founder, to learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

One of the defining issues of our time – sea level rise – promises to impact millions of Americans in the coming years and decades. But while the science of sea level rise is becoming more and more accurate and predictable, and the need to adapt to a changing future more clear, the legal and policy implications of doing so are anything but obvious. In this episode, Jarryd Page, a staff attorney at ELI, talks about sea level rise with Robin Kundis Craig, the Robert C. Packard Trustee Chair in Law at the University of Southern California School of Law. ★ Support this podcast ★

As the Agency responsible for protecting human health and the environment across the entirety of the United States, EPA has developed EJSCREEN, a mapping and screening tool that combines environmental and demographic data to highlight areas with potential environmental justice concerns. In February, EPA released EJSCREEN 2.0, adding new indicators and datasets to the tool. In this episode, Nicole Noelliste, a managing associate in the environmental practice at Sidley Austin LLP, talks to Matthew Tejada, Director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, and Tai Lung, also with EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, to learn about EJSCREEN 2.0. ★ Support this podcast ★

Linda Breggin, a Senior Attorney at ELI and Director of ELI’s Center for State, Tribal and Local Environmental Programs, talks to Professors Monte Mills and Martin Nie about their article, Bridges to a New Era: A Report on the Past, Present, and Potential Future of Tribal Co-Management on Federal Public Lands. In it, they posit that the United States can meaningfully connect public land law to the federal government’s long-standing trust-based and treaty-based responsibility to promote the sovereign and cultural interests of Native Nations and enhance and engage in a new era of tribal co-management across the federal public land system. The article received honorable mention in this year’s Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR), a 15-year collaboration between ELI and Vanderbilt University Law School. Vanderbilt Law students Connor Kridle and Thomas Boynton join in on the conversation. ★ Support this podcast ★

As climate change impacts become more visible and the urgency for climate action continues, it is important to remember that we need to address emissions from all sectors, not just from fossil fuels. In this episode, we dig into the policies, legal reforms, and actions the United States should undertake to make the agricultural industry carbon neutral. ★ Support this podcast ★

Interest and urgency in advancing environmental justice (EJ) has gained new momentum. As such, it is becoming increasingly important for companies to proactively address EJ issues. How might companies’ environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments strengthen and work in tandem with EJ initiatives? In this episode, Stacey Sublett Halliday and Julius Redd of Beveridge & Diamond recap recent EJ policy developments and then talk with Matthew Tejada, Director of EPA’s Office of Environmental Justice, and Samantha Phillips Beers, Director of the EPA Region III Office of Communities, Tribes, and Environmental Assessment, about the intersection of EJ and ESG. The episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

This past spring, the Environmental Law Institute released A Toolkit for Incorporating Food Waste in Municipal Climate Action Plans, which provides municipalities and stakeholders with model provisions that will make it easier to incorporate food waste measures into municipal climate action plans. In this episode, ELI’s Linda Breggin and Akielly Hu speak to contributors to the report, Kendra Abkowitz, Chief Sustainability and Resilience Officer at Metro Nashville/Davidson County, and Darby Hoover, a Senior Resource Specialist at the NRDC. ★ Support this podcast ★

On February 14, ELI launched the Pro Bono Clearinghouse to ensure that communities with viable environmental legal matters get the representation they need, whether that be in a courtroom, in front of an agency, or in a more facilitative or consultative fashion. In this episode, Kristine Perry, a staff attorney at ELI, is joined by Scott Wilson Badenoch Jr., a Visiting Attorney at ELI, and Arielle King, ELI’s Environmental Justice Staff Attorney, to talk about ELI’s newest environmental justice initiative and how it works. ★ Support this podcast ★

Environmental Justice (EJ) has gained new momentum in recent years, amplified by a global focus on social justice, climate, and equity. Yet this new-found energy and focus on environmental is best understood through the lens of those who have been working toward EJ for decades. In this episode, John Cruden, a Principal at Beveridge & Diamond, talks to renowned EJ leader and advocate Benjamin F. Wilson. Ben, who recently retired after serving years as Chairman of Beveridge & Diamond, has deep experience with EJ representations and is a recognized leader on diversity, equity and inclusion issues in the legal profession. ★ Support this podcast ★

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment & Natural Resources Division (ENRD) is tasked with enforcing the United States’ civil and criminal environmental laws. In this episode, Nicole Noelliste, a managing associate in the environmental practice at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with John Cruden, former Assistant Attorney General of the ENRD (2015-2017), and David Buente, former Chief of the ENRD’s Environmental Enforcement Section (1985-1990). John and David share insights on the organizational development of the Environmental Crimes Section and Environmental Enforcement Section of ENRD and discuss key landmark cases such as Love Canal. The episode is part of The Enforcement Angle series, featuring conversations about state and federal enforcement of environmental laws and regulations with senior enforcement officials and thought leaders on environmental enforcement in the United States and globally. ★ Support this podcast ★

Sharks play an essential role in the marine ecosystem. But many species of migratory sharks and rays have become endangered due to overfishing and excessive bycatch in industrial fisheries. And given their migratory nature, sharks and rays are “beyond the national jurisdiction” of any one nation and therefore difficult to protect and regulate. Greta Swanson, a Visiting Attorney at ELI, offers insight on key international agreements that regulate the conservation and management of migratory sharks and rays. ★ Support this podcast ★

Environmental justice embraces the principle that all people deserve equal access to environmental protection and enforcement while acknowledging the fact that, both historically and still today, this fails to play out in reality. Recognizing that the legal system has contributed to an unequal distribution of environmental burdens and benefits, ELI is committed to providing research and educational tools to help alleviate the harm faced by environmental justice communities across the nation. In this episode, Arielle King, ELI’s Environmental Justice Staff Attorney, shares with listeners some of the tools ELI is developing to eliminate the harmful impacts of environmental injustice. ★ Support this podcast ★

Last November, as the world focused its attention on the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow, Scotland, high school students in Dane County, Wisconsin, co-sponsored and moderated a climate action conference of their own that connected COP26 to local climate initiatives and progress. Rebecca Kihslinger, a Senior Science and Policy Analyst at ELI, talks to four of the student organizers — Daphne Wu, Claire Neblett, Kirshna Elwell, and Felicia Zheng — to learn more. ★ Support this podcast ★

Interest and urgency in advancing environmental justice has gained new momentum. The Biden-Harris Administration has placed an unprecedented federal focus on environmental justice using a whole of government approach. Meanwhile, a growing list of states continue to develop, implement, and enforce EJ-focused legislation, accelerated by the intensity at the federal level. Will this momentum carry into the new year? In this episode, Stacey Halliday of Beveridge & Diamond talks to two EJ leaders at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — Charles Lee, Senior Policy Advisor, and Matthew Tejada, the Director of the Office of Environmental Justice – to find out what’s in store for 2022. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

Land use climate bubbles are popping up all over the nation at an alarming rate, and they could very well lead to an economic crisis that will be more damaging than that of the housing bubble of 2008. What can we do to respond? Land Use Law expert John Nolon describes how the local land use legal system can leverage state and federal assistance to reduce per capita carbon emissions as an important and now recognized component of global efforts to manage climate change. The podcast is being released in tandem with CNN’s Call to Earth Day, an initiative to share the stories of those dedicated to conservation, environmentalism, and sustainability. ★ Support this podcast ★

As investor demand for climate and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) products soars, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formed a climate and ESG task force and taken other steps. In this episode, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with Kelly Gibson, Director of the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office who also leads the Climate and ESG Task Force within the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, and Ranah Esmaili, a partner at Sidley who recently joined the firm from the SEC’s Asset Management Unit within the Division of Enforcement. The panel discusses a wide range of SEC developments, including potential rulemaking, risk alerts, investor bulletins, and the task force. ★ Support this podcast ★

Environmental Justice has gained new momentum in recent years, amplified by a global focus on social justice, climate, and equity. Shortly after taking office, President Biden released Executive Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crises at Home and Abroad. The Executive Order includes a new initiative, Justice40, which states that 40% of the overall benefits from specific federal investments—including energy efficiency, clean energy, clean water infrastructure, and training and workforce development—will be directed toward disadvantaged communities. In this episode, Gwendolyn Keyes Fleming, a partner at Van Ness Feldman, and Mustafa Santiago Ali, Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation, discuss the Justice40 initiative. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

Environmental Justice (EJ) has gained new momentum in recent years, amplified by a global focus on social justice, climate, and equity. The Biden-Harris Administration has brought EJ to the federal spotlight, and even before 2021, states were starting to implement ambitious, history-making EJ-focused legislation. But what about corporate America? In this episode, Roy Prather, a Shareholder at Beveridge & Diamond who advises clients on corporate social responsibility and environmental justice, interviews Chonda Nwamu, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for Ameren Corporation, and Roger Martella, Chief Sustainability Officer for General Electric. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

It’s official: climate change isn’t the future. It’s here now. How ready are we for this unwelcome visitor? And how prepared are we to adapt to the climate change impacts we’re already experiencing—at every level of government? ELI’s Cynthia Harris talks to three climate law experts—Dr. Barrett Ristroph, Katie Spidalieri, and Jennifer Li—about climate adaptation at the federal, state, and local level. Ristroph, Spidalieri, and Li co-authored the Climate Change chapter in the most recent edition of ELI’s legal treatise, Law of Environmental Protection. ★ Support this podcast ★

The United States has enacted hundreds of environmental laws and regulations to keep our communities and the people who live in them healthy and safe. But what should be done when these legal safety nets fail, as is too often the case with environmental justice concerns and racial environmental health inequalities? In this episode, ELI’s Caitlin McCarthy talks to Dr. Neha Pathak, a Medical Editor and writer with WebMD, about disproportionate exposure from toxic beauty products, environmental justice, and more. ★ Support this podcast ★

EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division is tasked with investigating the most significant and egregious environmental violations – ones that are negligent, knowing, or willful. In this episode, Justin Savage, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with Jessica Taylor, the Director of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division. Joining them is Doug Parker, who served as the Division’s Director from 2012-2016. The episode is part of The Enforcement Angle series, featuring conversations about state and federal enforcement of environmental laws and regulations with senior enforcement officials and thought leaders on environmental enforcement in the United States and globally. ★ Support this podcast ★

For more than a decade, ELI and Vanderbilt University Law School have featured some of the year’s best academic thinking on legal and policy solutions to pressing environmental problems via the Environmental Law and Policy Annual Review (ELPAR). This episode gives listeners a preview to this year’s issue, which hits the streets in August and features articles and commentary on climate change litigation, corporate ESG, environmental justice, and energy regulation. ★ Support this podcast ★

After millennia of humankind exploiting terrestrial resources, national governments and private enterprises alike are eyeing the skies. There’s evidence of asteroids containing precious metals. Ice on the Moon can be extracted to generate drinking water, oxygen, hydrogen, and helium-3. And Mars has useful minerals, ice, and perhaps even liquid water. All of this requires mining—a pollution-heavy industry. But if activities impacting the environment are being carried out in outer space, what law applies? Or is it all just a . . . legal void? In this episode, ELI’s Cynthia Harris talks to Scot Anderson and Julia La Manna, attorneys with Hogan Lovells in Denver, Colorado, to help us navigate the uncertain terrain of space mining. ★ Support this podcast ★

Migration—the temporary or permanent movement of people from one place of residence to another, within a country or across an international border—occurs for myriad reasons. It also involves a host of dangers, complications, and risks. “Migration with Dignity” is a new concept increasingly being used to promote voluntary migration in the pursuit of life with dignity. In this episode, we hear from Carl Bruch, ELI’s Director of International Programs, and Dr. Shanna McClain, Visiting Scientist at ELI and Global Partnerships Manager for NASA’s Earth Sciences Division. The two speak with ELI Staff Attorney Kristine Perry about the legal and policy framework they have been developing to help people migrate with dignity. ★ Support this podcast ★

In the first few weeks of the Biden-Harris Administration, we’ve seen an unprecedented environmental justice (EJ) campaign platform develop into far-reaching executive actions. But even before the Biden-Harris campaign brought EJ to the federal spotlight, states were starting to implement ambitious, history-making EJ-focused legislation, a trend that appears to be continuing into 2021. In this episode, Hilary Jacobs, an attorney at Beveridge & Diamond, speaks with Dr. Karla Drenner, a State Representative from Georgia, and Rebecca Saldaña, a State Senator from Washington State, about pending EJ legislation in their states. This episode is part of the Groundtruth series created in partnership with Beveridge & Diamond, one of the nation’s leading environmental law firms. ★ Support this podcast ★

Since 1989, ELI has honored over 200 champions of wetlands protection through the National Wetlands Awards program, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated exceptional effort, innovation, and excellence in protecting these critical ecosystems. In this episode, hear from our five 2021 awardees, who share their perspectives and insight on a variety of wetlands-related matters. ★ Support this podcast ★

On May 18, 1971, Pennsylvania’s voters ratified an Environmental Rights Amendment to its state constitution. Fifty years later, with climate change now the overriding threat to the health of the planet, the architect of that amendment makes the case for an environmental amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In this episode, we talk to Franklin L. Kury, who served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1966 to 1972 and the Pennsylvania Senate from 1972 to 1980, about his new book, The Constitutional Question to Save the Planet: The Peoples' Right to a Healthy Environment. ★ Support this podcast ★

There are many benefits to offshore wind, but what about its impacts on birds, bats, and other wildlife? In this episode, we "engage the experts” and listen in on a conversation between two experts in the field of environmental law and policy, Brooke Marcus Wahlberg, a Partner at Nossaman LLP, and Ed Roggenkamp, an associate. The two offer background on offshore wind, discuss obstacles and opportunities, and share recent developments, including what we might expect under the Biden Administration. ★ Support this podcast ★

For over 60 years, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and its predecessor agencies have been a national and global leader on a wide range of environmental issues, from air quality to water quality to remediation. In this episode, Heather Palmer, a Partner at Sidley Austin LLP, talks with Toby Baker, Executive Director of the TCEQ. The two discuss a wide range of issues, including COVID-19, severe weather and power outages, and the Biden Administration. ★ Support this podcast ★