July 31, 2019
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Amicus Briefs: Title X Women’s Health Services, Fracking Rule
We recently filed amicus briefs in the Ninth Circuit, supporting three district court decisions to block a Trump administration rule that imposes onerous restrictions on the federal Title X program. The rule, which would force the shutdown of numerous women’s health clinics, was recently enjoined by courts in Washington State, Oregon, and California. Our brief encourages the appeals court to affirm the preliminary injunctions, emphasizing that the Department of Health and Human Services’ assessment of its Title X rule thoroughly flunks legal and economic standards.
In another amicus brief, we detailed the Bureau of Land Management’s flawed decision to repeal an Obama-era rule that tightens environmental regulations for fracking on public lands. We focused on BLM’s irrational analysis, which erases the rule’s significant net benefits and disregards longstanding standard practices.
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Commentary: EPA’s Dishonest and Deadly Analysis
Jack Lienke and Richard Revesz published a piece in The Regulatory Review that criticizes EPA’s misleading analysis of the Affordable Clean Energy rule. Despite previously claiming that the Clean Power Plan is a dire threat to the coal industry and the larger economy, the Trump administration now claims that replacing it with ACE will have no impact, environmentally or economically. The dramatic reversal, Lienke and Revesz explain, is a dishonest attempt to obscure substantial net harms, including a large number of pollution-related deaths.
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Expert Report on Colorado’s Zero Emission Vehicle Program
Peter Howard and Jason Schwartz provided an export report on Colorado’s proposed Zero Emission Vehicle program, which would reduce millions of tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. They demonstrate how the program’s climate benefits can be monetized and how those estimates can provide useful context for decisionmakers and the public.
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Bike Safety in NYC
Bethany Davis Noll and Derek Sylvan wrote an op-ed in the New York Daily News that addresses the pressing need for more protected bike lanes in New York City. The city’s progress on installing them has been slow and piecemeal, despite their clear benefits. Many have been put in place only as a result of a cyclist deaths. Davis Noll and Sylvan advocate for a more consistent, effective approach—not fits and starts in the wake of tragedies.
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Livermore Explores Data’s Possibilities
Policy Integrity co-founder and senior advisor Michael Livermore collaborated on a new book that examines the evolving role of technology in law. Developed from a workshop held at the Santa Fe Institute in 2017, the book studies how computer-based tools are being used to analyze dense legal information. Livermore worked as co-editor alongside Daniel Rockmore, a professor of computer science and mathematics at Dartmouth College.
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Moreno Appointed to Chair of Virginia Air Pollution Board
Ignacia Moreno, a member of our advisory board, was recently appointed to serve as Chair of the Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board. She has served on that board since 2016, when she was appointed by Governor Terry McAuliffe.
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