The Truth About EPA’s Regulation of Coal
EPA has been accused of killing the coal industry by insanely over-regulating coal-fired power plants and factories. The facts are different. The Congressional Research Service is a reliable, non-partisan source of information. Here is what CRS says about the impact of the EPA rules: The primary impacts of many of the rules will largely be on coal-fired plants more than 40 years old that have not, until now, installed state-of-the-art pollution controls. Many of these...
CONTINUE READINGIs It Bad Politics To Talk About the Environment?
In response to my post expressing disappointment about the treatment of environmental issues in last night's debate, Dan posted this comment: I agree that the lack of discussion of the environment was disappointing. But we have to remember that the debaters were primarily aiming their remarks at a small segment of the U.S. public whose votes are up for grabs in about nine states. This is a very small segment of the population. I guess we can deduce that this small group ...
CONTINUE READINGWhy Can’t the Presidential Candidates Even Acknowledge Environmental Harms?
I'm an Obama supporter. That's probably no surprise. And I thought he bested Romney in last night's debate and not just by a little. But I found myself pretty disheartened by two separate exchanges about energy last night. Here's the first: ROMNEY: But that’s not what you’ve done in the last four years. That’s the problem. In the last four years, you cut permits and licenses on federal land and federal waters in half. OBAMA: Not true, Governor Romney. ROMNE...
CONTINUE READING“I Will Fight for Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas”
That's what Mitt Romney said tonight. Yes, this is the same man who also said, just a month ago, that he believes that humans are contributing to climate change. But his heart belongs to fossil fuels. According to Mr. Romney, maximal use of fossil fuels is also the key to economic recovery. Romney even seems more attached to fossil fuels than to tax cuts, which he's hedging about. George Bush was a Texan, with ties to the oil industry, so his views didn't seem so in...
CONTINUE READINGPACE Court Ruling Now Final: So What’s the Future of PACE?
Federal Judge Claudia Wilken, who has been presiding over the West Coast lawsuit to overturn federal housing policy and restore residential PACE energy financing programs, made her August ruling final today. As you may recall, Judge Wilken ruled in August that the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) would have to pursue a notice-and-comment rulemaking on its policy to stop underwriting residential mortgages with PACE liens. Judge Wilken let the current FHFA policy ...
CONTINUE READING“No Regrets” Isn’t a Real Climate Policy
Mitt Romney has called for a no-regrets climate policy: "I believe we should pursue what I call a ‘No Regrets’ policy — steps that will lead to lower emissions, but that will benefit America regardless of whether the risks of global warming materialize and regardless of whether other nations take effective action." This sounds good. But it really means doing the same things we would have done anyway, without giving any weight to the risk of climate change. If pol...
CONTINUE READINGPreviewing This Week’s Constitutional Battle Over California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
On Tuesday morning, October 16th, attorneys will gather at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit's majestic courthouse in downtown San Francisco to argue one of the nation's most important, currently-pending environmental cases. The case is Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Goldstene, and the issue is the constitutionality of California's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS, in turn, is one key component of California's multifaceted strategy to reduce t...
CONTINUE READINGKey Senate Races, Energy Policy and the Environment
In a series of posts, I've surveyed the key Senate races -- meaning those that don't seem to be "locks" for either candidate. These races will probably determine control of the Senate. The candidates differ greatly in their positions on the environment and on energy policy. Here is a quick summary of what is at stake on those issues in each of these seven key elections: State Democratic Candidate Republican Candidate Comments Connecticut Chris Murphy. Murphy has...
CONTINUE READINGSo Much for THAT Excuse: China Starts a Cap-and-Trade Program
If there is a somewhat credible reason for the United States not to embark on climate legislation, it is that other major emitters -- particularly China -- are not doing the same. I don't buy it, because China is a much poorer country than the United States is and because the West has received the lion's share of the benefits of the industrialization that has caused climate change in the first place. But in any event, that dog's hunting days are over: China’s firs...
CONTINUE READINGBob Schieffer Fails the American Public
Bob Schieffer of CBS News will moderate the final Presidential debate, which is supposed to focus on foreign policy and global issues. The Commission on Presidential Debates recently announced Schieffer's topic list: * America’s role in the world * Our longest war – Afghanistan and Pakistan * Red Lines – Israel and Iran * The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – I * The Changing Middle East and the New Face of Terrorism – II * The Rise...
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
