Navigating Polarization: Why Local Environmental Assessments Matter More Than Ever – Insights from Vanderbilt Law School

Experts at Vanderbilt University are pushing for a fresh approach to environmental governance. They suggest reviving a past federal initiative called the “State of the Environment” report, but with a regional focus.

In an upcoming article in the GW Journal of Energy & Environmental Law, Mariah Caballero, Ethan Thorpe, and Michael Vandenbergh highlight the importance of regional data-driven reports. These reports can help create unbiased and effective environmental policies, especially since federal initiatives have been lacking.

The authors emphasize that local and state levels have made significant progress regarding climate change. By increasing the reporting on vital environmental indicators, decision-makers can better allocate resources and find successful solutions to various environmental challenges across the U.S.

They advocate for “embedded upscaling,” where communities learn from each other while adhering to regulatory standards. This collaboration can help everyone improve and address environmental issues effectively.

This idea draws from a previous federal program by the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). From 1969 until 1997, the CEQ submitted annual State of the Environment reports to the President and Congress, analyzing environmental conditions and suggesting legislative changes. However, these reports ended as part of a government effort to reduce paperwork.

Given the ongoing demand for environmental quality from consumers, employees, and investors, the authors believe that local and regional efforts can help bridge the gap created by the discontinuation of these reports.

The article features a case study on Tennessee’s State of the Environment report, created by Vanderbilt’s Energy, Environment & Land Use Program. This report uses publicly available data on several environmental indicators. The findings were shared at a conference where community leaders and academics discussed them.

Looking ahead, the authors envision this report as just the beginning of a series that will enhance transparency by sharing the data used before future presentations.

They argue that this long-term process could encourage the CEQ to reconsider its role in producing national environment reports and provide a model for other regions and local governments to develop their own reports.

The paper concludes by encouraging law schools, students, non-profits, and philanthropists to explore similar initiatives to promote environmental governance.

For more insights, check out the forthcoming article titled “Information for Environmental Governance in a Polarized Era: The Value of State of the Environment Reports.” Mariah Caballero is a Doctoral Candidate at Vanderbilt; Ethan Thorpe is an EELU Fellow there, and Michael Vandenbergh is the Director of the Climate Change Research Network and Co-Director of EELU.

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