Looking Into USDOJ’s Lawsuit To Dismantle the California-Quebec Greenhouse Gas Cap-and-Trade Linkage Program
While DOJ Says It "Didn't Consult With The White House," There Are Clues the Case Is Politically-Motivated
My colleagues Ann Carlson and Cara Horowitz wrote last week about the Trump administration Department of Justice's lawsuit against the California Air Resources Board, the Western Climate Initiative, and various California-based officials of both, claiming California is unlawfully trying to engage in foreign policy through its greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program's linkage with Quebec. There appear to be some real legal issues in play, and I’ll leave that to others. But...
CONTINUE READINGIt’s Not Just GM
Let's name names: it's Hyundai, Nissan, Kia, Subaru, Toyota, and other big automakers too
In response to the news that some auto manufacturers are intervening on Trump's side in the litigation over the validity of California's car emissions standards, I've already seen calls for boycotts. Why give our money to car companies actively undermining clean air and climate protections? Especially when they chose a day when California is literally on fire to join the wrong side of the fight? Even those of us bleary-eyed from smoke can see through their smokescr...
CONTINUE READINGLet’s Get One Thing Straight
The waiver preemption lawsuit isn’t about one national fuel economy standard.
As Ann wrote yesterday, the Association of Global Automakers and the auto companies General Motors, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler have stated their intent to intervene in pending litigation challenging the Trump administration’s rule to preempt California’s Advanced Clean Cars program, and any future tailpipe greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards the state and others might seek to adopt. I want to focus in on one aspect of the messaging around the rule and intervent...
CONTINUE READINGDriving away gasoline for good
Senator Chuck Schumer's proposal is "Cash for Clunkers" again, at unprecedented scale
Last week, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer published an op-ed in the New York Times describing a new federal proposal for replacing all gasoline-powered vehicles in the U.S. with zero emission vehicles by 2040. This is a laudable goal and a great opportunity – comprehensive federal policy to replace all gasoline-powered vehicles with zero-emission vehicles could be a significant source of emissions reductions. But as I outline below, Schumer’s obstacl...
CONTINUE READINGGeneral Motors Can’t Have It Both Ways
Several media outlets are reporting that General Motors, Toyota, and Fiat Chrysler are intervening on the side of the Trump Administration in California's lawsuit challenging the federal government's yanking of the state's permission to issue its own tailpipe standards for greenhouse gases and to require zero emissions vehicles. (Cara described the lawsuit here. Julia and I provided background here and here.) A spokesman for the three automakers claims that they sti...
CONTINUE READINGThe Dirty Dozen Rides Again?
Climate Change and Political Consequences
April 22, 2020 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the first Earth Day in 1970. The 1962 publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, as well as the 1969 oil spill in Santa Barbara and the dismal air quality of Los Angeles, raised American environmental consciousness, but it was Earth Day that accelerated political engagement. Twenty million people participated in the first Earth Day, which was co-chaired by Senator Gaylord Nelson, a democrat, and Pete McCloskey, a repu...
CONTINUE READINGCan Soils Solve Climate Change?
Another dubious claim of natural climate solutions makes the rounds
A few months ago, I questioned a claim that planting trees could solve climate change. According to some scientists, reforestation “is by far the cheapest solution that has ever been proposed," and for $300 billion it could sequester 200 gigatons of carbon (GtC, or 733 GtCO2). Many media outlets swooned, but the assertions were weak if not incorrect. Indeed, just this week, Science -- the original outlet -- published four scathing critiques of the underlying scientific...
CONTINUE READINGA Dozen Strategies for the Struggle With Big Oil
Big Oil will fight against energy transformation. How do we fight back?
The oil industry is enormous – something like 2-3% of global GDP. Individuals firms like ExxonMobil earn tens of billions of dollars each quarter. Controlling climate change will mean drastic curtailment in the coming decades of the industry’s major products. There’s no way that the industry will accept this lying down, and it’s a formidable opponent. To be successful, we will need a combination of strategies, aside from the rightness of our cause. There’s no d...
CONTINUE READINGSpotlight on San Antonio
The role of transparency in municipal climate plans
Last week, San Antonio’s City Council approved its first-ever Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. This Plan’s main benefit is its ability to track and measure GHG emissions, while also signaling to City agencies, other municipalities, and the state that it is committed to climate mitigation and adaptation efforts. This is a big win for a city like San Antonio, where Valero holds its headquarters, Halliburton has somehow carved out its own zoning district in a large p...
CONTINUE READINGThe Risks of Promising the Improbable
Candidates' climate proposals are starkly unrealistic. That's a problem.
As I wrote in a post last Thursday, there's little prospect that anything like a Green New Deal could pass the Senate even assuming the filibuster is eliminated. In the best case scenario, Democrats would have a one or two vote margin in the Senate. That's a very slim margin for passing a trillion dollar program, especially since one of those Democratic Senators will be Joe Manchin from West Virginia. The election map will be better for Democrats in 2022, but even if t...
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