UNIVERSITY OF UTAH EXPERT PITCH Contacts:— Lincoln Davies, associate professor and associate dean for academic affairs University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, office 801-581-7338, [email protected]— Melinda Rogers, communications specialist, University of Utah Communications Office –office 801-587-2130, cell 801-608-9888, [email protected]

University of Utah law professor available to speak about Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment

(June 16, 2015) —A draft copy of Pope Francis much-anticipated encyclical on the environment has been unveiled after a source leaked the document to the Italian press this week. The document calls for urgent action to protect the Earth and fight global warming, a trend the pope declares is a result of the burning of fossil fuels and human activity. A more formal release is scheduled for Thursday. The first look at the document shows Francis’ viewpoint on the scientific and the moral reasons for protecting the environment. It states low-income people in the world suffer the most from air pollution and toxic dumping. The draft also states that population growth isn’t the only issue to blame for ecological problems, but wasteful behavior by consumers is also a major problem.

Lincoln Davies, a professor of law and associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, can offer local perspective on this developing news story and is available for interviews. He previously organized a summit on religion, faith and the environment.

A recognized expert in energy law and policy, Davies research spans a broad array of energy topics, including renewables and alternative energy, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear power, utility law, and regulatory and technology innovation. He is a leading authority on state renewable portfolio standards (“RPS”) and assured water supply laws (“wet growth”). His additional research interests include environmental law, water law, land use, administrative law, and procedure. In 2012, he was awarded the McCloy Fellowship in Environmental Policy to conduct comparative research on renewable energy policy in the United States and Germany. He also holds positions as principal investigator for the Institute for Clean and Secure Energy and as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Committee on Energy Infrastructure and Siting.