Mary Wood and Tim Ream: Barack Obama at the threshold | Straight.com

Mary Wood, professor of law at University of Oregon, and Tim Ream, fellow for the Wayne Morse Center for Law and Politics at the University of Oregon.

Since the earliest times, our legal system has recognized that "we the people" own critical natural resources-like the waters, wildlife, and the air-in common. As a fiduciary, or trustee, government must manage these resources on behalf of, and for the survival of, present and future generations of citizens. This is a fundamental, inherent obligation of government, and no official may disregard it. ...

The new President has the tools to regulate carbon through the Clean Air Act. In 2007, the United States Supreme Court set forth the statutory grounds for such regulation in a suit brought by states against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.