2015 - Page 18 of 24 - Legal Planet

Year: 2015

Swinging Between Optimism and Pessimism on Climate Change

good news, bad news

Every day seems to bring new news about climate change, some of it encouraging and some of it so disheartening that doomsday feels around the corner. Here’s a catalogue of recent climate news, starting with the optimistic stories: Bloomberg news reports that the end of fossil fuels is in sight. The World Bank today announced …

Continue reading “Swinging Between Optimism and Pessimism on Climate Change”

Has EPA’s Proposed NSPS Expired?

Responding to claims that EPA must withdraw its proposed rules to control power-plant GHGs under CAA § 111

Challenges to EPA’s emergent program to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under Clean Air Act section 111 continue to mount. Recently, the Attorneys General of 19 states sent a joint letter to EPA arguing that because EPA failed to finalize its proposed New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) for GHG emissions within one year—as the Clean …

Continue reading “Has EPA’s Proposed NSPS Expired?”

Yogi Berra Explains the Mono Lake Case

Or — Timing Is Everything

As part of the book I am writing on the Mono Lake case, one question stands out: how was the Mono Lake Committee able to assemble the resources to bring a lawsuit against the powerful Los Angeles Department of Water and Power? At one level, the answer is obvious: it found a Sugar Daddy, in …

Continue reading “Yogi Berra Explains the Mono Lake Case”

Climate Gag Rules and the First Amendment

Are climate gag rules constitutional? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

There have been recent reports about state agencies that forbid employees from discussing climate change. Since this is obviously a restriction on speech, it’s natural to wonder what the First Amendment has to say on the subject. The answer depends in large part on the kind of employee speech at issue. Let’s being with a ban …

Continue reading “Climate Gag Rules and the First Amendment”

The Brazilian Deforestation Puzzle

Deforestation went down for a decade. Now it’s going up. The reasons aren’t clear.

Brazil’s rate of deforestation went down dramatically over the last ten years. It’s not completely clear why that’s happened. The trend now seems to be reversing (or at least encountering an upward blip). But it’s not clear why that’s happening either. I wish I had a clear explanation to give you. A big part of …

Continue reading “The Brazilian Deforestation Puzzle”

Los Angeles Releases First-Ever Urban Sustainability “pLAn”

Envisioning greener energy, cleaner air, and reduced consumption in LA by 2035

Perhaps no metropolis is better positioned than Los Angeles to pioneer ground-breaking environmental initiatives. As the second-largest U.S. city, and with the country’s largest municipally owned utility, a world-class research university–UCLA, and the blessings of abundant sunshine and a temperate Mediterranean climate, Los Angeles could serve as a global model for urban sustainability. Today, the …

Continue reading “Los Angeles Releases First-Ever Urban Sustainability “pLAn””

Can the Supreme Court Provide Just Desserts?

Time for Different Flavors of Legal Reasoning

Ben and Jerry’s flavor honoring Stephen Colbert — “Americone Dream” — has been so successful, people are coming with other ideas. Tania Lambrozio gets lawyers into the act with her nomination: “Ruth Bader Ginger.” I’ve never actually had ginger ice cream, although I love ginger bread, so maybe it could work. Now there is a petition …

Continue reading “Can the Supreme Court Provide Just Desserts?”

It’s a Wonderful Law?

A thought experiment about the role of the ESA in California water management

[This post is co-authored by A. Dan Tarlock, Distguished Professor of Law, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.] Remember the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life,” which shows up on TV every year at Christmas season? In it George Bailey, played by Jimmy Stewart, gets a great gift from Clarence, an angel-in-training who intervenes as George is …

Continue reading “It’s a Wonderful Law?”

Stick a Lemon In It

Are recent East Bay water troubles a taste of what lies ahead?

What makes a city world-renowned? For New York (according to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection), it’s the quality of its drinking water. Should this be so surprising? After all, what more fundamental connection does a city have to its residents and visitors than the life-sustaining water that it provides? Recent events in San Francisco’s …

Continue reading “Stick a Lemon In It”

The Minister Did It

“Thieves of State” Implies New Focus for Environmental Protection in the Global South

You might remember correspondent Sarah Chayes from NPR in the 1990’s, filing reports from Paris. In the early 2000’s, she took up a far less glamourous posting: Kandahar, in Afghanistan, and has just completed her second book about it. The book, Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, contains an important lesson for those interested …

Continue reading “The Minister Did It”

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

The Harris-Trump Debate and Environmental Policy

In the ABC News debate, both candidates were asked directly, “What would you do to fight climate change?” Fracking and energy policy got most of the focus.

The Tragedy of Indifference

This election will have huge consequences for climate change. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to matter that much at the polls.

The Zombie Myth of Job-Killing Regulations

Some ideas never die, no matter how much evidence piles up against them.

Community Solar: The Systemwide Benefits

The debates over community solar program design are fascinating sites of struggle over which values should drive decision-making.

Community Solar: Local and Individual Benefits

Community solar offers a rich case study for how a diverse range of values can be integrated into the traditionally narrow scope of public utility commission decision-making.

Year: 2015

good news, bad news

Responding to claims that EPA must withdraw its proposed rules to control power-plant GHGs under CAA § 111

Or — Timing Is Everything

Are climate gag rules constitutional? Sometimes yes, sometimes no.

Deforestation went down for a decade. Now it’s going up. The reasons aren’t clear.

Envisioning greener energy, cleaner air, and reduced consumption in LA by 2035

Time for Different Flavors of Legal Reasoning

A thought experiment about the role of the ESA in California water management

Are recent East Bay water troubles a taste of what lies ahead?

“Thieves of State” Implies New Focus for Environmental Protection in the Global South

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

TRENDING

Or, as some critics called it, “the Contract ON America.”

AB 3233, part of a trio of bills that the governor just signed, paves a clear path for local phase-out efforts.

My time in the Biden administration shows that Project 2025’s proposal to purge civil servants would be bad policy for everyone.

These elections could prove critically important to how much the next President can reshape energy and environmental policy.

How should the US compete with Chinese green development?

Who gets the money? Compensation mechanisms are where a lot of the power of these programs resides, but naturally, also the debate.

The San Francisco 49ers just became the first NFL team to buy sustainable aviation fuel. But that move is overshadowed by Big Oil sponsorships in sports.

Building meaningful earth system governance creates multiple new research challenges

The state has been pushing EVs for over thirty years, with huge progress in the past five years.

As it turns out, you can hate BOTH government regulation and Trump’s assault on the “deep state.”

In the ABC News debate, both candidates were asked directly, “What would you do to fight climate change?” Fracking and energy policy got most of the focus.

This election will have huge consequences for climate change. Sadly, that doesn’t seem to matter that much at the polls.

Some ideas never die, no matter how much evidence piles up against them.

The debates over community solar program design are fascinating sites of struggle over which values should drive decision-making.

Community solar offers a rich case study for how a diverse range of values can be integrated into the traditionally narrow scope of public utility commission decision-making.

Upcoming U.C. Davis Law Review Symposium To Provide Interdisciplinary Focus On Threatened Western U.S. Lakes

Program Design Elements Can Produce More Equitable, Durable, and Successful Projects

Those races get a lot less attention than elections for the Senate, but they’re equally important.

Who will shape federal climate and energy policies? The answer remains too close to call.

The Juliana plaintiffs make a final effort to resurrect their case.