The Merger Between Energy Law and Environmental Law: The View From the Micro-level

摘要

For several decades, since the beginning of the modern environmental era, there has been a call for the merger of environmental law and energy law. After all, energy production and use has environmental consequences, and reducing pollution can be accomplished by reducing energy consumption and its effects on public health. But the two fields have often drifted apart; in fact, the 1970s saw both the first environmental laws and the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency, but also the passage of a suite of energy laws and the creation of a separate Department of Energy. Nonetheless, there are examples of such a merger in diverse fields of endeavor, with attorneys playing a leading role. We asked a suite of environmental lawyers to look at their every-day work for evidence of a consilience, and to report back to our readers what they found.