Month: May 2010

In Memoriam: Jamie Grodsky

We learned this weekend of the tragic death of Jamie Grodsky, a rising star in environmental law who taught at George Washington University.  She died after a brief illness. Jamie joined the GW faculty in 2006, after serving as an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota Law School. Jamie was a meticulous scholar …

CONTINUE READING

Rand Paul and the Environment

Rand Paul, Kentucky’s Republican nominee for  U.S. Senate, has obviously garnered huge attention in the last few days for his comments on civil rights.   But his views about environmental topics ought to grab a few headlines too.  Consider the following: — He’s called the Environmental Protection Agency “out of control,”, and ” a regulatory body run amok,” — …

CONTINUE READING

1001

1001 of what?  Arabian nights? No, 1001 posts on Legal Planet — including this one.   As of today, that’s the total number, along with over 300,000 views.  We’ve only been on-line for a little over a year. As Al Jolson used to say in the days of vaudeville ,” you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

CONTINUE READING

Retrofitting homes to make them more energy efficient

When we ponder ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, nothing says “low hanging fruit” more than retrofitting our existing homes and small businesses to make them more energy efficient. Energy use from commercial and residential buildings accounts for 22 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions. But relatively simple steps like …

CONTINUE READING

Kerry-Lieberman and State Government

The Georgetown Climate Center has put together a very useful  summary of how the bill would impact state regulation, both positively and negatively. The most important fact is that the summary is fifteen pages long.  The bill is obviously a big deal in terms of helping state regulation in some respects and curtailing it in …

CONTINUE READING

MMS needs more than a facelift

The Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has brought new attention to the Minerals Management Service, the obscure branch of the Department of Interior responsible for overseeing offshore oil and gas production.  MMS has been on the hot seat together with BP, Transocean, and Halliburton as Congressional committees and others have begun to …

CONTINUE READING

National Academy of Science Says the Science of Climate Change is Clear and It’s Time to Act Now

The National Academy of Science has joined a growing chorus of scientists  and policymakers in underscoring the need for strong action to combat climate change.  The Academy released three reports today as part of its America’s Climate Choices project, a project Congress requested in the last year of the Bush Administration to address what Congress should …

CONTINUE READING

BP’s Disastrous PR Blowout

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZidQAf8epE] Even Fox News is berating BP for its callous and inapt public response to the oil blowout.  And for good reason.  As Newsweek says: This hasn’t been a good few weeks for Tony Hayward, the chief executive officer of BP. In the weeks since the huge oil spill in the Gulf began, he has …

CONTINUE READING

Costs and Benefits of Offshore Oil

In thinking about the economics of  off-shore oil, the main benefit is increased energy security.  According to an RFF study, Netted out, the Brown and Huntington estimates suggest that the effect of increased U.S. oil production is about $1 per barrel (or 2.4 cents per gallon of gasoline); for each barrel of increased U.S. oil …

CONTINUE READING

Going Nuclear in Finland

A new film explores how Finland is planning to dispose of its nuclear waste. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXif1MThJ6k]

CONTINUE READING

TRENDING