Michael B. Gerrard Journalist Profile

Articles

Trump Executive Orders on Energy and Environment: A Quick Summary | JD Supra

Jan 22, 2025 | jdsupra.com | Michael B. Gerrard

On the evening of the second inauguration of President Trump, the White House released a flurry of executive orders on a wide range of subjects. Several of them specifically concerned energy and the environment.
New York Environmental Legislation in 2024

Jan 21, 2025 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

Who Got The Work J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
A Buried Treasure Trove of NEPA Documents | JD Supra

Dec 6, 2024 | jdsupra.com | Michael B. Gerrard

Back in 2003, Michael Herz and I wrote an article calling for the creation of an online, word searchable database of environmental impact statements that had been prepared under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and its state equivalents. These EISs are written at great expense and contain massive amounts of observational data about air and water quality, species abundance, soil conditions, traffic levels, and much else.
Trump 2.0: This Time the Stakes for Climate Are Even Higher

Nov 18, 2024 | e360.yale.edu | Michael B. Gerrard

Donald Trump has promised to halt federal climate action and repeal the Biden-era Inflation Reduction Act, which provides unprecedented spending for clean energy. The market momentum for renewables and efforts by states and cities may be the only hope for U.S. climate progress. The November 5 election was the worst-case outcome for climate regulation.
Environmental Law in Trump’s Second Term

Nov 12, 2024 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

Donald Trump’s victory in the Nov. 5, 2024 election and Republican control of both the Senate and the House (if that happens) will mean a reversal of much of the environmental progress under the Biden administration, just as the 2016 election reversed large parts of the Obama environmental legacy. However, rapid advances in the technology and economics of clean energy have created a momentum that can be slowed but not stopped.
New York Falling Behind in Implementing Bold Climate Law

Sep 11, 2024 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

In July 2019, shortly after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), I wrote in an op-ed, “The champagne corks are still popping. But the realization is dawning that implementing the new law will be really, really hard.
Annual SEQRA Review: Project Applicants Winning More Cases

Jul 10, 2024 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

New York courts are showing impatience with local governments that withhold or stretch out approval of projects without valid environmental grounds. In seven cases last year under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), courts overturned municipal actions that rejected projects or delayed approvals. In all, the courts decided 46 cases under SEQRA in 2023.
California and Europe Require Scope 3 Climate Disclosures Despite SEC Retreat

May 10, 2024 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

In March 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued proposed regulations on disclosure of climate-related information by public companies, including their material Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This created a firestorm, drawing more than 24,000 comment letters. On March 6, 2024, the SEC issued its final rule, significantly narrowing the requirements and, notably, eliminating the Scope 3 disclosures. Want to continue reading?
"New York City Relaxing Environmental Review Rules for Housing Construc" by Michael B. Gerrard

Mar 15, 2024 | scholarship.law.columbia.edu | Michael B. Gerrard

Environmental Law | Housing Law | LawSabin Center for Climate Change Law Michael B. Gerrard, New York City Relaxing Environmental Review Rules for Housing Construction, N.Y.L.J., March 13, 2024 (2024). Available at: https://scholarship.law.columbia.edu/faculty_scholarship/4428 For information and resources from the Sabin Center for Climate Change Law, please visit us here.
New York City Relaxing Environmental Review Rules for Housing Construction

Mar 13, 2024 | law.com | Michael B. Gerrard

Faced with a severe housing shortage, New York City is exempting the construction of much new housing from the environmental review processes and taking many other steps to encourage such construction throughout the city. Several of these moves will also help the transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Context Over 53% of the city’s residents are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent.