Tim Kaine and the Environment
Despite some blemishes, he deserves strong support from environmentalists.
I reported last week on Mike Pence’s environmental record. This week, Tim Kaine is the one in the spotlight. Only a few minutes ago, Clinton announced that he was her choice – pretty much what the press had predicted for the last day or two. Environmentalists have a lot of reason to be happy about this choice, and a few to be cautious. Kaine has a strong environmental record, with a 91% lifetime rating by the League of Conservation Voters. As Politico reports, “...
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Cap-and-Trade Program After 2020
ARB publishes draft climate regulations that would extend the program
Against a backdrop of complex Sacramento politics on the future of California's climate regulation, the state's Air Resources Board last week issued an initial draft of regulations that would, among other things, extend the cap-and-trade program beyond 2020. Does ARB currently have the authority to do that? Yes, probably. But it's complicated enough to leave room for disagreement. Here's one version of the pro-authority argument. As I have noted before,...
CONTINUE READINGRepublicans & Climate Change — It’s Not About the Facts
Giving Republicans more facts just makes them more hostile.
There's been a lot of work on how to more effectively communicate about climate change with skeptical audiences. A new study indicates that such efforts may actually backfire: simply hearing about the evidence, regardless of how the issue is framed, makes Republicans even more opposed. The researcher suggests instead that we focus on persuading Independents and the minority of Democrats who are unconvinced of the urgency of climate change. That seems like shrewd a...
CONTINUE READINGPence’s Environmental Record
Pence is strongly anti-environmental -- but there's one notable recent deviation.
In some ways, Mike Pence is just what you'd expect of the GOP vice-presidential candidate. He's said that the climate change is a myth, opposed the Clean Power Plan,defended fossil fuels, and allowed a bill to end Indiana's energy efficiency program to become law. In Congress, he voted to allow destruction of critical habitat for endangered species, expand offshore drilling, and so forth. As I said, just what you'd expect. But there's at least one deviation fro...
CONTINUE READINGDo water managers’ perceptions influence innovation?
New survey probes the innovation deficit
Climate change and population growth are rapidly increasing stress on our water systems, challenging their ability to deliver critical services. To respond to this, we need more than simple course adjustments in how we manage our water – we need entirely new paradigms that will improve resource efficiency and support more sustainable urban water systems. Considerable work is being done to develop new visions for sustainable water infrastructure. Actualizing the...
CONTINUE READINGBrexit Claims Its First Victim: The Environment
The new British government is turning sharply against environmental protection.
The Brexit vote elevated Theresa May to the Prime Minister's office. One of her first steps has been an attack on environmental protection. In what the Guardian called the "most radical shakeup in the shape of Whitehall for years." She abolished the Department for Energy and Climate Change and moved its functions into the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Did you notice that the word "climate" disappeared along the way? That's just as ...
CONTINUE READINGThe Slow Pace of Rulemaking
Rulemakings take a long time. We don't really know what causes the delays.
A recent study by Public Citizen reports that it takes about 2.5 years to issue an economically significant rule, starting from the time the rule is first listed in the regulatory agenda. There are major differences between agencies – an economically significant rule takes EPA almost four years, rather than the 2.5 years needed by the average agency. But if the rule is accompanied by an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR), the average time is over four year...
CONTINUE READINGRed, white, blue and smog
Fireworks leave behind a lot of pollutants
As a kid on the South Side of Chicago, summertime meant seeing White Sox games at Comiskey Park (technically now called U.S. Cellular Park, but I will never call it that). If the Sox won, there were fireworks. And on Saturdays, there were fireworks even if they didn't. I have a distinct memory of asking my parents if the fireworks polluted the air, seeing the clouds of smoke floating above us afterward. They assured me that there weren't enough fireworks to have any ...
CONTINUE READINGCitations for environmental and energy law professors
The most-cited environmental and energy law professors in 2010-2014
Brian Leiter at Chicago is doing one of his occasional series identifying the top cited legal scholars in a range of substantive areas. One list he has done covers administrative and environmental scholars – however, his list includes a number of top administrative law scholars who do not focus on environmental and energy law. I thought it might be helpful to our readers to have a list that is focused on scholars who work substantially or primarily on environmental...
CONTINUE READINGMajor Settlement Announced in Volkswagen Emissions Fraud Litigation
$14.7 Billion Civil Enforcement Settlement is a Victory for Consumers, Environmental Prosecutors
Federal and state environmental prosecutors today announced a proposed settlement of government civil enforcement litigation they've pursued against Volkswagen in response to the automaker's acknowledged efforts to cheat federal and state auto emission standards and defraud consumers. The complex settlement, lodged with the assigned U.S. district court judge in San Francisco, requires Volkswagen to pay government regulators and consumers approximately $14.7 billion. ...
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