Climate Change
Obama, Offshore Drilling, and Aikido
Concerning Obama’s new offshore drilling policv, it’s hard to disagree with the sentiment expressed by Matt Yglesias, Steve Benen, and Kevin Drum: why give a concession without getting anything in return? House Minority Leader John Boehner responded with a typically reality- and lithium-deprived statement. saying that “the Obama Administration continues to defy the will of …
Continue reading “Obama, Offshore Drilling, and Aikido”
CONTINUE READINGTo Save the Planet…Drill of For Oil?
In his State of the Union address this past January, President Obama found a way to equate greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy jobs with an increase in offshore drilling. If he were to agree to more offshore leases, perhaps reticent members of Congress would support the kind of energy legislation needed to address climate …
Continue reading “To Save the Planet…Drill of For Oil?”
CONTINUE READINGGiving the Coal Industry the Byrd
Senator Byrd (D-W. Va.) has long by a mainstay of the coal industry. Actually, you could add the phrase “has long been” to almost any sentence about Byrd — he’s been around for a heck of a long time. After all, he’s served longer than any member of Congress in history. You might expect him …
Continue reading “Giving the Coal Industry the Byrd”
CONTINUE READINGBig Three backs CAA regulation, cars deal
An interesting development: Yesterday, the industry group for major car manufacturers sent a letter to Congressional leaders opposing Sen. Murkowski’s legislative efforts (discussed by Holly here) to un-do EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding. The Murkowski resolution, as many have pointed out, would have the result of undoing the federally brokered cars deal set to impose Clean Air …
Continue reading “Big Three backs CAA regulation, cars deal”
CONTINUE READINGU.S. Chamber of Commerce adopts “grassroots” organizing tactic, redoubles attacks on climate science and law
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – a significant and strident voice in opposition to anything that our government might possibly do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – is using its considerable financial resources to dramatically increase its constituent base through “grass-roots organizing,” and that its influence is …
CONTINUE READINGPink Flamingo: Carpetbagger or March Madness?
While Holly Doremus considers the State of the Birds, it might be fair to ask her why she spotted a Greater Flamingo, yesterday, in Northern California. The six Berkeley Law students and this blogger, who accompanied her on a paddle at the Elkhorn Slough and came upon this scene, want to know. Normally, the closest …
Continue reading “Pink Flamingo: Carpetbagger or March Madness?”
CONTINUE READINGNew bill in Congress by Rockefeller (S. 3072) would delay regulation of GHGs under the Clean Air Act
As Cara and I have already discussed in detail, the Environmental Protection Agency has committed to delay the rollout of regulation of stationary sources of greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act, and to regulate only the very largest sources. This backtracking from EPA has been a response to efforts by Senator Lisa Murkowski …
CONTINUE READINGTailoring the tailoring rule – we’re up to 75,000 tpy
Last week, Sean asked whether the EPA was backing off its plan to begin regulating stationary sources of greenhouse gas pollutants under the Clean Air Act. This week, we learn more about the answer (“yes”) and some details about how much it’s backing off (“lots”). Background: The CAA requires EPA to begin regulating greenhouse gases …
Continue reading “Tailoring the tailoring rule – we’re up to 75,000 tpy”
CONTINUE READINGThe Ironic History of Cap-and-Trade
The phrase “cap-and-trade” is relatively new, but the idea of marketable pollution allowances goes back several decades. Conventional pollution laws impose direct mandates on polluters, telling each polluter precisely what level of pollution control is required. For a variety of reasons, economists have always disapproved of this approach. They prefer pollution taxes (a/k/a effluent charges) …
Continue reading “The Ironic History of Cap-and-Trade”
CONTINUE READINGIs EPA backtracking on Clean Air Act greenhouse gas regulation?
UPDATE: Cara discusses in this post some further developments that make the EPA’s plans more concrete, and concludes that the EPA is backtracking significantly from its proposed rule by delaying the timetable and by regulating fewer facilities. **** Last fall, our Environmental Protection Agency appeared to be on the verge of moving very quickly to …
Continue reading “Is EPA backtracking on Clean Air Act greenhouse gas regulation?”
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
