Professor Arden Rowell was part of an interdisciplinary team of University of Illinois researchers raising concerns about a proposed rule that could reduce environmental oversight for advanced nuclear reactors. The group submitted a public comment to the U.S. Department of Energy about a rule that would allow certain advanced reactor activities—including siting, construction, operation, and decommissioning—to proceed […]
The College of Law was well-represented at the recent St. Louis University Colloquium on Law, Behavioral Science, and Social Science. Professor Jennifer Robbennolt presented a work-in-progress called “’The Rule of Law’ Silo” that is co-authored by Professors Verity Winship and Colleen Murphy. The paper presents the results of a survey to understand what people understand […]
The federal government’s moves to reform the rules surrounding nuclear energy plants might have had the effect of streamlining the process of bringing new reactors online and, thus, creating more nuclear energy for the United States’ power grid. Federal agencies making changes behind closed doors, without input from experts, has chilled scientists, however. Moving quickly […]
Working with an interdisciplinary team of nuclear engineers, Professor Arden Rowell coauthored a public comment submitted to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in response to its proposed “Sunset Rule.” The rule had proposed “sunsetting” ten regulatory rules addressing nuclear safety. The comment addressed foundational administrative law issues, including statutory authority, the agency’s current mission, and the […]
Many recent changes in rules and regulations surrounding nuclear power reactors have been enacted with the goal of expanding the use of nuclear technology, but the shifts also run the risk of overwhelming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and threatening the industry. In a new editorial published by Nuclear Newswire, Professor Arden Rowell and a team […]
Professor Arden Rowell was awarded the 2025 Carroll P. Hurd Award for Scholarly Excellence for her paper, “Indoor Environmental Law,” 54 Environmental Law 101 (2024). The Carroll P. Hurd Award for Scholarly Excellence was established in 2002, by Michael Moore and Heidi Hurd, in honor of Heidi’s father, Carroll Parsons Hurd, whose work as a political theorist and […]
The “Dear Colleague Letter” issued by the U.S. Department of Education in February expressed a threat that schools that support diversity initiatives could face funding cuts. With several cultural houses on campus, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign could be among the targets to lose funding. In an extensive examination, Illinois Public Media quotes both Dean Jamelle […]
Americans spend nearly 90% of their time indoors, yet current environmental laws do not regulate indoor air quality. The Regulatory Review recently analyzed a recent article from Professor Arden Rowell in which she argues that effective environmental policies should include indoor environments, as existing regulations like the Clean Air Act only cover outdoor air, creating […]
Professor Arden Rowell has teamed up with the Socio-Technical Risk Analysis (SoTeRiA) Research Laboratory, led by Nuclear, Plasma, & Radiological Engineering Associate Professor Zahra Mohaghegh on a new research grant from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). The grant, titled “Context-Based Analysis of a Risk-informed, Performance-based Regulatory Approach for Advanced Nuclear Reactors,” will span from 2024 […]
Professor Arden Rowell, an expert in environmental law, administrative law, risk regulation and human behavior, has joined the faculty of the Beckman Institute or Advanced Science and Technology. In addition to her work at the College of Law, Rowell will share her expertise with students of Beckman and continue her collaborative work with the faculty […]