Month: July 2011
A “Modest Proposal” for Ending the U.S. Debt Crisis: A Debt-Nature Swap with China
Debt-nature swaps allow countries with major debt over-hang and relatively weak economies to reduce their debt in return for undertaking environmental measures. The U.S. now seems to be in the same need of debt relief as many developing countries in past decades. In the meantime, the Chinese have a thriving economy and hold enormous amounts …
CONTINUE READINGSo Much for California’s Anti-Sprawl Law, Ctd.
My post on the shortcomings of SB 375, California’s anti-sprawl law, generated a swift response from NRDC’s Amanda Eaken and TransForm’s Stuart Cohen, two smart growth advocates for whom I hold a lot of admiration and respect. In their detailed post, which is largely a critique of the San Diego Association of Government’s (SANDAG) sustainable …
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CONTINUE READINGAttack of the Dim Bulbs
The country may be flirting with deadbeat status and risking another financial meltdown, but some people keep their eyes on the prize — they know what’s really important. The House of Representatives yesterday voted on the BULB Act, repealing the federal mandate to increase the energy efficiency of light bulbs. (The bill was considered so …
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CONTINUE READINGBolstering Public Transit in California: A New White Paper from UCLA / Berkeley Law
Public transit in California, while historically underfunded compared to roads and freeways, has suffered even worse as the state’s economy has tanked and Sacramento legislators have raided transit funds to pay their general fund bills. But the buses and trains that comprise the state’s transit system provide badly needed economic benefits for Californians. These benefits …
CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental Law Scholarship: A Sampler
If you’re wondering what environmental law scholarship is about, here’s about three-weeks-worth of recent publications, covering everything from roadless rules to fisheries to renewable energy to climate change. 1. Aarons, Kyle J. Note. The real world roadless rules challenges. 109 Mich. L. Rev. 1293-1325 (2011). 2. Blades, Emmi. Comment. Using the legal system to …
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CONTINUE READINGA Nation of Frogs?
It is said that, if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water, it immediately jumps out and is saved. But if you put a frog in a pot of cold water and gradually warm it, you can boil the frog without it ever realizing that it’s being cooked. It’s not hard to …
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CONTINUE READINGA Judicial Setback for PACE Energy Efficiency and Renewables Financing
Many moons ago, I blogged about the saga of the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing program and the lawsuits to preserve it. As a quick review, PACE allows municipal governments to use funds from the bond market to help property owners finance energy efficiency retrofits and renewable energy arrays on their property. The property …
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CONTINUE READINGWelcoming a New Blogger
We’re pleased to welcome Alex Wang to Legal Planet. He is beginning a two-year term as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Berkeley Law School. Alex comes here following six years as a Senior Attorney and Director of the China Environmental Law Project for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). He worked on environment and energy …
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CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental Regulation as a Jobs Program
This is a continuation of my earlier posting about the impact of environmental law on the economy as a whole, putting aside its benefits in terms of human health and welfare. As in the earlier post, I’m going to use the compliance cost estimate of a report from the Small Business Association of $280 billion …
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CONTINUE READINGIn Memoriam: David Getches
We are very sorry to report the death of David Getches, who was the Raphael J. Moses Professor of Natural Resources Law at the University of Colorado School of Law. His fields were water law, public land law, environmental law, and Indian law. Professor Getches several books on water law and one on Indiana law. …
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