Climate Change Under U.S. Law - Part 1

Special guest Dan Galpern, legal and policy adviser to the climate scientist James E. Hansen and the founder of Climate Protection & Restoration Initiative (CPR) (https://cprclimate.org/), joins Dr. Peter Carter, Paul Beckwith and Regina Valdez in Part 1 of a multi-part series on ‘Climate Change Under U.S. Law.’

This program focuses on the various facets of CPR’s first initiative, which proposes to protect the climate by introducing a rising carbon fee on oil, gas, and coal using existing federal U.S. law.

This video was recorded on March 8th, 2022, and published on April 2nd, 2022.

Some of the topics discussed:

• Given the current congressional stalemate in terms of passing new legislation to adequately address the Climate Crisis, CPR proposes addressing this by using existing federal law.
• It poses the question of whether the Biden administration is willing to utilize existing law to protect the country and the planet from harmful fossil fuel GHG emissions?
• Dan summarizes his background and what led him to start CPR.
• Dan summarizes the Holiday Farm Fire which ranks among the largest in Oregon’s history. The fire started around Labor day of 2020 and Dan shares some of the photos he took of the resulting devastation in the Blue River area.
• The state of affairs with respect to the political stalemate in the U.S. Federal Congress and how this has prevented the Biden administration from passing meaningful legislation to begin to address Climate Change.
• The broad level of support CPR has received for its initiatives including an article written by E. Donald Elliott, who served as Assistant Administrator and General Counsel of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 1989 to 1991.
• A corroboration of the need to do more to push for change in the U.S. climate file and to give a voice to the younger generation.
• The urgent need to support CPR’s initiatives for the sake of the climate and human survival.
• and more. . .

Links:

• Climate Protection & Restoration Initiative Website

• Earth Institute of Columbia University - Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Website

• The Clean Air Act - Highlights of the 1990 Amendments

• Residents recount the terror of the Holiday Farm Fire one year later

• Build Back Better Act

• Hansen-Galpern Jan-25-2021 Letter to President Biden (pdf)

• Independent Offices Appropriations Act (IOAA) of 1952

• US Environmental Protection Agency

• Biden should impose a carbon fee immediately

• E. Donald Elliott

• What’s Biden’s Next Move on Climate?

• Notable Signatories

• Toxic Substances Control Act

Special Guest

• Dan Galpern - Attorney at Law, Environmental and climate attorney and policy analyst. Since 2011, Dan has served as legal and policy adviser to the climate scientist James E. Hansen – including with respect to administrative, criminal and civil state and federal actions.

Regular Panelists:

• Dr. Peter Carter - MD, Expert IPCC Reviewer and the director of the Climate Emergency Institute

• Paul Beckwith - Climate Systems Scientist. Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Paleoclimatology Laboratory as well as at Carleton University

• Regina Valdez - Program Director, Climate Reality Project, NYC. GreenFaith Fellow and LEED Green Associate

Video Production:

• Charles Gregoire – Climate Reality Leader, Electrical Engineer, Webmaster and IT prime for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum

• Heidi Brault - Climate Reality Leader, BA(Psychology), Library & Information Technician Diploma - Video production and website assistant - Organizer and convener, Metadata technician, COP26 Team Lead for FacingFuture.Earth and the Climate Emergency Forum.

Attributions:

Background Music:

• Title: Through the City II
• Author: Crowander
• Source: Free Music Archive
• License: BY-NC 4.0

Image and Video:

• Image and Video Attributions