Month: March 2010

New bill in Congress by Rockefeller (S. 3072) would delay regulation of GHGs under the Clean Air Act

As Cara and I have already discussed in detail, the Environmental Protection Agency has committed to delay the rollout of regulation of stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, and to regulate only the very largest sources. This backtracking from EPA has been a response to efforts by Senator Lisa Murkowski …

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Conservation deal just a sugar fix?

Cross-posted at CPRBlog When government decides that private economic activity needs to be restricted in order to preserve some part of nature, there are two basic ways to get that result — by demanding cooperation through regulation or by buying it through economic incentives or outright purchase. The second approach is often politically easier, but …

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The Anti-Science Lobby Strikes Again

Apparently, the anti-evolution forces have joined up with the climate denialists.  The NY Times reports that state governments are already taking action to ensure that their students remains as ignorant about climate science as evolution.  The Times explains: In Louisiana, a law passed in 2008 says the state board of education may assist teachers in …

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Organic wine is more desirable to consumers, but only if they don’t know it’s organic

Interesting new research shows that organically-produced wines are generally ranked higher in quality and command a higher price than non-organic wines.  But the researchers also found that most organic wines aren’t actually labeled as “organic,” and that those wines with such a label command lower prices than comparable non-organic wines.  The study by UCLA Institute …

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Tailoring the tailoring rule – we’re up to 75,000 tpy

Last week, Sean asked whether the EPA was backing off its plan to begin regulating stationary sources of greenhouse gas pollutants under the Clean Air Act.  This week, we learn more about the answer (“yes”) and some details about how much it’s backing off (“lots”). Background: The CAA requires EPA to begin regulating greenhouse gases …

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White paper released today on how farmers and ranchers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions

What can California’s farmers and ranchers do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions? “Room to Grow: How California Agriculture Can Help Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” a new white paper released today by UC Berkeley/UCLA Schools of Law, the California Attorney General’s Office, and Bank of America, provides some answers. California agriculture is a huge industry, generating …

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The Unintended Consequences of Rapanos

In the Rapanos case, building on its previous ruling in SWANCC, the Supreme Court cut back on federal jurisdiction over water bodies.  The issue before it was the government’s power to control filling of isolated wetlands, and it seems clear that the Court was solely focused on what it considered an inappropriate expansion of federal …

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