The American Tax Policy Institute (ATPI) and Pace Law host a conference today and tomorrow on Tax Law, the Environment, and Climate Change (agenda): 

The American Tax Policy Institute and Pace | Haub Law Conference on Tax Law, the Environment, and Climate Change is a two-day conference featuring a variety of insightful panels focusing on pressing environmental concerns and the use of tax law to advance sustainability. Panelists and moderators will consist of leaders in tax law, environmental law, and other prominent members of academia.

Friday, March 21

Panel I: Climate Change and the Inflation Reduction Act: How WeGot Here (9:15 AM – 10:30 AM)

Passed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 contained multiple tax incentives designed to encourage the growth of the so-called “clean energy economy.” Through tax credits and incentives, the government stood to make a $400 billion investment in climate change mitigation and adaptation. However, the first few months of the new presidential administration have seen the rollback of environmental regulations, the freezing of funds for clean energy, the withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Agreement, and a commitment to growing the fossil fuel industry. This panel will explore what led to the Inflation Reduction Act and whether it retains any vitality. Given the dismantling of governmental committees and bodies responsible for collecting and reporting accurate financial and economic data, how can lawyers, accountants, economists, and others continue to work on energy-related matters? What challenges will there be in assessing the impact of any past or future spending? What lessons can be drawn from the withdrawal of the United States from a major international treaty on climate change?

• Michael D. Hamersky (Pace) (moderator) 
• Neil Mehrotra (Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; Google Scholar), Economic Implications of the Climate Provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (with John Bistline (Electric Power Research Institute; Google Scholar) & Catherine Wolfram (MIT; Google Scholar)) 
• Adam Orford (Georgia; Google Scholar), The Ongoing Need for Spending Impact Assessment
• Gabriel Weil (Touro; Google Scholar), Climate Nationalism
• Genevieve Tokic (Northwestern), Environmental Tax Incentives: Lessons from the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (So Far)  

Panel II: Carbon Tax and Other Pricing Proposals (11:00 AM – 12:15 PM) 

Carbon taxes are fees or duties imposed on emissions that, when released into the atmosphere, contribute to global climate change. These taxes can be imposed on businesses or individuals; they can be imposed on carbon content in fossil fuels (e.g., coal) or on the emissions themselves. The European Union, Canada, and many other countries use emission pricing schemes, but the United States does not. What are some ways that the tax law can be harnessed to improve existing carbon pricing regimes? Are countries retreating from market-based policies for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide? Is there such a thing as an optimal carbon policy? This panel will consider these and related questions. 

• Roberta Mann (Oregon) (moderator) 
• Giedre Lideikyte Huber (University of St. Gallen; Google Scholar), Taxes and Aviation: A Comparative Constitutional Perspective 
• Sven Rudolph (Protestant Church of Westphalia), The Rocky Road to…a Truly Sustainable EU a Carbon Market  
• David Weisbach (Chicago; Google Scholar), Optimal Unilateral Carbon Policy (with Samuel S. Kortum (Yale; Google Scholar)) 
• Wei Cui (UBC; Google Scholar), The Retreat of Carbon Pricing in Canada  

Keynote Address: 

• Kimberly Clausing (UCLA; Google Scholar) 
• Julie Divola (ATPI) (moderator) 

Panel III: Taxation, Economic Impacts, and Environmental & Social Justice (1:45 PM – 3:00 PM) 

Tax policy has long been a tool for shaping economic behavior, but its intersection with environmental and social justice goals is increasingly coming into focus. As governments around the world grapple with the complex challenges of climate change, wealth inequality, and environmental degradation, tax measures are emerging as both a remedy and a site of conflict. This panel will explore how tax incentives, exemptions, and other market-based mechanisms can either promote or undermine environmental and social justice objectives. How can taxation be used to equitably distribute environmental costs and benefits across communities? What are the limits of marketbased approaches in achieving justice-oriented outcomes? How do those working in tax and environmental contexts frame their intended results? How can both tax and environmental policiesincluding the language we use to talk about them–balance economic efficiency with social equity in the face of environmental challenges? This panel will frame questions and offer insights about the future of tax law at the intersection of environmental and social justice. 

• Anthony C. Infanti (Pittsburgh; Google Scholar) (moderator) 
• Alice Kaswan (San Francisco; Google Scholar), Market-Based Mechanisms: Necessary But Insufficient 
• Jack Hornickel (Pace), Decarbonizing the Farm: New York State Agricultural Tax Assessment Program  
• Colin J. Lingle (NYU) & Quentin Thorens (2025 LL.M. Candidate, NYU), Intergenerational Equity in Tax and Environmental Discourse: A Comparative U.S.- European Content Analysis 
• Samuel Brunson (Loyola-Chicago; Google Scholar), Expressive Exemptions: Environmentalism as its Own Category of Exemption  

Panel IV: Place-Based Environmental Initiatives (3:15 PM – 4:30 PM) 

Environmental challenges are often felt most acutely at the local level, where ecosystems, communities, and economic structures intersect. Place-based initiatives, including state and local tax policies, can play a pivotal role in addressing environmental challenges by directing resources to specific geographic areas, encouraging local conservation efforts, and supporting economic resilience in underserved communities. This panel will explore how targeted tax incentives and fiscal strategies can drive environmental protection and economic growth in specific regions. What role does tax policy play in promoting local environmental initiatives? How can tax credits and other fiscal tools be designed to overcome geographic and economic barriers? What lessons can be drawn from existing programs in the United States and abroad? This panel will highlight the opportunities and challenges of place-based environmental tax initiatives. 

• Josh Galperin (Pace; Google Scholar) (moderator) 
• Heather Payne (Ohio State), The CCR Blockchain 
• Tracey Roberts (Cumberland; Google Scholar), Low Income Community Bonus Energy Credits: Impediments in Alabama and Kentucky  
• Jessica Owley (Miami; Google Scholar), Conservation Easements and Environmental Protection: Using Tax Policy to Further Land Conservation Goals 

Saturday, March 22

Brunch Panel: Sustainable Finance, ESG, and Climate Resilience (9:00 AM – 10:15 AM) 

As climate change intensifies, businesses, including financial institutions, are under increasing pressure to adapt to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations. Tax policy is emerging as a critical tool for promoting sustainable investment and enhancing climate resilience. This panel will explore the intersection of tax law, corporate sustainability, and global climate policy, focusing on how tax incentives, regulations, and reporting requirements can influence capital flows and corporate behavior. How can corporate climate ratings drive more sustainable investment? What role do tax policies play in shaping ESG strategies and global sustainability goals? How are new carbon accounting methods redefining corporate tax structures? This panel includes experts in tax law, finance, and climate policy.

• George Plesko (Connecticut; Google Scholar) (moderator) 
• Diana McCutchen (Deloitte), Exploring the Global Impact and Integration of Tax in EU and Non-EU Sustainability Regulations  
• Felix Mormann (Texas A&M; Google Scholar), Can Corporate Climate Ratings Catalyze More Sustainable Investment? 
• Stephen Hammer (The New York Climate Exchange), Perspectives from the Field 
• Jeff Gordon (Yale), Carbon Shelters: Carbon Accounting as Tax Law

Update: Tax Profs Sam Brunson (Loyola-Chicago) and Steven Dean (Boston University) on a conference field trip to Governors Island (New York):

Photo Credit: Bridget Crawford (Pace)

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