printer friendly pageLAW 808D: Policy Practicum: Smoke: Wildfire Science and Policy Lab
Clients: California Native American Tribes, prescribed burn associations as well as 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. This 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
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Clients: California Native American Tribes, prescribed burn associations as well as 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. This 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 or wildfire policy is required. Students will engage in weekly lecture and discussion of wildfire 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. Students will 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 write an individual research paper meeting the Law School's R paper requirements. 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 the Doerr School of Sustainability (
SUSTAIN 329).
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 3
| Repeatable
3 times
(up to 9 units total)
Instructors:
Sivas, D. (PI)
;
Wara, M. (PI)
SUSTAIN 329: Policy Practicum: Smoke
Clients: Various California legislative and executive branch decision makers. Wildfire smoke has emerged as one of the most pressing air pollution and public health threats in the Western United States. Last year, despite decades of progress in reducing air pollution from transport, industry, and electric power, wildfires caused the highest number of "spare the air" declarations ever called by local Air Quality Management Districts in California. Oregon, Washington and Colorado all suffered similar "airpocalypse" fire seasons. Recent model-based estimates of mortality from wildfire smoke-derived particulate matter suggest that between 1200 and 3000 seniors likely died from the fires this summer. Current law and regulation not only doesn't consider particulate matter derived from wildfire smoke to be a target for regulation, it also imposes burdensome permitting requirements on one of the most effective risk-mitigation strategies: prescribed fire. This course will build on student work
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Clients: Various California legislative and executive branch decision makers. Wildfire smoke has emerged as one of the most pressing air pollution and public health threats in the Western United States. Last year, despite decades of progress in reducing air pollution from transport, industry, and electric power, wildfires caused the highest number of "spare the air" declarations ever called by local Air Quality Management Districts in California. Oregon, Washington and Colorado all suffered similar "airpocalypse" fire seasons. Recent model-based estimates of mortality from wildfire smoke-derived particulate matter suggest that between 1200 and 3000 seniors likely died from the fires this summer. Current law and regulation not only doesn't consider particulate matter derived from wildfire smoke to be a target for regulation, it also imposes burdensome permitting requirements on one of the most effective risk-mitigation strategies: prescribed fire. This course will build on student work from last spring, where students explored regulatory obstacles to an expansion of prescribed burning in California and began developing a simplified air quality health benefits model to estimate the potential public health and economic benefits of better fuels management. This fall, we will continue refining the air quality model and, on the regulatory side, we will investigate potential new policy approaches to streamlining the approval process for prescribed burning projects while protecting environmental values with a particular focus on new approaches to NEPA and CEQA compliance for prescribed fire and cultural burning. The course is intended for students interested in multi-disciplinary approaches to public policy problems. No background in either the Clean Air Act or wildfire policy is required. Students will engage in weekly lecture and discussion of wildfire smoke science and policy, including student presentations. Students will also meet additionally once per week with Professors Sivas and Wara in working sessions to discuss progress on team projects. Students will 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. 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.Same as
LAW 808D
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr
| Units: 3
| Repeatable
1 times
(up to 3 units total)
Instructors:
Sivas, D. (PI)
;
Wara, M. (PI)
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