Transition Letter to President-Elect Trump Regarding Environmental and Energy Policy

SUMMARY

With the help of the Environmental Law Committee (Michael G. Mahoney, Chair), Energy Law Committee (Daniel W. Rosenblum, Chair), International Environmental Law Committee (E. Gail Suchman, Chair) and Climate Adaptation Task Force (Stephen L. Kass, Chair), the City Bar sent a letter to President-Elect Donald Trump and his transition team on environmental issues and policy.  The letter urges the incoming administration to preserve the hard-won progress that has been achieved over many years to protect and improve America’s environment.  Specifically, it lauds the federal-state partnership created by the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and other laws that has provided “clear direction and consistency in the environmental requirements imposed across the country, creating the predictability required for business to operate efficiently,” and underscores the importance of funding and staffing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency so as not to devolve to a prior model of conflicting state requirements and resultant pollution.  The letter also urges the incoming administration to take a leadership role in addressing climate change by reducing our domestic greenhouse gas emissions and by helping developing countries adapt to the impacts of climate change, warning that such impacts, “unless addressed, will increasingly threaten our own national interests and security.”  The letter also points to the economic benefits of encouraging the development of renewable energy technology and promoting energy efficiency in transportation, industry and infrastructure.