Recognition highlights her work advancing community-led clean energy, defending climate investments, and expanding access to climate resilience
Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) today announced that Jillian Blanchard, Senior Vice President of Climate Change and Environmental Justice, has been named to TIME's prestigious 2026 TIME100 Climate list, recognizing 100 of the world's most influential leaders driving climate action and advancing solutions to the climate crisis.
SEE JILLIAN'S TIME100 PROFILE HERE
Blanchard's recognition highlights her leadership in mobilizing legal expertise to help communities navigate complex federal funding, regulatory, and tax requirements to develop clean energy projects, strengthen climate resilience, and defend critical climate investments. Under her leadership, L4GG has mobilized more than 600 attorneys to advance environmental justice and clean energy policies, while Blanchard and her team have collectively provided direct legal assistance to nearly 1,000 climate and environmental justice entities affected by federal funding disruptions under the Trump Administration.
“I am profoundly honored to be named to the 2026 TIME100 Climate list. This global recognition reflects the hard work of our entire Climate Change and Environmental Justice Team and the Lawyers for Good Government network of pro bono attorneys who care about climate justice. Along with key partners, we have helped unlock, preserve, or recover more than $4.78B in crucial federal funding for frontline communities. TIME’s recognition reminds us that legal work is a critical component in the fight for climate justice and a livable planet,” said Jillian Blanchard, Senior Vice President of Climate Change and Environmental Justice at Lawyers for Good Government. “As a parent, I worry about the future that my son faces, but I find hope every day as local climate leaders push solutions forward in their communities. I carry our clients’ stories into COP31 to remind the world that local leaders are building the climate resilience and clean energy solutions that we need, and it’s past time for global leaders to invest boldly and ambitiously in this work.”
Among just some of the recent accomplishments of L4GG's Climate Change and Environmental Justice Program under Blanchard's leadership:
Successfully helping over 1,000 clean energy community projects move forward across the US, leveraging tax credits, in house and pro bono expertise, and green finance support. These projects provide safety, security, and resilience to frontline communities and bring clean electrons onto the grid to reduce GHG emissions.
Successfully challenging the termination of $7 billion in Solar for All funding: L4GG helped litigate against the Trump Administration's cancellation of the program, securing a federal court victory that found the termination unlawful and vacated the decision. The program was designed to bring affordable solar energy to nearly one million low-income households nationwide.
Defending $20 billion in clean energy investments: L4GG filed an amicus brief on behalf of 40 members of Congress in litigation challenging the EPA's termination of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund awards, bringing congressional perspectives into a major legal battle over the administration's authority to withhold congressionally appropriated climate funding.
Leading a first-of-its-kind $2.8 billion environmental justice class action: L4GG helped pursue litigation seeking to restore funding owed to more than 350 environmental justice entities, challenging the administration's sweeping termination of grants intended to address pollution, environmental health disparities, and climate impacts in underserved communities.
Turning federal clean energy incentives into local investments: L4GG's attorneys helped Buncombe County, North Carolina, navigate complex federal Elective Pay tax requirements to secure $1.2 million in refunds for 19 solar projects, supporting local recovery and resilience following Hurricane Helene. The work illustrates how L4GG's pro bono legal network helps communities access federal investments they might otherwise struggle to obtain.
A nationally recognized attorney with more than 25 years of experience in energy, infrastructure, and environmental law, Blanchard has worked across government, nonprofit, and private sectors to advance climate solutions. She previously served as Infrastructure Permitting Manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission's $6 billion Water System Improvement Program and helped craft Governor Gavin Newsom's climate change platform in 2018. Throughout her career, she has worked with hundreds of state and local leaders, frontline communities, and nonprofit organizations to advance equitable clean energy policies and climate resilience.
“I cannot imagine someone more deserving of recognition by TIME as one of the 100 most influential climate leaders in 2026 than Jillian Blanchard,” said Traci Feit Love, Founder and Executive Director of Lawyers for Good Government. “Jillian approached me when I was engaging with thousands of lawyers to better understand how the legal community could harness our skills at scale to move us toward a more just future. I knew immediately that her expertise in energy and resource law could unlock opportunities for the communities that are leading the nation’s response to the risks of climate change and the clean energy transition. Jillian’s clarity of purpose and innovative approach was remarkable and exciting!
“In the years since, Jillian and her team have transformed the landscape for frontline communities and entities seeking government support for their work – and everyone in the country is better off as a result. Local communities are more empowered, our air and water are cleaner, and we understand how lawyers can be of most service for the work ahead. The realization of a just climate future has gone from impossible to possible, and in large part we have Jillian Blanchard to thank for that.”
TIME's annual TIME100 Climate list recognizes influential leaders across government, business, research, advocacy, and innovation whose work is helping accelerate meaningful climate action. The full 2026 list and Blanchard's profile can be viewed HERE.