The Lewis and Clark Law School operates the Earthrise Law Center, a legal clinic specializing in environmental law. Students train to become advocates for clean air, climate, water, and endangered species through work on high-impact legal cases. The clinic is based on the Lewis and Clark campus in Oregon, but it maintains a satellite center in Boston and recently opened a second satellite office in San Francisco.
Zach Pilchen earned his juris doctorate from Lewis and Clark Law School (magna cum laude), and a Master of Laws from George Washington University Law School (highest honors), where he was a Randolph C. Shaw Graduate Fellow in Administrative Law. In both degree programs, Zach Pilchen focused on environmental law, earning a certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law while at Lewis and Clark, one of the top environmental law programs in the United States.
The Lewis and Clark Law School operates the Earthrise Law Center, a legal clinic specializing in environmental law. Students train to become advocates for clean air, climate, water, and endangered species through work on high-impact legal cases. The clinic is based on the Lewis and Clark campus in Oregon, but it maintains a satellite center in Boston and recently opened a second satellite office in San Francisco.
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An environmental lawyer from Arlington, Virginia, Zach Pilchen recently completed his master’s degree with highest honors in energy and environmental law at George Washington University. Zach Pilchen’s 2014 internship with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division gave him an early opportunity to work on litigation under the Clean Air Act. Congress passed the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1970 to effectively address air pollution under federal law. In 1990, Congress amended the Act after recognizing that, while there had been positive air quality outcomes in the Act's first 20 years, there was still much to do in terms of meeting national air quality goals. Since then, the Clean Air Act has led to all areas of the country meeting air quality standards for carbon monoxide, and substantial reductions in particulate matter pollution. Sulfur dioxide emissions have fallen dramatically, leading to a significant reduction in acid rain. Substances considered most detrimental to the ozone layer (such as CFCs and halons) have been gradually phased off the market and replaced with alternatives. The skylines of national parks are noticeably clearer thanks to reduced pollution haze, and hazardous air pollution from vehicles has fallen by 1.5 million tons a year since 1990. Zach Pilchen formerly served as a legal intern in the Power Plants Litigation Group of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. There, Zach Pilchen assisted trial attorneys on civil litigation matters pertaining to the Clean Air Act. The Clean Air Act, which was passed by Congress in 1970 and underwent significant revisions in 1977 and 1990, mandates that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establish air quality standards for certain pollutants, including ozone, sulfur dioxide, and carbon monoxide. In turn, states must adopt enforceable air quality state implementation plans (SIP) to meet air quality standards. In keeping with federal regulations, Texas has its own regulations outlined in the Texas Clean Air Act. In July of 2016, commissioners in Taylor County in Texas voted to file a lawsuit against Volkswagen for violating the Texas Clean Air Act. The county hired Anthony Constant as special counsel for the case. If successful, the car manufacturer could end up paying $9 million in penalties, which will be divided among attorneys, the county, and the state. In 2015, the EPA accused Volkswagen of violating the federal Clean Air Act by installing software in its diesel cars that bypassed, defeated, or rendered inoperative EPA-required emissions controls. This occurred in approximately 500,000 diesel cars manufactured from 2009 through 2015. Zach Pilchen holds a BA in environmental policy and government from the College of William and Mary, a JD in environmental law from Lewis and Clark Law School, and an LLM in energy and environmental law from George Washington University Law School. Active in his field, Zach Pilchen maintains membership with the Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER), which is part of the American Bar Association (ABA). Among the largest voluntary professional organizations in the world, the ABA has close to 400,000 members and over 3,500 entities. Established in 1878, the ABA supports the legal profession and offers practical resources for its members. It also accredits law schools and establishes ethical codes. Each year, SEER hosts a fall conference, where members convene, share ideas, and network. The 24th annual fall conference, scheduled for October 5-8, 2016, will take place at the Westin Denver Downtown in Denver. There, section committees will identify the most critical issues arising in debates pertaining to environmental law and create newsletter articles, continuing legal education (CLE) programs, and committee conference calls. In keeping with the Denver setting, the conference will also provide learning opportunities on topics related to environmental law in the western United States. Earning his LLM with highest honors from George Washington University Law School, Zach Pilchen currently serves as an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of General Counsel. Zach Pilchen is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER). ABA SEER endeavors to be the leading assembly for lawyers focusing on the environment, energy, and resources. This organization is where attorneys can encounter the most current and thorough studies of the complex problems facing the environment, energy and resource sectors of the United States and the rest of the world. Through this forum lawyers can teach, learn, and do their part in helping to resolve issues for the common good. To this end, SEER will be holding its 2016 Fall Conference on October 5-8, at Westin Denver Down, 1672 Lawrence St., in Denver, Colorado, which will conclude the Section’s 2015-16 program year. There will be discussions of the laws pertaining to environment, energy, and resource issues that have been deemed the most important in the current year. Products from these fall conferences help define the future legal priorities on environment, energy, and resources, as well as the directions taken for newsletter articles, committee conference calls, and continuing legal education programs. Zach Pilchen serves as an attorney-advisor with the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. One of the areas of environmental law with which Zach Pilchen is most familiar is the Clean Air Act, which sets the rules by which the EPA is allowed to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). NAAQS, according to the Clean Air Act, are established based on current scientific evidence of the effects of air pollution on human health and the environment. The Clean Air Act's provisions require particular focus on potential effects on vulnerable populations, such as senior citizens, children, and individuals who have heart and lung disease. The cost of controls cannot be factored into the setting of a standard, though the cost of control strategies can be considered in their implementation. Two types of standards can be set. Primary standards are those designed to protect human health, with an adequate margin of safety, including for the at-risk populations mentioned above such as people with asthma. The Clean Air Act also allows for secondary standards that improve public welfare by ensuring a better environment for, among other things, vegetation and crops, water, manmade materials, animals, wildlife, weather, visibility and climate, damage to and deterioration of property, and hazards to transportation. For several years, Zach Pilchen has worked in various positions as a skilled professional environmental lawyer and law student. Over the course of his time with organizations like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Nature Conservancy, Zach Pilchen has become highly knowledgeable of laws pertaining to clean air and climate change.
A newly completed study, led by scientific experts from Stanford University, Princeton University, and the University of California, Berkeley, concluded that planet Earth has entered into its sixth period of mass extinction. A few of the causes for this new age of extinction include ongoing climate change and deforestation of important natural habitats. The researchers determined that in modern times animal species have gone extinct at rates roughly 100 times higher than normal. The last time animals disappeared from the planet in such numbers occurred 66 million years ago, when the Earth’s last dinosaurs became extinct. The study primarily focused on extinction rates among vertebrates, including reptiles and mammals. The study also took great pains to take the most conservative approach possible. For example, the authors used a past extinction rate twice as high as figures commonly accepted among the scientific community, meaning that, from another perspective, the present-day extinction rate could be considered 200 times higher than normal, if not greater. Interested in law and the environment, Zach Pilchen earned a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School (magna cum laude) and went on to garner an LLM in energy and environmental law from the George Washington University School of Law (highest honors). While pursuing his LLM, Zach Pilchen also worked as a student law clerk for the Office of Administrative Law Judges at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
While pursuing a JD and an LLM in energy and environmental law, Zach Pilchen worked with leading organizations, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, in various legal capacities. Zach Pilchen also stays abreast of developments in the legal and environmental fields as a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER).
SEER recently published a new text entitled Global Chemical Control Handbook: A Guide to Chemical Management Programs, which provides practitioners with information on the latest government and industry actions to enhance chemical management efforts. Authored by a team of industry experts, the book reviews laws and regulations related to chemical management programs in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Central and South America. The authors describe the basics of each law, while explaining how the law influences the chemicals business and how it applies to specific elements of the global supply chain. To further assist legal professionals who work in the chemicals industry, the text explores how a law could affect a product line and how executives can plan for the transactional and enforcement impacts of a nation’s chemical management program. |
AuthorWashington, DC-based attorney, Zach Pilchen currently serves as Senior Legal Counsel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archives
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