Visionary environmental regulator Mary Nichols, whose groundbreaking work as Chair of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) helped pave the way for many of the nation’s current environmental laws and regulations, shared her perspectives on her California and Washington D.C. experience during the newest episode of “Environmental Insights: Discussions on Policy and Practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.” The podcast is produced by the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.

Read a transcript of the podcast here: https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/mary_nichols_podcast_transcript.pdf.

How the California Experience can Impact Global Climate Policy: A Conversation with Mary Nichols

The transition from a fossil-fuel economy to a clean-energy economy is going to require the United States to build a lot of solar, wind, geothermal, energy storage and transmission and distribution systems as soon as possible. We also must consider the infrastructure necessary for building resilience and adaptation to climate change, such as sea walls, flood protection systems, and water storage systems.

Some argue one of the biggest barriers to building all this is the time and costs associated with obtaining the necessary permits and approvals from regulatory agencies. The complexity of the process gives motivated individuals the ability to drag out the approval process, which can be a significant hurdle for energy companies looking to invest in renewable energy projects.

Further, some assert we should repeal/reform the National Environmental Policy Act (called NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). These laws require federal and state/local agencies to assess the potential environmental effects of development projects, public works, and other major government actions, and involve the public at important steps in the process. On this show, we talk with Dustin Mulvaney, Professor, Environmental Studies Department, San José State University [http://dustinmulvaney.com/], and Lydia Poncé, Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, and Coordinator of Earth Justice.

We also discuss the issue of housing advocacy and protection of neighborhoods and promotion of a sustainable form of urbanism. Do environmental regulations that encourage - or even mandate - public participation for environmental justice the problem in preventing us from building a better society with Housing and Clean Energy for all?


Dustin Mulvaney is a Professor in the Environmental Studies Department at San José State University and a Fellow with the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. His research includes work on just transitions, solar energy commodity chains, and natural resource development. He is the author of Solar Power: Innovation, Sustainability, Environmental Justice published by the University California Press in 2019, and Sustainable Energy Transition: Socio-Ecological Dimensions of Decarbonization out with Palgrave-MacMillan in 2020.

Lydia Poncé is an Indigenous Activist, Water Protector, co-founder of Idle No More SoCal and Coordinator of Earth Justice. She hosts a show called Be a Better Relative, Tuesdays on KPFK Los Angeles.

Jack Eidt is an urban planner, environmental journalist, and climate organizer, as well as award-winning fiction writer. He is Co-Founder SoCal 350 Climate Action and Executive Producer of EcoJustice Radio. He is also Founder and Publisher of WilderUtopia [https://wilderutopia.com], a website dedicated to the question of Earth sustainability, finding society-level solutions to environmental, community, economic, transportation and energy needs.

More info: https://thebulletin.org/2023/02/want-clean-energy-fast-streamlining-environmental-reviews-could-have-the-opposite-effect/#post-heading

Mulvaney, D. 2022. Battle over the sun in the Golden State. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. June 3, 2022. https://thebulletin.org/2022/06/battle-over-solar-power-in-the-golden-state/ Stephanie Dashiell, Mark Buckley, Dustin Mulvaney. (2019). Green Light Study: Economic and Conservation Benefits of Low-Impact Solar Siting in California. The Nature Conservancy. November 2019. https://www.scienceforconservation.org/products/green-light-study


Podcast Website: http://ecojusticeradio.org/ 
Podcast Blog: https://www.wilderutopia.com/category/ecojustice-radio/ 
Support the Podcast: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ecojusticeradio
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Executive Producer and Host: Jack Eidt
Engineer and Original Music: Blake Quake Beats

Episode 172

Do Environmental Regulations Stop Clean Energy and Affordable Housing?

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Environmental Insights: Conversations on policy and practice from the Harvard Environmental Economics Program.  

PHOTO: by Gustavo Quepón on Unsplash

EcoJustice Radio presents environmental and climate stories from a social justice frame, featuring voices not necessarily heard on mainstream media.

Our purpose is to amplify community voices, broaden the reach of grassroots-based movements, and inspire action. We investigate solutions for social, environmental, and climate issues with an eye to advance human health, steward wild landscapes, and solve the climate crisis across the USA and the world.

Featured weekly on KPFK Los Angeles and KPFT Houston, and found on all major podcast apps. We are nationally syndicated through the Pacifica Network and PRX and heard on public radio stations across the US and downloaded in over 25 countries.

Co-hosts Jack Eidt, Carry Kim, and Jessica Aldridge present a broad range of perspectives: land defenders and water protectors; Indigenous leaders, front/fenceline community spokespeople; youth organizers; ecosystem and land stewards; regenerative farmers and permaculture specialists; spiritual and faith leaders; environmental health advocates and practitioners; documentary filmmakers; climate scientists; and political decision makers.

EcoJustice Radio [http://EcoJusticeRadio.org] is produced by SoCal350.org since 2017. 

Tune in live to KPFK Radio Thursdays from 4 to 5 PM (PT) at 90.7 FM Los Angeles, 98.7 FM Santa Barbara, 93.7 FM North San Diego, 99.5 FM Ridgecrest-China Lake, or KPFK.org. 

We also are featured on KPFT Houston from 4 to 5 PM (CT) at 90.1 FM or KPFT.org and other public radio stations on the Pacifica Network.

New tracks tagged #EnvironmentalRegulations