NPR.

J.B. Rool is pretty concerned about climate change.

We're running out of time.

We're losing ground.

We are not keeping up with what's needed to get renewable energy on the ground.

J.B. is a law professor at Vanderbilt University.

And what he's saying is that America is really slow at building green infrastructure, solar

panels and wind turbines.

And he says, a big reason America is so slow at this is because we've created all kinds

of laws and regulations that allow people to challenge new infrastructure projects, like

highways, power plants and train stations.

And that is great for getting local input on big projects and helping preserve communities,

local landscapes and endangered species.

But the irony is that a lot of these laws stopping us from building green infrastructure are

themselves environmental laws.

And J.B. knows this firsthand because he's worked as a lawyer with wind power companies.

I became increasingly aware of how the laws are equally as effective against stopping

green infrastructure if someone wants to.

This is the indicator from Planet Money.

I'm Darien Woods.

And I'm Adrian Mah.

Today on the show, when environmental rules backfire.

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