Old Law, New Tricks: Using the Clean Air Act to Curb Climate Change

Few if any people think the Clean Air Act is the optimal legislative solution to climate change; but it is a powerful tool that is being used sometimes despite the prevailing political will. To address this reality, this volume calls on the best writing from the most often-cited environmental law journal in the United States, the Environmental Law Reporter(R), to explain the possibilities and pitfalls in using this regulatory framework to address greenhouse gases (GHGs) and short-lived climate pollutants. This collection does not have a singular perspective or agenda other than to highlight multiple suggestions about ways in which the Act should or should not be used to address climate change. The Environmental Law Institute and editors of Environmental Law Reporter(R) do not endorse any approach outlined in these pages but instead present various ideas to educate and spur public debate and discussion.

Few if any people think the Clean Air Act is the optimal legislative solution to climate change; but it is a powerful tool that is being used sometimes despite the prevailing political will. To address this reality, this volume calls on the best writing from the most often-cited environmental law journal in the United States, the Environmental Law Reporter(R), to explain the possibilities and pitfalls in using this regulatory framework to address greenhouse gases (GHGs) and short-lived climate pollutants. This collection does not have a singular perspective or agenda other than to highlight multiple suggestions about ways in which the Act should or should not be used to address climate change. The Environmental Law Institute and editors of Environmental Law Reporter(R) do not endorse any approach outlined in these pages but instead present various ideas to educate and spur public debate and discussion.