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27 Stan. Envtl. L. J. 397 (2008)
The Best of Both Worlds: Environmental Federalism and the Need for Federal Action on Renewable Energy and Climate Change

handle is hein.journals/staev27 and id is 403 raw text is: The Best of Both Worlds: Environmental
Federalism and the Need for Federal
Action on Renewable Energy and Climate
Change
Benjamin K. Sovacool*
The dynamic relationship between federal and state environmental
regulation does not prescribe whether the federal government should devolve
power to the states or concentrate power to the national government. Nor
does it recommend when, if ever, the federal government should preempt a
collection of existing state regulations. Four distinct theories have evolved to
suggest differing configurations of state and federal power when addressing
environmental problems. Advocates of centralized federalism suggest that
* Dr. Benjamin K. Sovacool is currently a Research Fellow in the Energy Governance
Program at the Centre on Asia and Globalization, part of the Lee Kuan Yew School of
Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor
at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in Blacksburg, VA, where he has
taught for the Government and International Affairs Program and the Department of
History. Dr. Sovacool recently completed work on a grant from the National Science
Foundation's Electric Power Networks Efficiency and Security Program investigating the
social impediments to distributed and renewable energy systems. He has also consulted for
the Virginia Center for Coal and Energy Research, New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and United States Department of
Energy's Climate Change Technology Program. His most recent book is an edited volume
entitled Energy and American Society-Thirteen Myths, published by Springer in 2007. He
holds a Ph.D in Science & Technology Studies from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute &
State University, an M.A. in Rhetoric from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in
Philosophy from John Carroll University. The author is grateful to the United States
National Science Foundation for grants SES-0522653, ECS-0323344, and SES-0522653,
which have supported elements of the work reported here. Any opinions, findings, and
conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author and do
not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The author is also
extremely appreciative to the excellent and hard-working staff of the Stanford Environmental
Law Journal and to Kelly E. Siman for providing much needed editorial assistance.

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