Does Upzoning Reduce Housing Prices?
A recent careful study says no, but it suffers from unavoidable data and conceptual problems.
A new study on upzoning is out from the highly-respected Urban Institute, and it doesn’t have great news for YIMBYs: We find that reforms that loosen restrictions are associated with a statistically significant 0.8 percent increase in housing supply within three to nine years of reform passage, accounting for new and existing stock. This increase occurs predominantly for units at the higher end of the rent price distribution; we find no statistically significant evide...
CONTINUE READING2150 and Beyond
Climate change’s long term effects on the planet will be profound.
Most climate change projections end at the end of this century. When the IPCC issued its first report, however, 2100 was 110 years in the future. Looking that far ahead right now would bring us closer to 2150 than to 2100. We’re only beginning to get a sense of the impacts of climate change that far ahead. What happens if we get to net zero? Basically, the temperature will tend to stick at the same level for a long time. Some of the CO2 will get slowly absorbe...
CONTINUE READINGFighting Back Against Lawless Judges: What Does The Case Law Actually Say?
Current standards for declaratory judgments could allow the Biden administration to pre-empt.
Three weeks ago, I argued that the Biden Administration should use the declaratory judgment as a way of pre-empting lawless judges like Matthew J. Kacsmaryk and Reed O'Connor, both of (of course) Texas. I fleshed out the idea in a recent piece for The American Prospect. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse, as O'Connor just struck down the administration's regulations on preventive care under the Affordable Care Act, threatening millions with the loss of ...
CONTINUE READINGCan the New Climate Laws Transform our Transportation Infrastructure?
The IIJA and IRA will spend a lot of money on transportation—but whether they’ll create fundamental change in our infrastructure or continue business as usual will depend on how that money is used.
This is the last in our series of posts previewing the Emmett Institute’s 2023 Symposium, coming up on April 12. Check out the first post, introducing some of the big questions around the IIJA and IRA, the second post, on transmission infrastructure, and RSVP for the Symposium here! Transportation is one of the most complicated and urgent areas of the clean-energy transition. The sector—including personal transportation like passenger cars, as well as air, mar...
CONTINUE READINGU.S. Climate Law: A Broad & Rapidly Growing Field
There’s a lot of law relating to climate change. A lot!
In preparing to teach a course on climate law, I was really struck by how broad and rich the field has become. Back in the day, it was nearly all international law, but nowadays there’s a huge amount of U.S. domestic law. Most people, even those who work on the field, tend to focus on just a few elements. Cinnamon Carlarne and I have written a book that tries to give an overview of the whole subject, including U.S. and international law. I can’t do that in the confi...
CONTINUE READINGCan Sunshine Lower Sky-high Gas Prices?
Gov. Newsom and lawmakers think transparency can lower gas prices at the pump. What about transparency for the price of natural gas?
Calls are growing for more transparency in California’s energy markets. Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed his bill shining a light on gas prices at the pump. But when it comes to the recent surge in natural gas prices that jolted electricity and gas bills this winter, the next step is murkier. Regulators at the California Public Utilities Commission say they have opened an investigation. And Gov. Newsom has formally requested the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission do...
CONTINUE READINGThe Social Cost of George W. Bush
Bush promised climate action but reversed himself. The result: billions of dollars in global harm.
When Bush ran for President in 2000, he endorsed mandatory limits on CO2 emissions. Within three months of taking office, he reversed himself to the dismay of some members of his own administration. The upshot was that the US resisted any effort to address climate change and embraced a “drill baby drill” energy policy. You can blame Bush. Or if you prefer, you can blame the nefarious influence of Dick Cheney or perhaps the five Justices who put Bush in the White ...
CONTINUE READINGThe Texas Paradox
Texas is firmly in the grip of conservative Republicans. So what’s the deal with renewables?
I sometimes ask students to guess what state produces the most wind power. They’re always shocked to find out the right answer: Texas. Republicans have an iron grip on Texas government. And not just that, but Texas is by far the biggest producer of oil, with a governor who has pledged to protect the industry from climate regulation at all cost. Which seems a little hard to square with the state’s reliance on renewable energy. It’s not as if the state’s exten...
CONTINUE READINGAchieving EV Battery Sustainability
CLEE issue brief looks back on 2022 EV battery supply chain milestones and forecasts 2023 decisions
Countries in key markets are accelerating their transportation decarbonization goals, which in turn is driving up demand for electric vehicles (EVs). Here in California, for example, the Air Resources Board approved the Advanced Clean Cars II rule in 2022, which establishes that all new passenger vehicles sold in the state must be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. California is not alone in its ambitions for an electrified future, and that future is not just for cars—oth...
CONTINUE READINGHow Can We Build Transmission Infrastructure Responsibly?
The IIJA and IRA offer a chance to speed up electricity-transmission development, but can it be done fairly?
This is the second of a series of posts previewing the Emmett Institute’s 2023 Symposium, coming up on April 12. Check out the first post, introducing some of the big questions around the IIJA and IRA, and the third post, on transportation infrastructure; and RSVP for the Symposium here! The clean-energy transition that is one focus of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will require big changes in our electric...
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
