New journal issue on using the Clean Air Act to address greenhouse gas emissions
UCLA's Journal of Environmental Law and Policy has just published its current issue, Volume 30, with all its content available free online in pdf format. This volume is a special symposium issue, featuring articles relating to the use of the Clean Air Act to address greenhouse gas emissions. Several of the articles' authors were speakers at our 2011 environmental law conference, Perspectives on Climate Change, Pollution, and the Clean Air Act. The content includes a...
CONTINUE READINGNew legislative effort underway to develop public access to the L.A. River
Earlier this year, California State Senator Kevin De Leon introduced SB 1201, a bill that could bolster efforts to open up the Los Angeles River for lawful recreational uses such as boating. I have a particular interest in this, since UCLA's Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic worked with the advocacy group Friends of the Los Angeles River and other advocates to develop the legislation. UCLA Law fellow (and co-blogger) Rhead Enion and I have worked on this effor...
CONTINUE READINGThe World’s Most Interesting Environmental Lawyer
You've heard the ads. But what about the world's most interesting environmental lawyer? He met his Kyoto commitments -- in 2003. His air basin is an extreme ATTAINMENT area. Justice Scalia decides based on his commitee reports. He has standing whenever he wants it. He never defers to the administrative agency. Any others? Stay thirsty, my friends.......
CONTINUE READINGNew Summary Report on California’s Law to Streamline Environmental Review of Infill Projects
As this blog has chronicled, California has undertaken some ambitious efforts to streamline environmental review for certain infill projects under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). One of the most recent and potentially far-reaching attempts, SB 226 (Simitian, 2011), creates an in-depth administrative process to define the standards for what constitutes a "good" infill project. Qualifying projects can then take advantage of prior, master-level environmen...
CONTINUE READINGA Side-by-Side Comparison of Romney and Obama on Energy and Environment
I've put together a table of language from the issues sections of the official campaign websites dealing with energy and environment. I decided to use the candidate's own language to avoid interposing my own views on the issues. Please keep in mind that the table uses their language, not mine. Not surprisingly, the candidates frame issues differently and choose to address some issues rather than others. For example, Obama has an "environment" heading, while Romney has h...
CONTINUE READINGThe Public Trust Doctrine Revisited
The U.C. Davis Law Review has just published its annual, symposium issue, this year devoted to the Public Trust Doctrine. Back in 1980, the U.C. Davis Law School sponsored a first-ever conference focusing on the public trust doctrine's role in modern environmental law. A year later, the U.C. Davis Law Review published a symposium volume dedicated to the public trust doctrine, memorializing much of the scholarship first presented at the 1980 conference. That volum...
CONTINUE READINGThe Challenge of Coal Exports
This article highlights a paradox. Oregon is an environmentalist state whose residents seek to live a low carbon lifestyle. Apparently, there is a lot of coal under Oregon and this state may become a major exporter of such high carbon fuel to Asia. Given its location, it may become one of the leading ports as other U.S states seek to ship their coal to Asia. This is the geography of "leakage". Here is quote from the article: "Just outside Boardman, on a pl...
CONTINUE READINGCoal, China, and Pollution
Air pollution in China is a global problem, because of climate change, and a California problem, because pollutants from China reach the U.S. West Coast. An article in the current issue of Nature has good news and bad news about coal and pollution in China. The good news is increased pollution control. The authors estimate that "new equipment reduced SO2 emissions from China's power plants by 1.5 million tonnes in 2005 and by 17.5 million tonnes in 2010 — 54% of...
CONTINUE READINGGreen Industry Growth
Here's a list of the fastest growing industries from the Washington Post: 1. Generic pharmaceuticals 2. Solar panel manufacturing 3. For-profit universities 4. Pilates and yoga studios 5. Self-tanning product manufacturing 6. 3-D printer manufacturing 7. Social network game development 8. Hot sauce production 9. Green and sustainable building construction 10. Online eyeglasses sales. I'm cheered by the growth of the hot sauce industry, having grown up in an era ...
CONTINUE READINGFollow the Sun: Mexico On Target to Pass National Climate Change Law
With Friday's lower chamber passage of a new national climate change law, Mexico is poised to become a pioneer in climate change policy, proving the United States and the rest of the world that environmental protection and economic growth are both critical and achievable goals. On April 13, Mexico's 500-member Chamber of Deputies passed the "General Law on Climate Change" by an overwhelming 128-10 vote. Mexico's Senate - which passed a preliminary version of this le...
CONTINUE READING