Distinguished Professor of Law
B.S., University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire
J.D., University of Michigan
E-mail:
jcdernbach@widener.edu Phone: 717.541.1933
John C. Dernbach is Distinguished Professor of Law at Widener's Harrisburg campus, teaching environmental law, property, international law, international environmental law, sustainability and the law, and climate change. His research concentrates on environmental law, climate change, and sustainable development. Professor Dernbach received a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Michigan in 1978, where he served as Legislative Notes Editor for the Michigan Journal of Law Reform.
He has served as director of the policy office at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The Policy Office is responsible for developing and coordinating policy and regulatory initiatives for DEP, including the integration of sustainable development concepts into DEP programs.
Immediately following graduation from Michigan Law School, Professor Dernbach taught legal writing at Wayne State University (1978-79), served as a staff attorney to the American Lung Association of Michigan (1979-80), and coauthored a widely-used and influential legal writing text, A Practical Guide to Legal Writing and Legal Method (Aspen, 3rd edition 2007).
Over the next dozen years, Professor Dernbach worked on the development and implementation of nationally recognized programs for regulating coal and noncoal mining, municipal solid waste, and residual or industrial solid waste for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources. During this time he served as assistant counsel (1981-87), special assistant (1987-92), and Director of the Department's Advanced Science and Research Team (1992-93). He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania.
Professor Dernbach joined the faculty at Widener in 1993 and was promoted to full professor in 2001. He has taught for Widener at the University of Nairobi in Kenya (1996), Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia (1999), the Institute for Graduate Studies in Geneva, Switzerland (2003), and Università Ca' Foscari in Venice, Italy (2007).
Professor Dernbach coauthored an amicus brief to the United States Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of eighteen prominent climate scientists. The brief argued that EPA had mischaracterized or misrepresented the relevant science in deciding not to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles. On April 2, 2007, the Court held that EPA erred by not controlling greenhouse gas emissions. The majority opinion reflects the science described in the brief, and the dissenting opinions do not contradict it.
Professor Dernbach has written widely on environmental law and sustainable development. He is the editor of
Agenda for a Sustainable America (Environmental Law Institute Press, January 2009) and Stumbling Toward Sustainability (Environmental Law Institute Press 2002), comprehensive assessments of U.S. sustainable development activities that include recommendations for future efforts. The books each have more than 40 contributing authors from universities and law schools, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and state government.
Professor Dernbach has written more than thirty articles for law reviews and peer-reviewed journals, and has authored, coauthored, or contributed chapters to eleven books. He has lectured to local, state, national, and international audiences on environmental law, climate change, and sustainable development. He received the President's Award for Outstanding Achievement from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Alumni Association in 2002. In 2008, he received the Douglas E. Ray Excellence in Faculty Scholarship Award, and was also named one of three distinguished law professors at Widener University.
Professor Dernbach is a council member for the ABA Section on Environment, Energy, and Resources. He is former chair and a current vice-chair of the ABA Committee on Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Ecosystems, and Climate Change. He is also a member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. From 2005 to 2008, he served on the Roundtable on Science and Technology for Sustainability of the National Academy of Sciences. He is former Senior Warden and co-chair of the environmental stewardship committee at St. Stephen's Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg. He is married with two daughters. He enjoys hiking, bicycling, and canoeing.
Selected Recent Publications and Briefs Articles and Briefs - Climate Change Law: An Introduction, 29 ENERGY L. J. 1 (2008) (with Seema Kakade).
- Developing a Comprehensive Approach to Climate Change Policy in the United States: Integrating Levels of Government and Economic Sectors, 26 VA. ENVTL. L. J. 227 (2008) (with Thomas D. Peterson & Robert B. McKinstry, Jr.).
- Harnessing Individual Behavior to Address Climate Change: Options for Congress, 26 VA. ENVTL. L. J. 107 (2008).
- Overcoming the Behavioral Impetus for Greater Energy Consumption, 20 PAC. MCGEORGE GLOBAL BUS. & DEV. L.J. 15 (2007).
- Stabilizing and Then Reducing U.S. Energy Consumption: Legal and Policy Tools for Efficiency and Conservation, 38 ENVTL. L. REP. (Envtl. L. Inst.) 10,003 (2007) (with the Widener University Law School Seminar on Energy Efficiency).
- Climate Scientists' Amicus Brief to U.S. Supreme Court -- Massachusetts v. EPA Download the PDF
Other
- AGENDA FOR A SUSTAINABLE AMERICA (Environmental Law Institute Press, John C. Dernbach ed., Environmental Institute Press, 2009).
- A Practical Guide to Legal Writing and Legal Drafting 3d Ed. Teacher’s Manual (Aspen 2007) (with Richard V. Singleton II et al.).
- U.S. Policy, in Global Climate Change and U.S. Law (Michael Gerrard, ed., American Bar Association, 2007).
- Energy Efficiency and Conservation: The Most Cost-Effective Approach to Climate Change, Inside Green Business, February 21, 2007, at 14.
- Climate Change: 2006 Annual Report, in Env’t Energy and Resources L.: The Year in Review 121 (2007).