A Good Day to Drop Big Oil
Major league sports teams like to talk about sustainability measures on Green Sports Day, which is Oct. 6. They should do something about their fossil fuel sponsors.
On Sunday, October 6, sports teams throughout the U.S. will participate in something called Green Sports Day, an annual event to promote sustainability in sports. Often, it’s a chance for a franchise to promote the recycling or energy conservation that goes on at its stadium. One thing these teams almost certainly will not be talking about—but should be—is the oil and gas companies that continue to buy influence with American audiences through a wide range...
CONTINUE READINGSB 1221 is Law. Time for Targeted Neighborhood Electrification.
This new California law will help build pilot programs for up to 30 neighborhood decarbonization zones to transition off gas.
Governor Newsom recently signed a bill (SB 1221) that lays the groundwork for a vital shift in California’s clean energy transition. The bill– by Senator Dave Min, with support from key decarbonization advocates–will create a pilot program at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to designate up to 30 “neighborhood decarbonization zone” projects. In these zones, utilities can work together with communities to transition from building gas service...
CONTINUE READINGA Data-Driven Case for Level 1 EV Charging in Multifamily Housing–and its Equity Implications
New data insights from a community choice aggregator elevate the role of Level 1 charging in an equitable (and rapid) EV transition
Discussions about Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2) electric vehicle charging generally posit a simple tradeoff: L2 (which requires a dedicated high-capacity electrical hookup) offers greater speed and convenience, while L1 (which can run on a standard 120V outlet) offers broader scale and affordability. L1’s benefits find particular traction in residential charging spaces–where drivers parking overnight may not need high-speed charging, and lower-power equipment can hel...
CONTINUE READINGMrs. Palsgraf, Meet Enviromental Law
A case involving a freakish accident with fireworks casts a big shadow in environmental law.
Today in my first-year Torts class, I teach the Palsgraf case, one of those cases that every lawyer knows by heart. More about Palsgraf in a moment. It’s a tort case, so it won’t surprise you that oil companies use similar arguments against having to pay damages for climate change. But it may be more surprising that the same doctrine pops up in NEPA and in the constitutional law of standing. Palsgraf one of the handful of cases that lawyers remember longer af...
CONTINUE READINGThe Walz-Vance Debate and Environmental Policy
After Hurricane Helene, Vance and Walz were pressed on climate change during the VP debate. Here’s everything they said on energy and the environment.
The subject of climate-fueled disasters figured prominently in the vice presidential debate. The CBS News moderators asked a question about climate change within the first few minutes, although the multi-faceted answers weren’t always factual and much of the post-debate discussion in newsrooms and spin room interviews centered on contentious yet civil exchanges on immigration and democracy. Moderator Norah O’Donnell first posed the climate question this way: �...
CONTINUE READINGClimate Politics and Policy in Nebraska
In a divided nation, could the Cornhusker State turn out to hold the balance of power?
When Nebraska’s in the national news, it's usually because of its football team or its most prominent resident, Warren Buffett. Lately, however, it’s been featured in the national political news due to Trump’s unsuccessful effort to get the state to abandon its practice of giving one electoral vote to each congressional district. In a tight presidential race, Omaha’s one electoral vote could really matter. And now it’s getting some attention because of a Senate...
CONTINUE READINGClimate Policy After the 2024 Election
In this UCLA Emmett Institute webinar, panelists discussed the climate implications of the 2024 election from the state, national, and international perspective.
https://youtu.be/sE7jxRUtu14?si=nrYSvS7EMu7rMLT0&t=51 Climate certainty. Legislative action. Whipsaw regulations. An exodus of civil servants. Chinese leadership despite being the world’s largest emitter. Those are a few of the possible outcomes of the Nov. 5 presidential election, according to our panelists. More than in any previous election, the two major candidates’ track records on environmental policies are well-established and diametrically opposed...
CONTINUE READINGEvolving Energy Positions, 2016-2024
The national debate over climate and energy has shifted since Trump’s first run in 2016.
Over the past three presidential elections, the battle lines over energy and climate policy have shifted. Coal, once a political flash point, has almost disappeared as an issue, with oil and gas production in unchallenged first place for Republicans. Clean energy subsidies, a side-issue in 2016, have now taken center stage, while EPA regulations get much less attention. The one thing that remains unchanged is the gulf between the parties. The Eclipse of Coal in Favo...
CONTINUE READINGGovernor Newsom Should Veto These Four Bills
Four seemingly modest bills — AB 1122, AB 1296, AB 637 and AB 3179 — are sneaky legislative efforts to threaten California’s world-leading clean transportation investments.
This post was co-authored by Ruben Aronin, Principal of the Better World Group. With just weeks to go before November 5, all eyes are on the election, including what it means for environmental policy. And yet, one of the largest threats to California’s clean transportation leadership in recent history has materialized right under our noses — and it’s coming from our own legislature. Our elected leaders understand that California’s transition to a clean en...
CONTINUE READINGThe Contract with America
Or, as some critics called it, “the Contract ON America.”
Tomorrow is the thirtieth anniversary of the Contract with America. On September 27, 1994, more than 300 Republican congressional candidates stood outside the Capitol to sign the Contract. In retrospect, this was an important step toward the divisive politics of the Trump era. The Contract was a list of promises about what Republicans would do if they won the House. A key plank tied deregulation and tax breaks for business to worker welfare. After they took control...
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