Center for Regulatory Ingenuity
Stalled progress on many of the most pressing challenges facing our nation stems not from failure of will, but from pervasive stasis in government. There is an increasingly obvious mismatch between “wicked” modern problems and the aging institutions and regulatory strategies we rely on to solve them. Public trust in government is in the basement as a result.
The FAS Center for Regulatory Ingenuity (CRI) is building a new, transpartisan vision of government that works – that achieves ambitious goals while adeptly responding to people’s basic, everyday needs. CRI does this by (1) by creating high-trust environments to brainstorm and refine the big ideas that will breathe new life into government institutions and intersecting democratic feedback loops, and (2) building a “network of networks” that supports policymakers and practitioners in implementing those ideas at scale.
CRI’s initial focus is on climate policy: a space where mismatches between the tools we have and tools we need are particularly apparent. Foundational environmental laws like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act were designed to curb industrial pollution, not guide the society-wide economic transition to clean technologies that’s underway, and the systems for democratic participation and government capacity are equally out of sync with our most pressing needs and opportunities.
Successfully navigating this transition means seriously considering how we can update 20th century laws for a 21st century world, better coupling regulatory and non-regulatory approaches, and focusing on solutions that can deliver near-term benefits while building momentum for more ambitious national reforms.
CRI is bringing the climate and state capacity communities together to do just that. The last thing we need in the face of big challenges is stasis. It’s time to move boldly towards a government Americans trust to deliver.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.
The American administrative state, since its modern creation out of the New Deal and the post-WWII order, has proven that it can do great things. But it needs some reinvention first.
Talent,
Government Innovation
Clean Energy Governance
Grid Resilience and Modernization,
Environmental and Energy Justice
Regional Development,
Innovative Procurement,
Clean Energy Deployment,
Climate Adaptation
energy permitting,
clean energy
energy permitting,
clean energy
The question is not whether the capital exists (it does!), nor whether energy solutions are available (they are!), but whether we can align energy finance quickly enough to channel the right types of capital where and when it’s needed most.
To ensure an energy transition that brings broad based economic development, participation, and direct benefits to communities, we need federal policy that helps shape markets. Unfortunately, there is a large gap in understanding of how to leverage federal policy making to support access to capital and credit.
Our environmental system was built for 1970s-era pollution control, but today it needs stable, integrated, multi-level governance that can make tradeoffs, share and use evidence, and deliver infrastructure while demonstrating that improved trust and participation are essential to future progress.
Durable and legitimate climate action requires a government capable of clearly weighting, explaining, and managing cost tradeoffs to the widest away of audiences, which in turn requires strong technocratic competency.