As a senior attorney and the Director of NRDC's Clean Air Program, I work on national legislation, litigation and Environmental Protection Agency rulemakings that will have the greatest impact on ensuring clean air for all Americans. My work focuses on reducing smog, soot and toxic air pollution from power plants, factories, vehicles and other sources. I frequently challenge EPA rulemakings in federal court for running afoul of the Clean Air Act and failing to protect the public. I joined NRDC in 2000 from EPA's Office of General Counsel in Washington, D.C., where I worked as a clean air attorney for over three years. Prior to that, I worked as an associate attorney at a private law firm in Washington. I graduated from Harvard Law School in 1993, and graduated with a B.A. from Duke University in 1990.
Posted May 8, 2013 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The group of Republican Senators [pdf] most loudly criticizing the nomination of Ms. Gina McCarthy to head EPA evidently have decided not to mount a frontal assault on her impressive qualifications or historic health achievements [pdf] leading EPA’s clean air program. Indeed,...continued→
Posted February 22, 2013 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Following President Obama's State of the Union speech earlier this month, in which he vowed to exercise existing legal authority to reduce air pollution that causes dangerous climate change, a House Republican chairman lashed out at the president's pledge. Congressman Ed...continued→
Posted February 13, 2013 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
[Co-authored with my colleague, Jon Devine.] The House Science Subcommittee on Environment is holding its first hearing of the 113th Congress entitled “The State of Environment: Evaluating Progress and Priorities.” With their two announced witnesses, the Republican majority is signaling...continued→
Posted January 14, 2013 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
A remarkable confession and verdict in the world of pollution and politics happened quietly last month, noticed only by a few insiders. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency admitted, almost in passing, buried deep in an obscure document, that the former...continued→
Posted December 13, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
And ye shall know them by their desperation. Lobbyists for oil, coal and dirty power companies have mounted a desperate, last-minute campaign to stop EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson from strengthening clean air standards protecting all Americans against dangerous soot pollution. This...continued→
Posted October 25, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor just released a partisan report attacking the Obama administration as “The Imperial Presidency.” What motivated me to write this post was the decision by Cantor’s office to drag my organization, the Natural Resources Defense...continued→
Posted July 19, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote next week on the “Red Tape Reduction and Small Business Job Creation Act" (H.R. 4078) – a bill that, among other things, imposes a moratorium on issuing virtually any new regulations as...continued→
Posted June 21, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Environmental Justice, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, 248 members of the House of Representatives voted to take away your right to breathe clean, healthy air. They voted to pass legislation misleadingly called the Domestic Energy & Jobs Act (DEJA), which includes another bill dubbed the “GASP Act” by the...continued→
Posted June 20, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, 53 Senators stood up for clean air and healthy kids when they voted to reject Senator Jim Inhofe’s (R-OK) Congressional Review Act (CRA) legislation [pdf] to eliminate EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants. In a 53-46 vote against Inhofe's measure, the...continued→
Posted June 19, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), chair of the House subcommittee on energy and power, issued a press release on Friday that succinctly captured some House Republicans' disregard for our nation's environmental laws. What was truly remarkable about this statement, however, was...continued→
Posted June 19, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Four more conservative Republican Senators have announced they will vote tomorrow to abolish Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that will sharply reduce power plant mercury and lead pollution that poisons the brains of children and the unborn. Senators John Barrasso...continued→
Posted June 15, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Today, EPA proposed updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller (“PM2.5” or fine particle pollution). Particulate matter kills thousands of people every year, and today’s announcement is an important step...continued→
Posted June 14, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
The Senate soon will take up a bill that represents an irresponsible attack on Americans’ right to clean, healthy air. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) is expected to call for a vote in the next week on a Congressional Review Act...continued→
Posted June 11, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
As we approach the deadline for Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) to hold a floor vote on his Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution [pdf] to eliminate EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, lobbyists for dirty power companies are peddling a new falsehood...continued→
Posted May 25, 2012 by John Walke in Curbing Pollution, Health and the Environment, U.S. Law and Policy
Last week marked the deadline for lawsuits to challenge EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) also got in on the action and officially announced the launch of his Congressional Review Act resolution to void...continued→
Switchboard is the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the nation’s most effective environmental group. For more about our work, including in-depth policy documents, action alerts and ways you can contribute, visit NRDC.org.
