Year: 2016
America’s Best Environmental and Economic Bargain
…and Other Concluding Thoughts About the National Park System
(This is the final installment in a series of posts celebrating the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service.) A wag once observed: It’s hell getting old, but it beats the alternative. I can personally attest to the fact that it’s not a lot of fun achieving senior citizen status. I can’t run as far …
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CONTINUE READINGCap and Trade’s Future in California, Redux
Litigation, AB 197 and Politics May All Have an Influence
Two days ago, I posed a series of questions about what AB 197 might mean for the future of cap and trade in California but never really answered the question of whether we’re likely to see a continuation of the program going forward post-2020. Eric posted his view this afternoon that he is relatively pessimistic …
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CONTINUE READINGThe future politics of cap-and-trade in California
It doesn’t look so good for the oil and gas industry
As Ann and Ethan both noted, two major pieces of climate legislation were passed by the California legislature this week, and Governor Brown has promised to sign both bills. Overall, the legislation extends the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals (which were originally to reach 1990 levels of emissions by 2020) out to a 40% reduction …
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CONTINUE READINGA(n Admittedly Subjective) List of America’s Very Best National Parks
(This is the fourth in a series of posts this week commemorating the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.) I love lists. Whether it’s a compilation of the year’s top movies, the best restaurants in California (out-doing even the best restaurants in Bozeman where I grew up), or the best rock …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Clinton Foundation and the Environment
There’s a lot of talk about where the money comes from. But where does it go?
We hear a lot about the Clinton Foundation these days, but it’s all about where the money comes from. That’s outside the scope of this blog, but it made me curious about what they do with the money. In particular, I wondered what they did for the environment. Since the only thing I really knew …
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CONTINUE READINGMajor Challenges Face the National Park Service in Its Next Century
Park Overcrowding, Crumbling Infrastructure, Changing Constituency Top the List
(This is the third in a series of posts this week commemorating the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.) To be sure, the National Park Service has much to celebrate as it observes its 100th birthday. The Park Service oversees a stunning and diverse set of national parks, monuments, historic and …
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CONTINUE READINGDoes AB 197 Mean the End of Cap and Trade in California?
Language Directs the Air Resources Board to Prioritize Direct Emissions Reductions
As Ethan’s post recounts, the California Assembly today passed AB 197, a bill linked to SB 32, which extends California’s climate goals to 2030 and requires emissions reductions by that year of 40 percent below 1990 levels (see my post from yesterday describing the bills and how they are linked). The passage of the two …
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CONTINUE READINGBREAKING NEWS: Final Hurdle For California’s 2030 Climate Bill Passes Assembly
Governor vows to sign AB 197, SB 32’s “conjoined twin”
There was a bit of added drama to the passing of SB 32 yesterday in the California Assembly, as the passage was dependent on the state enacting AB 197. The Assembly debated AB 197 this morning, and it passed out of the natural resources committee with six votes in favor and one opposed. It then …
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CONTINUE READINGThe (Relatively) Unknown Treasures of the National Park Service
Our National Park System Consists of Far More Than Just National Parks
When most Americans think of the National Park Service, they contemplate the nation’s stellar collection of national parks: Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Everglades and the other 56 parks created by acts of Congress since 1872. But that’s only part of the story and holdings of the National Park Service, which celebrates its 100th birthday this week. …
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CONTINUE READINGSB 32 Passage Great News But Legislature Needs to Pass AB 197 Too
AB 197 Would Curtail California Air Resources Board Power, Potentially Restrict Cap-and-Trade
Ethan reported the good news today that the California Assembly passed SB 32, legislation that would extend California’s landmark climate change legislation to 2030 and require deeper cuts in emissions. The original legislation, AB 32, required that California cut its emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. SB 32 requires that the state achieve a 40 …
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