Pittsburgh Tax Review
Call for Papers:
Green Tax Solutions
Fall 2019 Special Issue
The “Green New Deal” announced in early February 2019 responds to the increasing attention being paid to efforts to address the damage both being and to be wrought by climate change. Among other things, that proposal would declare that the federal government has a duty to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through a fair and just transition for all communities and workers; invest in the infrastructure and industry of the United States to sustainably meet the challenges of the 21st century; and secure for all people of the United States for generations to come clean air and water, climate and community resilience, healthy food, access to nature, and a sustainable environment. This ambitious proposal has served to further focus public attention on this pressing issue and has generated discussion of both aspirational and practical steps that can be taken to address climate change.
In the first issue of its 17th volume, the Pittsburgh Tax Review will publish a series of contributions addressing the role that tax law could play in addressing climate change. The Pittsburgh Tax Review has already secured the participation of three distinguished scholars in the area of taxation and the environment: Roberta Mann (University of Oregon), Janet Milne (Vermont Law School), and Tracey Roberts (Samford University). The Pittsburgh Tax Review invites proposals from others for one to two additional contributions of between 8,000 and 10,000 words from scholars, activists, or policy makers interested in exploring the role that the tax laws could play in addressing climate change.
Inspired by, reacting to, or criticizing proposals such as the “Green New Deal,” potential topics that contributors might address with a focus on the role that taxes and tax law can play in formulating responses to climate change include:
- Building climate resiliency through providing investments for community-defined projects and strategies, such as restoring wetlands or building sea water diversion basins;
- Repairing and upgrading infrastructure while eliminating pollution and GHG emissions;
- Meeting power demand of the United States through clean, renewable, and zero-emission energy sources;
- Building or upgrading to energy-efficient, distributed, and “smart” power grids;
- Upgrading existing buildings and building new buildings to achieve maximum energy efficiency, water efficiency, safety, affordability, comfort, and durability, including through electrification;
- Spurring growth in clean manufacturing in the United States;
- Reducing pollution and GHG emissions from the agricultural sector;
- Overhauling transportation systems in the United States to remove pollution and GHG emissions from the transportation sector;
- Covering the expense of these programs through reversal of parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, carbon taxes, auctioned cap-and-trade allowances, and other means; or
- Other new and innovative proposals that contributors themselves might craft and develop.
Interested individuals should send an abstract outlining the topic and substance of their proposed contribution to the Pittsburgh Tax Review by email at taxrev@pitt.edu. Abstracts should be no longer than 500 words and should be submitted by April 15, 2019. Proposals will be reviewed and invitations will be issued by May 1, 2019. Those invited to participate will be required to submit final drafts of their contributions ready for editing by the Pittsburgh Tax Review’s staff of student editors by August 15, 2019.