EPIC Director profiled by UT San Diego

The UT San Diego recently profiled EPIC Director Scott Anders.  (Full Article)

Beyond the Political Climate

EPIC gets law students looking past the hype of climate and energy policy, research.

Scott Anders

Age: 44

Title: Director, Energy Policy Initiatives Center (EPIC) at the University of San Diego School of Law. The center, which is adding a fifth employee, works with a variety of partners and consultants.

Background and interests: Born in Philadelphia. Married with two children, ages 10 and 12. He and his wife met as Peace Corps volunteers in Mali.

Cut through the hype.

That’s the mantra of Scott Anders and his research on energy policy in the highly politicized age of solar energy, electric vehicles and climate change.

Anders directs the Energy Policy Initiatives Center, or EPIC, founded in the aftermath of California’s 2000-01 energy crisis in which market manipulation triggered astronomical power prices and rolling blackouts.

Nestled on the University of San Diego campus, the center recently issued tools to help municipal governments evaluate greenhouse gas emissions and develop climate plans.

Each year, it introduces law students to California’s energy and climate policies, taking some behind the scenes at state energy agencies to engage in research projects on topics ranging from energy standards for home appliances to cap-and-trade policy.

“We try to take the politics and partisan interests out of energy by doing the best analysis we can,” said Anders, describing a long list of EPIC’s energy studies, reports and advisory roles. “There’s a lot of hype in this sector and we want to cut through that.”

In the most ambitious EPIC endeavor to date, Anders is a lead investigator in a climate-science education plan funded by the National Science Foundation that seeks to increase awareness among regional leaders about potential effects of climate change on a regional level.

(Full Article)