Politics

Surprise Support for Solar

Solar power is on the Trump Administration hit list, but it turns out to have support in unexpected places.

ere’s a social media post whose content won’t surprise you:

“Solar power is the energy of the future.

“Giant fusion reactor up there in the sky – we must rapidly expand solar to compete with China.”
And from a political ally, a poll that found three-quarters of Trump voters in five states agreed that solar should be used “to strengthen and increase” the U.S. energy supply.
Who were those solar supporters? 

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Climate Issues in the 2026 Governor’s Race: Transportation

First in a series of posts outlining key challenges and opportunities facing California’s next governor.

In collaboration with California Environmental Voters, CLEE is leading a nonpartisan initiative to educate all candidates running for governor, as well as the public, on critical climate, energy, and environmental issues. In February, CLEE and CEV co-hosted a candidate forum featuring 90 minutes of discussion on these issues. And we’ve launched a public website, www.climatevote.org, …

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Policies on the Bus Go Round and Round

The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

A year ago, the transportation manager of Northshore School District, outside of Seattle, wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pleading with him to release frozen funding she was owed for new school buses. “We need your assistance to complete these projects and lift the financial burdens school districts are facing due to the delay in …

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Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: More BS on Electricity Prices

In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a new “ratepayer protection pledge” from technology companies.

Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a new “ratepayer protection pledge” from technology companies as his latest effort to respond to rising electricity prices across the country.  In his brief remarks on the pledge, the President said that it “obligated” the technology companies to provide for their own power, …

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The Most NIMBY Man In The World

As ICE moves to warehouse tens of thousands of immigrants, can locals fight back?

Good piece in the Grey Lady on Wednesday about Trump voters suddenly deciding that some of his policies aren’t so great after all. ICE is trying to build huge detention facilities in order to drag legal immigrants off the streets — specifically, those who are waiting for asylum decisions and those waiting to receive their …

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Recapping “Our Climate Future”: A California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum

How four top candidates plan to tackle affordability, environmental justice, and clean energy and continue California’s leadership

Californians will elect a new governor in November. The race presents state voters with a wider variety of potential outcomes for climate policy–from increased ambition to continuity to changed priorities–than any election since 2010. To help voters understand where the candidates stand on our most pressing environmental challenges, the Center for Law, Energy, and the …

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In the Cross Hairs

The Right has taken umbrage at some of the important work of environmental law professors and centers.

The fossil fuel industry and its conservative allies seem to have taken notice of the important work done by environmental law centers. Their response is to try to repress this valuable work.  This is a backhanded acknowledgement that law schools are making a difference.This campaign has targeted some of the law schools with the most prominent environmental law programs.  Climate scientists have long been the target of harassment and public attack. It appears that people who work on climate policy are now also in the crosshairs.  What we’re seeing lacks the drama of other attacks on free speech and academic freedom. But it is capable of being no less harmful. McCarthyism writ small is still McCarthyism.

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Trump Will Kill Climate Regulations, But How Exactly?

The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

The Environmental Protection Agency will officially revoke what’s known as the endangerment finding tomorrow and in so doing try to erase the basis for virtually all that agency’s regulations cutting greenhouse gases. It’s not really a surprise — we’ve been waiting for this announcement for a year. But seeing the agency’s precise justification will help …

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A Lot Fewer Climate Reporters at the Washington Post

The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

I cancelled my subscription to the Washington Post earlier this week. Not to protest billionaire owner Jeff Bezos or anything. Just because I felt like I wasn’t getting all that much for my $3 a week, and it was time to downsize my media subscriptions. I had signed up for the WaPo a couple years …

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Abolishing ICE has Environmental Connections

The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.

Does your heart hurt from watching agents of the U.S. government execute a law-abiding citizen in the street while he is helping others try to stay safe during an authoritarian takeover of an American city? If you work on environmental and climate issues, you probably have felt this rage over what’s happening but also thought …

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