RTP's Fourth Branch Podcast

In a little over 100 days, the Department of Government Efficiency, or "DOGE," has fundamentally remade the federal bureaucracy by slimming the workforce and ending federal contracts. So far, its major focus has not been on regulatory issues, but recent executive orders suggest that DOGE may soon set its sights on cutting back excess regulation. When it does, it should consider successful regulatory reform efforts that have been underway in the states for several years. This panel will focus on two of the most successful state regulatory reform initiatives, in Virginia and Indiana, and explore how similar reforms might be enacted federally.

Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to regulate emissions that “cause, or contribute to, air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare.” The Supreme Court held in Massachusetts v. EPA that greenhouse gases are considered pollutants under the Act, so whether they can be regulated depends on whether they endanger public health. The EPA issued the Endangerment Finding that greenhouse gas emissions cross this threshold in 2009. Any actual regulation of greenhouse gas emissions is issued by EPA separately, such as greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles. On March 12th, 2025, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the EPA would be initiating “formal reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other relevant agencies.”

Join us Friday, May 9th, from 11am – 12pm EST, as our panel of legal experts discusses the various questions surrounding the proposed revisions, such as preemption, cost revision, and how these changes would be implemented.


Featuring:

Michael Buschbacher, Partner, Boyden Gray PLLC
Richard Belzer, Independent Consultant
Jonathan Adler, Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law and Director, Coleman P. Burke Center for Environmental Law, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
(Moderator) Laura Stanley, Gibson Dunn, LLP

Amidst the flurry of new Executive Orders that launched the second Trump Administration, many questions have arisen concerning regulatory action and executive power. Our panelists will focus on the regulatory analysis guidance of Circular A-4, the role of benefit-cost analysis in regulatory and deregulatory actions, and the 10-for-1 Executive Order. Join us on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 11:30am EST for a discussion of regulatory analysis and administrative law featuring Hon. Susan Dudley and Professor Donald Kenkel, and moderated by Hon. Paul Ray.

In March of 2025, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a major new publication, “Modernizing the EPA: A Blueprint for Congress.” This book explores numerous issues across the EPA and the statutes that it administers. The podcast discussion focuses primarily on how the EPA’s role has evolved, particularly as it relates to air regulation, including greenhouse gas regulation. In addition, the discussion highlights flaws and outdated aspects of the Clean Air Act and the need for Congress to reassert its lawmaking power. The lead author and co-editor of the book offers ideas on how Congress can refine the federal approach to environmental and climate policy.
Listen in as Michael Buschbacher, Partner at Boyden Gray PLLC, interviews Daren Bakst, Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment highlighting the key findings and recommendations in the publication.

In this Tech Roundup Episode of RTP's Fourth Branch podcast, Kevin Frazier and Aram Gavoor sit down to discuss the recent, fast-moving developments in AI policy in the second Trump administration, as well as the importance of innovation and procurement.

In a time of rapidly shifting administrative law norms, the Department of Labor and NLRB have had busy and in some ways aggressive dockets over the last year. Our panel of experts will assess the regulatory and enforcement approach and key initiatives at DOL and NLRB during the final year of the Biden Administration; how does it grade out compared to prior years? And during the early days of the Trump Administration, how is the regulatory approach changing—or staying the same?

As the second Trump administration kicks off an ambitious AI agenda, individual states have been busy on this front as well. Should each state have their own approach, or should states like California and Texas lead the way?
Dean Ball, Sunny Gandhi, and Kevin Frazier join the Fourth Branch podcast to discuss these various efforts to cover the conversation of AI on the state level and the increasing need for public AI literacy.

An estimated 5% of foster youth qualify for Social Security benefits, but in many states, child welfare agencies use these funds to help cover the cost of care. In 2018 alone, agencies in 49 states and Washington, D.C., received at least $165 million in benefits intended for foster youth.
In this episode, Shoshana Weissmann interviews Maureen Flatley, subject matter expert in child welfare and child exploitation. They discuss how these funds are managed, the policies guiding their use, and the ongoing conversations about their impact on foster youth and the child welfare system.

Hawaii leads the nation in high housing prices. Experts Ted Kefalas and Jonathan Helton from Grassroot Institute explain the regulatory obstacles to building sufficient housing for Hawaiians, and regulatory reform efforts that could increase the housing supply. It has been over 18 months since the fires that nearly destroyed the town of Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii. Since that time, thousands of commercial and residential properties have been destroyed or damaged, and only 6 houses have been rebuilt.

In this segment, Kefalas and Helton discuss the legal and regulatory hurdles that have prevented Hawaiians to rebuild their destroyed homes and businesses, and proposals that could help facilitate rebuilding. In the final segment, the experts discuss what lessons California could learn from Hawaii's experience to ensure that Angelinos do not experience the same slow rebuild after the Pacific Palisades Fire.

Artificial Intelligence has been rapidly brought to the forefront of the public conversation in recent months. President Trump has pledged to support AI innovation, while the newly-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been working to streamline government processes through AI.
Join our panel of experts, including Dhruva Krishna, Dr. Megan Ma, and Kevin Fraizer, for a discussion on the benefits and legal ramifications of incorporating AI into government.