Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Wins Big in Ninth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals Rejects Challenge to TRPA's Regional Plan
This week the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) won a major legal victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. A unanimous three-judge panel of that court rejected environmentalists' challenge to TRPA's adopted Regional Plan for the Lake Tahoe Basin in Sierra Club v. Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. The Ninth Circuit decision effectively concludes a decade-long process by which TRPA formulated, held multiple hearings on, and ultimately ado...
CONTINUE READINGStill Undecided? Here’s What You Need to Know
Trump says climate change is a hoax & favors more coal and oil. Clinton wants climate action.
The positions of the two candidates on climate change are polar opposites. Trump wants to undo all of Obama's effort to fight climate change and increase renewable energy. He views climate change as a hoax. In fact, just this past Tuesday, he vowed to abolish all U.S. climate programs. Clinton views climate change as a "defining challenge" of our times. She wants to preserve Obama's initiatives and go further. Here's a table summarizing the differences, followed by ...
CONTINUE READINGUC Berkeley & UCLA Law Launch New Climate Policy Website
Register for a webinar on the new site's features on Wednesday at 2pm, with a keynote by Mary Nichols
To meet the challenge of climate change, California and other governments will need to adopt a suite of policies affecting multiple sectors. Reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions will take reforms in energy, land use, transportation, and agriculture, to name just a few. Since 2009, UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law, with the generous support of Bank of America, have been developing policy recommendations for California and other jurisdictions to meet ambiti...
CONTINUE READINGLet’s Get America Moving Again
Make infrastructure a top priority for the new Congress
There’s actually one policy that Clinton and Trump agree on: the need for a massive investment in infrastructure. However the election comes out, that should be a top legislative priority, combining economic, safety, and environmental benefits – and political benefits for the next President because of its popularity. It would help get the country moving on many dimensions, economic and environmental – and even literally in the sense of speeding up transportation. ...
CONTINUE READINGMy Environmental Law Wish List For A California Legislative Super-Majority
Tuesday could give Democrats enough seats to make a major impact on environmental policies
The presidential election next week is making most of the news these days, but while the rest of the country flirts with electing Donald Trump as the next president, California is going its own progressive way. The Republican Party has been all but completely marginalized in this state, for a variety of demographic reasons and self-inflicted wounds. The state legislature briefly had a two-thirds supermajority of Democrats in both houses back in 2012. But scandals eras...
CONTINUE READINGBattle for the Governor’s Mansion in the Granite State
Determining the Future of State Environmental Policy
Governors’ races don’t get as much publicity as the national contests. But we live in a federalist system, and states help shape environmental and energy policy. They can cooperate with and even go beyond federal policy, or they can drag their feet and litigate every federal initiative. This time around, there are three races that are considered very close: Indiana, North Carolina and New Hampshire. This is the last of a trio of posts covering those elections. ...
CONTINUE READINGObama’s Remarkable Environmental Achievements
When you look at the whole of his legacy, it's a stunning record.
When he leaves office in January, President Obama will have compiled a remarkable record of environmental achievements. The record spans everything from climate change to endangered species and ocean protection. We can only hope that next Tuesday’s election doesn’t undo many of these gains. Here is a list, in no particular order, of twenty of Obama’s notable achievements: Jumpstarting the green economy. The stimulus provided $90 billion dollars for a bevy ...
CONTINUE READINGBattle for the Governorship: North Carolina
A tight race between a deregulatory incumbent and a pro-environmental challenger.
Governors’ races don’t get as much publicity as the national contests. But we live in a federalist system, and states help shape environmental and energy policy. They can cooperate with and even go beyond federal policy, or they can drag their feet and litigate against every federal initiative. This time around, there are three races that are considered very close: Indiana, North Carolina and New Hampshire. This is the second of a trio of posts covering those el...
CONTINUE READINGConfronting the “Emissions Gap”
Long-term thinking and short-term deficiencies in climate change mitigation
With the Paris Agreement now ratified by 86 countries, and entering into force this Friday, countries have defined their first targets—the first round of nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The United States has pledged to reduce GHG emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. This initial round of NDCs is significant, but represents only a short timeframe and a first step. Since the 2009 Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen, the UNFCCC has reaffirmed a...
CONTINUE READINGThe Environment and the Conservative Dilemma
Trump may shake up GOP's anti-environmental coalition.
However this election comes out, conservatives face a major problem. As the ascendancy of Donald Trump shows, a substantial share of the GOP base – probably a majority -- doesn’t care much about core conservative principles. Notably, Trump’s strongest allies, Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie, do not have histories as staunch conservatives. This situation leaves the Paul Ryan part of the GOP, and the conservative intelligentsia, in a quandary. Many Republican vot...
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