Using a challenge to a local green building code, based on a claimed conflict with federal energy efficiency laws, this module provides a basis for teaching about preemption generally, as well as more specifically about building codes, climate change regulation, and the appropriate level of government to address different societal problems. These materials were prepared by Cary Coglianese, Edward B. Shils Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and Shana Starobin, Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies and Government, Bowdoin College.
Applicable Courses: Property, Real Estate, Climate Law and Policy, Environmental Law, Local Government, Planning, Constitutional Law
Materials:
- Case studies:
- Teaching Guide: Cary Coglianese and Shana Starobin, A Teaching Guide on State and Local Climate Regulation: Building Codes in New Mexico and Washington State
- PowerPoint presentation: Cary Coglianese and Alexandra Johnson, Federal Preemption and Energy Efficiency Standards
- Opinions in Albuquerque and Washington State Cases:
- Overview Essay: Cary Coglianese & Neharika Goyal, Incorporated Standards in a Federal System, Regul. Rev (Aug. 25, 2022)
- Martin Chávez (Former Mayor, Albuquerque, New Mexico)
- Joseph Mattingly (General Counsel [retired], Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute)
Selected Cases on Federal Preemption
- Cal. Rest. Ass’n v. Berkeley, 65 F.4th 1045, 1045-1067 (9th Cir. 2023)
- Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht, 139 S. Ct. 1668 (2019)
- Murphy v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 138 S. Ct. 1461 (2018)
- Arizona v. United States, 567 U.S. 387 (2012)
- Wyeth v. Levine, 555 U.S. 555 (2009)
- Cuomo v. Clearing House Ass’n, 557 U.S. 519 (2009)
- Altria Group, Inc. v. Good, 555 U.S. 70 (2008)
- Geier v. American Honda Motor Co., 529 U.S. 861 (2000)
- U.S. v. Locke, 529 U.S. 89 (2000)
- Gade v. National Solid Wastes Management Ass’n, 505 U.S. 88 (1992)
- English v. General Electric Co., 496 U.S. 72 (1990)
- Rice v. Santa Fe Elevator Corp., 331 U.S. 218 (1947)
Selected Books, Articles, and Reports
- Richard Briffault, Preemption: The Continuing Challenge, 36 J. Land Use & Envtl. L. 83 (2021)
- William W. Buzbee, Preemption Hard Look Review, Regulatory Interaction, and the Quest for Stewardship and Intergenerational Equity, 77 The George Washington Law Review 1521 (2009)
- Ann E. Carlson, Energy Efficiency and Federalism, 107 Mich. L. Rev. First Impressions 63 (2008)
- David S. Cohen, Greer Donley & Rachel Rebouche, The New Abortion Battleground, 123 Colum. L. Rev. (forthcoming)
- Congressional Research Service, Federal Preemption: A Legal Primer (2019)
- Stephen A. Gardbaum, The Nature of Preemption, 79 Cornell L. Rev. 767 (1994)
- Harvard Law Review coverage of federal preemption
- Grant D. Jacobsen & Matthew J. Kotchen, Are Building Codes Effective at Saving Energy? Evidence from Residential Billing Data in Florida” 95 Rev. Econ. & Stat. 34 (2013)
- Alexandra B. Klass, State Standards for Nationwide Products Revisited: Federalism, Green Building Codes, and Appliance Efficiency Standards, 34 Harv. Envtl. L. Rev. 335 (2010)
- Matthew J. Kotchen, Energy Efficiency Codes: Plan B for Climate Change?, The Milken Inst. Rev. 58 (2011)
- Matthew J. Kotchen, Longer-Run Evidence on Whether Building Energy Codes Reduce Residential Energy Consumption, 4 J. Ass’n Envtl. & Resource Economists 135 (2017)
- Tara Lohan, How to Build the Green New Deal? Cities and States May Already Have Answers, The Revelator (May 7, 2019)
- Robert A. Mikos, On the Limits of Supremacy: Medical Marijuana and the States’ Overlooked Power to Legalize Federal Crime, 62 Vand. L. Rev. 1421 (2009)
- Steven Nadel & Daniel Goldstein, Appliance and Equipment Efficiency Standards: History, Impacts, Current Status, and Future Directions, Research Report A963 for the ACEEE (1996)
- Caleb Nelson, Preemption, 86 Va. L. Rev. 225-305 (2000)
- Kellen Norwood, Federal Preemption of State and Local Law (2015)
- Preemption Choice: The Theory, Law, and Reality of Federalism’s Core Question (William W. Buzbee ed., 2008)
- Dan Schweitzer, The Law of Preemption (2011)
- David B. Spence & Paula Murray, The Law, Economics, and Politics of Federal Preemption Jurisprudence: A Quantitative Analysis, 87 Cal. L. Rev. 1125 (1999)
Essays in The Regulatory Review on State and Local Climate Law
- Cary Coglianese & Shana Starobin, The Legal Risks of Regulating Climate Change at the Subnational Level, Regul. Rev (Sept. 18, 2017)
- Craig Segall & David Hults, Leading on Climate at Every Level, Regul. Rev (Feb. 19, 2018)
- Cary Coglianese & Shana Starobin, Let’s Be Real about State and Local Climate Action, Regul. Rev. (Feb. 20, 2018)
- Craig Segall & David Hults, Seizing the Moment with Strategic Climate Strategies for Subnationals, Regul. Rev. (Feb. 21, 2018)
- Cary Coglianese & Shana Starobin, After a Federal Climate Policy Retreat, States Should Proceed with Caution, Regul. Rev. (Feb. 22, 2018)