Why Us, Why Now
U.S. environmental laws are struggling to meet the challenges of the 21st century, especially during the second half of the Trump era. Half a century of neoliberal policy has stripped agency capacity bare, and the climate crisis and rapid technological shifts have exposed the limits of existing legal tools and legacy infrastructure — and the need for more flexibility and creativity among policymakers.
The short-term challenge facing the nation is to limit the environmental damage from the Trump administration’s attacks wherever possible. But playing defense is not enough. The Center and its allies also work to seize opportunities to build better environmental governance for the future. The end goal is a healthier and more equitable future.
Creating a healthier and more equitable future requires the development and promotion of transformational environmental and public health governance reforms at both the state and federal levels. To truly achieve this requires coordination and collaboration with allies, advocates, policymakers, and crucially, communities working on the front lines of exposures to environmental harms.
The Center works to connect technical expertise in federal and state administrative law, quantitative data analysis, and partnerships to evaluate regulatory gaps, study the impacts of harm, and build pathways forward, guided by the needs of impacted communities. In this work, the Center helps partners advance an equitable and healthy future.