COMPETITIVE CALL FOR PAPERS
Automobile Emissions and the Environment:
Mass. v. EPA, the VW Scandal, and the Future of Clean Transportation
Symposium Date: April 20, 2017
Symposium Location: University of Connecticut School of Law, Hartford, CT
Symposium Focus: Ten years ago, Massachusetts v. The Environmental Protection Agency changed the world of environmental law and policy. Empowered to consider and regulate as federal policy the emission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, Congress finally responded to the smog and air pollution problems prevalent throughout the middle of the twentieth century. The result was a reinvigorated Clean Air Act and a comprehensive system of air emissions regulations for both stationary sources (like smoke stacks) as well as mobile sources (like passenger cars, trucks, and tractors). While the federal government now takes a more direct role in regulating very large or very hazardous sources of emissions, it works with state governments to oversee stationary sources. States in turn create a State Implementation Plan and, subject to EPA oversight, determine where and how to locate and limit polluters and their pollutants. This type of state and federal government collaboration is referred to as cooperative federalism.
This call seeks paper submissions on how federal oversight has impacted climate policy at all levels: research, funding, automobiles, renewable energy, emissions, local regulation, industry, etc. We welcome every kind of submission, but will emphasize papers focusing on the application of Mass. v. EPA, Mass. v. EPA in context, or clean transportation.
Selected authors will present their papers at the conference and will be published in the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal.
Deadline for paper abstract submissions: Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Programmatic Details: We invite abstract submissions from legal and policy academics, practitioners, regulators, law and graduate students, and others with expertise and interest in the topics below to submit a 2- to 3-page paper proposal (extended abstract) that focuses on one or more of the topics identified below. Papers that integrate multiple themes and/or more than one topic are encouraged. Abstracts will be evaluated and selected for inclusion in the symposium based on responsiveness to the call, relevance to the symposium’s themes, substantive merit and analytical rigor. Authors will be contacted by February 15 regarding the status of their abstract. A complete manuscript of those papers selected for presentation must be submitted on April 1.
Topics of Interest: We are soliciting papers from any of the following and/or related subject areas which explore:
Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency:
The litigants and litigation
Progeny cases
The case’s effect on the Clean Air Act, transportation, local regulation, etc.
State standing, special solicitude, and administrative procedure
The VW Scandal
Car manufacturers as victims of their own success
Private actions (e.g. mass torts) for the public good
Fuel economy as a proxy for cleanliness
Alternative transportation
Electric and self-driving cars
Expanded bus/rail service/infrastructure
Hyperloop and other futuristic concepts
The EPA and Clean Air Act in a Trump administration
Clean air and the public interest
Publication of Papers: The Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal will publish the accepted submissions. Affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Law, the Journal’s primary purpose is “to further the discussion of the legal aspects of public interest issues, and especially those confronting under-represented individuals . . . . The Journal is a forum for such intellectual discussion and is a force for change and progress.”
Program Advisory Board: Joe MacDougald (University of Connecticut School of Law, Center for Energy and Environmental Law), Drew Cunningham (Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal), Kristie Beahm (Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal), Heidi Schneider (Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal).
Program Support: The University of Connecticut School of Law Center for Energy and Environmental Law, the Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, the University of Connecticut School of Law, and the UConn Law School Foundation.
Contact: Drew Cunningham, Editor in Chief, Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal
How to Submit: 2- to 3-page paper proposals should be submitted via e-mail to cpilj@uconn.edu by 5:00 p.m. EST, February 1, 2017. Be sure to include your CV.
Review: Abstracts submitted by the deadline will be evaluated for relevance, rigor, and responsiveness. Authors will be notified of the status of their papers by February 15, 2016.
Final Papers Format: Final papers will be 30-40 pages in length and contain fewer than 20,000 words, including footnotes. Completed manuscripts must be submitted PRIOR to the conference by April 10, 2017. In preparation for peer review, revised manuscripts should be submitted by May 15, 2017.
Important dates:
Paper Proposals Due: February 1, 2017
Author Notification of Acceptance: February 15, 2017
Full Papers Due: April 10, 2017
Symposium Date: April 20, 2017
Final Revised Papers Due: May 15, 2017