1 - 3 of 3 results for: Policy Practicum: Smoke

Clients: Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) as well as legislative and California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) decision makers. Buildings play a central role in protecting us from extreme climate events and in governing our consumption of energy via the natural gas and electric system. It is in our buildings, especially our homes, that climate resilience and climate mitigation meet. But at present, these conversations -- about the policy pathways to greater climate resilience and options for faster building decarbonization -- are largely conducted separately. The goal of Buildings in the Energy Transition is to develop policy analyses that optimize for affordability, resilience and mitigation, incorporating energy modelling, public health and energy regulatory perspectives. We will conduct our work from the perspective of and informed by the needs of our client, APEN, an environmental justice organization that is actively involved in resilience and decarbonization policy. In this course, students will learn the basics of key policy areas related to buildings including resilience to heat and smoke, building electrification, net energy metering (NEM), and customer bill affordability programs. Lectures will focus on technical, economic and legal aspects of the challenge. In addition, students will work in groups on legal and regulatory analysis aimed at supporting better decision making on buildings policy in both California and the Northeast. Students will work in partnership with postdocs and legal fellows on their group projects and may have the opportunity to present the results of their work to both APEN and CPUC staff. The course is intended for students interested in multi-disciplinary approaches to public policy problems. No background in either energy law or energy modelling is required. Students will engage in weekly lecture and discussion of building resilience and decarbonization science and policy, including student presentations and guest lectures by scientists, practitioners and policymakers. Students will also meet additionally once per week with Professors Sivas and Wara in working sessions to discuss progress on team projects. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Performance, Class Participation, Written Assignments, Final Paper. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form available at https://law.stanford.edu/education/courses/consent-of-instructor-forms/. See Consent Application Form for instructions and submission deadline. This course is cross-listed with Environment and Resources (ENVRES TBA).

Clients: California Native American Tribes, prescribed burn associations, federal legislative and executive branch decision makers. Wildfire has emerged as one of the most pressing biodiversity, air pollution and public health threats in the Western United States. Advancing land stewardship at sufficient scale to substantially improve the resilience of western forests to fire is critical to reducing wildfire risks and air pollution exposure for the tens of millions that live downwind. Communities are under threat as never before from catastrophic wildfire. Electric utilities face enormous challenges even as they strive to decarbonize their systems. In short, solving for wildfire resilience is an enormous technical and regulatory challenge. In this course, students will learn the basics of the wildfire policy debate in the west with a focus on California. Lectures will focus on both scientific and legal aspects of the challenge. In addition, students will work in groups on legal and regulatory analysis aimed at supporting better decision making on wildfire at the state and federal level. Students will work in partnership with postdocs and legal fellows on their group projects and may have the opportunity to present the results of their work to both clients and policymakers. The course is intended for students interested in multi-disciplinary approaches to public policy problems. No background in either the Clean Air Act, federal land management or wildfire policy is required. Students will engage in weekly lectures and discussions of wildfire science and policy, including student presentations and guest lectures by scientists, practitioners and policymakers. Students will also meet each week with Professors Sivas and Wara, and other members of the teaching team, in working sessions to discuss progress on team projects. Students may present the results of their research to California legislative and executive branch staff engaged in developing new approaches to wildfire policy. Elements used in grading: Attendance, Performance, Class Participation, Written Assignments, Final Paper. Students enrolled in Section 02 (with instructor consent) will be required to meet the Law School's R paper requirements. CONSENT APPLICATION: To apply for this course, students must complete and submit a Consent Application Form. In answering the application questions, "what skills do you bring to this class" and "what skills do you want to develop," students should also answer the following questions: What is your program of study at Stanford? What experiences and interests do you have relating to smoke or wildfire (including those that might relate to public health, community resilience, insurance, and tribal approaches to wildfire management)? Have you taken other wildfire related coursework? What interests you about policy in this field? What topics relating to smoke and wildfire would you like to learn (more) about? What type of work would you like to be involved in (e.g., drafting white papers/policy briefs, technical or scientific reports, etc.)? Do you have any specific technical skills (Machine learning based methods, GIS, legal research) that may be applicable to project based work? The Consent Application Form can be found at: SLS Registrar https://registrar.law.stanford.edu/. See Consent Application Form for additional instructions and submission deadline. We will be accepting applicants past the registrar's deadline. All interested applicants can register on the course offerings webpage or e-mail the course instructors if the deadline has passed. This course is cross-listed with the Doerr School of Sustainability ( SUSTAIN 329).