Kouimelis Discusses Environmental Regulation Outlook in Obama’s Second Term

Winston & Strawn partner Eleni Kouimelis was quoted in the Law360 article, "Climate Change Likely To Stay Back-Burner Issue For Obama," published January 17, 2013.

As Barack Obama prepares to enter his second term, he is facing pressure to address climate change from environmental advocates. Industry experts expect national debt and gun control to remain top priority issues, while the administration continues its slow approach to emissions regulation and renewable energy.

"The president has — as he's always had — other priorities," Ms. Kouimelis said. "I think there will be more in terms of enforcing the rules already on the books rather than promulgating new rules."

Environmental advocates are working to capture Obama's attention through grassroots activity, but Ms. Kouimelis says it is unlikely to spur significant action.

"The process is often reactive to some big event," Ms. Kouimelis said. "Another report about how bad carbon is is not going to do that. These scholarly exercises are reported and some people read about them, but they are not drivers for immediate prioritization."

Unless a major incident linked to climate change occurs, Ms. Kouimelis expects regulation to continue at the same pace it has for the past four years. "The regulation will just plod along," Ms. Kouimelis said. "It will get decided at some point, but there is no driver in the short term."