Ann Carlson, a law professor at the University of California Los Angeles, is on leave from the school to serve as chief counsel to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a division of the Transportation Department typically viewed as focusing on highway safety.
However, Carlson – who has done pro bono work on climate litigation and frequently speaks about environmental legal issues – defined the job as working with the Environmental Protection Agency to address greenhouse gas emissions in vehicles.
"NHTSA, as you know, has joint authority with EPA over the car and truck GHG standards and as a result the early political appointments will for the first time have strong climate experience," Carlson wrote in announcing her new role to her UCLA colleagues in a
Jan. 19 email.