Rena Steinzor

Rena Steinzor is is the Edward M. Robertson Professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and teaches administrative law, food safety law, and advanced courses on the regulatory system, as well as legal analysis and writing/contracts. Before joining the law school faculty, she was the partner in charge of the environmental practice at Spiegel & McDiarmid, a Washington D.C. Law firm. Professor Steinzor is a founder, former president, and member scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform (CPR), which has the ultimate aim of preserving the fundamental value of the life and health of human beings and the natural environment. Professor Steinzor has written extensively on efforts to reinvent environmental regulation in the United States, the use and misuse of science in environmental policy making, and the devolution of legal and administrative authority to the states.

Blind Spots in Environmental Enforcement

Blind Spots in Environmental Enforcement

Five conditions have stunted EPA’s efforts to improve enforcement capabilities.

Mass Comments and the Revival of Apolitical Expertise

Mass Comments and the Revival of Apolitical Expertise

Mass comments policy should consider agencies’ roles as apolitical policymakers.

Regulatory Review, Biden Style

Regulatory Review, Biden Style

Agency experts—not OIRA—must take the lead in regulatory decision-making under the Biden Administration.

The Pandemic’s Toll on Science

The Pandemic’s Toll on Science

Deep state conspiracies threaten science and degrade public trust in government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Pandemic and Industry Opportunism

The Pandemic and Industry Opportunism

EPA fails to hold environmental polluters responsible during the COVID-19 crisis.

Cost-Benefit Analysis According to the Trump Administration

Cost-Benefit Analysis According to the Trump Administration

Scholar argues that the Trump Administration has discredited cost-benefit analysis.

A Real, Not Faux, Transparency Proposal for Regulatory Science

A Real, Not Faux, Transparency Proposal for Regulatory Science

A real EPA transparency rule should be grounded in scientific practices, not constituency interests.

Deconstructing Regulatory Science

Deconstructing Regulatory Science

Proposed limits to EPA’s consideration of scientific data threaten timely, sound policymaking.

The Guidance Racket

The Guidance Racket

Despite attacks from conservatives, guidance documents help agencies and regulated firms comply with the law.

We Need to Get Back to Work

We Need to Get Back to Work

Reviving our regulatory system should be a top priority for the next President.

The Real “Tsunami” in Federal Regulatory Policy

The Real “Tsunami” in Federal Regulatory Policy

New lookback programs impede public safeguards rather than improve the regulatory system.