Renewable New England
The New England states include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, with a total population of 8 million. These states are all small in acreage but have larger populations than many western states – for instance, tiny Rhode Island has a larger population than the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, or Alaska. In terms of energy policy, probably the most important thing to know about all these states is that they belong to RGGI, the N...
CONTINUE READINGWildfires and the Cost of Electric Service
It turns out, electric transmission is not as cheap as we thought it was.
Economists detest externalities – those nasty hidden costs that businesses don’t face when they sell polluting or dangerous products and services, but that are instead imposed on the public or the environment. And economists are right to be concerned. A polluter that does not pay the cost for its pollution is likely to keep polluting. A company that does not bear the cost of things it does that endanger the public is likely to keep endangering. So what should we t...
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: Oil and Transportation in California
Post #4 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
[This is the fourth post in a series expressing my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. The introductory post provides an overview and some general context.] In 2015, Jerry Brown challenged the State to reduce oil usage in the transportation sector by 50% by 2030. Following extensive lobbying by oil companies, legislation to make that goal a legal requirement failed. Nonetheless, that reduction...
CONTINUE READINGSierra Club Opposes One Of The Most Important Climate Bills In California
Environmental group whiffs on proposed legislation to allow badly needed residential development near transit
Housing more Californians near transit and not in sprawl areas represents one of the most crucial ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Senate Bill 827 (Wiener) would help do just that, by preventing local governments from zoning people (and homes) out of these prime transit areas. So it was surprising to see an environmental organization like Sierra Club California come out against the bill (here is their opposition letter). Just how high are the environmental sta...
CONTINUE READINGInterior doubles down on contempt for government integrity
Newly appointed acting National Park Service chief improperly allowed removal of trees from NPS easement
We know that Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has little regard for government rules -- the Navy SEAL career he is so fond of touting was derailed because he misused government funds for personal travel; he has continued to flout travel regulations and restrictions on political activity by government employees in his present job; and just this month, taking a page out of his boss's playbook, he suddenly announced via Twitter that his department would exempt Florida f...
CONTINUE READINGThe Story Behind a Political Breakthrough
Congress passed a 2017 law recognizing climate change as a serious threat. How did THAT happen?
Last month, Congress passed and Trump signed a provision in the Defense Authorization Act that designates climate change a serious threat to national security. That was a historic first. I blogged about the bill last month, but it seemed worthwhile to investigate this surprising development further. Although there’s no direct evidence, there are strong indications of some quiet nudging from the Pentagon along the way. Surprisingly, some 46 House Republicans stood up on...
CONTINUE READINGWhen is unoccupied habitat “critical”?
The Supreme Court will hear a challenge to the critical habitat designation for the dusky gopher frog
Controversy and litigation have been pervasive since adoption of the Endangered Species Act in 1973, but the Supreme Court has been a relatively minor player in the law's development. By my count, the Court so far has only addressed the substantive merits of an ESA claim three times (in TVA v Hill, 437 US 153 (1978); Babbitt v Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon, 515 US 687 (1995), and National Association of Home Builders v Defenders of Wildlife, 551 US...
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Building Energy Efficiency Mandate
Post #3 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
[This is the third post in a series expressing my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. The introductory post provides an overview and some general context.] Energy usage associated with buildings is substantial. There are different ways to calculate it, but the California Energy Commissions estimates that buildings in California account for over 25% of the total GHG emissions, including both fossil f...
CONTINUE READINGGeorgia: A Peach of an Energy Policy
Georgia’s energy policy is much better than you’d expect from its Southern location and politics.
Georgia is a bit of a surprise. It is a leader in solar energy in a region that generally has not been very friendly to renewables. It currently ranks 9th nationally in total solar installations (and even more surprisingly, ranked 3rd in 2016 in newly added solar). What’s also surprising is that Georgia has done this with only a voluntary Renewable Portfolio Standard. Both houses of the state legislature have roughly 2-to-1 GOP margins. But despite the lack of a leg...
CONTINUE READINGTrump Administration Imposes Tariffs On Solar PV Imports
The expected blow for solar companies, consumers, and clean energy & climate advocates will likely bring a U.S. solar slowdown and prompt industry changes
Following up on a campaign promise to crack down on free trade policies, the Trump Administration today announced that they will be imposing tariffs on foreign solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The tariffs will start at 30 percent in the first year and then decline to 25 percent in year 2, 20 percent in year 3, and 15 percent in year 4. The move was largely expected. The case originated in May 2017 when two now-bankrupt U.S. solar companies filed for temporary relief fr...
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
