Region: National
The 2020 Congressional Elections and the Environment
They’re almost two years away, but we need to get ready.
I know, I know. It seems very early to start thinking about the 2020 elections! But I follow my late mother’s philosophy that it’s never too soon to start worrying. Why do the 2020 Senate elections matter? Let’s start with the Senate. Suppose the President in 2021 is a Republican, maybe named Donald J. We’ve …
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CONTINUE READINGTrump’s Theory of Law
He probably doesn’t know he has a theory, but he does. It’s shaping his deregulatory agenda..
OK, using the word “theory” in connection with Trump may seem like a stretch. But he does seem to have an implicit theory of law, which helps explain a lot of his approach to regulatory change. He’s also an intuitive believer in a strong form of the unitary executive. Theories of law can be classified …
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CONTINUE READINGThe possibilities of a Green New Deal
Proposal for massive government investment in decarbonization of the economy could have long-term political benefits, if it’s done right
The new House Democratic majority takes over this week. In the period between the midterm elections and now, one major issue that has been discussed is the path forward for the Democrats on climate policy. Led by freshman Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, activists have called for the new majority to set up a special House committee …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Power of the Purse
House Democrats have power to use appropriations process to stop Trump Administration environmental rollbacks
Dan has already posted about some of the big deregulatory steps the Trump Administration is likely to take in the next year. But the new Democratic majority in the House could have something to say about those steps, if they wanted to. Democrats will have even more leverage over spending bills than they had in …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Year Ahead
Here’s what to expect environmentally.
What are the key things to watch for in 2019 in the environmental area? Regulations. According to the Administration’s schedule, three big rules should be issued in March: repeal of the Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS), repeal and replacement of the Clean Power Plan, and the freeze on fuel efficiency standards. This seems …
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CONTINUE READINGSeven Bright Spots of 2018
Even in bad times, some things move in the right direction.
Yes, it was a grim year in many ways. But there actually were some bright spots. Here are just the high points, but if you want more detail, I’ve added links to relevant earlier blog posts at the end of this post on the website. Scott Pruitt. Pruitt resigned under fire. While his successor may …
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CONTINUE READINGEveryday Christmas: The Gift of the Commons
Clean air. Clean water. We receive these public goods every day without payment.
Every day, we reach receive bountiful gifts in the form of what economists call public goods. I thought it might be worth reposting some Christmas Eve musings on that subject. After all, the holiday season is a time for watching the same old movies and hearing the same old carols as before, so why shouldn’t …
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CONTINUE READINGLooking Back at the 2018 Elections (Governors Races & California House Seats).
Both sets of elections went well for pro-environmental candidates.
Before the election, I did blog posts on some key governors’ races and California House races. How did those come out? As it turns out, pro-environmental Democrats swept these races, many of which had been rated as toss-ups and some of which did turn out to be very close. I picked these GOP-held seats because …
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CONTINUE READINGA Legal Planet Milestone
The blog has now had more than two million views since its founding.
I’m pleased to announce that the number of hits on Legal-Planet.org has just passed the one million mark. Before we switched to the new site in 2013, we had amassed over a million hits at our previous site, so the blog is now past the two-million mark since the blog was founded in March 2009.. That …
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CONTINUE READINGClimate Change and Public Opinion
Public views of climate change are shifting, even among Republicans. But there’s a lot of confusion left about the causes and remedies for climate change. What do we know about the state of public opinion? And what should we do next? Is climate change happening? A recent poll by Monmouth University shows a significant shift in …
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