Elisabeth Haub School of Law Professor Jason Czarnezki and Alumnus Basil Seggos Rank Among the 2023 Energy & Environment Power 100

Professor Jason J. Czarnezki, Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law and Associate Dean of Environmental Law Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, was named to the “2023 Energy & Environment Power 100” list published by City & State New York magazine. Professor Czarnezki was ranked #85 on this year’s list, noting the impact that he has had since joining Haub Law and the environmentally forward initiatives he has helped launch in that time, including most recently, the Sustainable Business Law Hub. This year’s prestigious Power 100 list includes public officials, energy executives, environmentalists, activists, academics and others who are “the key players shaping New York’s energy future.”

Distinguished Haub Law alumnus Basil Seggos ’01, Commissioner, State Department of Environmental Conservation, received the #3 ranking, in part for his leadership in New York State’s ambitious climate agenda to cut carbon emissions 40% by 2030. Additionally, former Haub Law Visiting Scholar Judith Enck, Founder and President of Beyond Plastics and former EPA Region 2 Administrator, ranked #36, along with Fred Zalcman at #25, who served as Pace Energy & Climate Center’s Executive Director from 2001 – 2007.

“I am honored to be recognized among the top energy and environmental leaders in New York, all of whom are making positive strides each day towards combating climate change,” said Czarnezki. “Haub Law is home to the top ranked environmental law program in the country. Our innovative programs are continuously geared towards creating a sustainable and climate friendly future, and I am proud to lead these initiatives.”

85. Jason J. Czarnezki

Associate Dean and Executive Director, Environmental Law Programs, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University

In the 10 years that Jason Czarnezki has taught at Pace University’s environmental law program, the department has been among the top-rated programs in the country according to the U.S. News & World Report. Czarnezki helped the farmers market operator GrowNYC formalize its relationship with the school’s food and beverage law clinic in 2021. The following year, he became the faculty director for Pace’s sustainable business law hub, which is devoted to addressing sustainability challenges through research and public policy.

3. Basil Seggos

Commissioner, State Department of Environmental Conservation

One of the few Cuomo-era commissioners to stay on in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s administration, Basil Seggos is part of the team steering the state’s ambitious climate agenda to cut carbon emissions 40% by 2030. Under Seggos’s leadership, the state Department of Environmental Conservation launched an air pollution monitoring system and encouraged drought-affected counties to conserve water. Seggos, who took a leave to assist with the Ukraine humanitarian effort last fall, was instrumental in ensuring the state barred permits for cryptocurrency mining. Now, he’s monitoring air and water quality in Western New York after a train derailment in Ohio contaminated the surrounding area.

View the full City & State 2023 Energy & Environment Power 100 list