Energy Archives - Page 8 of 19

Energy

Biden’s Dilemma: Limiting Carbon from Existing Power Plants

It’s not that the policy choices are that hard. It’s the 6-3 Supreme Court.

Coal- and gas-fired power plants are a major source of U.S. carbon emissions. The Obama Administration devised a perfectly sensible, moderate policy to cut those emissions. The Trump Administration replaced it with a ridiculous token policy. The D.C. Circuit appeals court tossed that out. Now what? It wouldn’t be hard to redo the Obama policy …

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If Liberals Were the Ones Who Favored Fossil Fuels. . .

Here’s what the conservative response might look like.

Conservatives often come to the defense of fossil fuels and disdain renewable energy. Is that really consistent with their principles? Let’s imagine what conservatives might say if the table were turned, Suppose liberals proposed government support for fossil fuels. The conservative response might look something like this: Another Liberal Boondoggle Now they want to prop …

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Institutional Capacity Building for the Energy Transition

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

The COVID pandemic has provided a vivid picture of what happens when ill-prepared governments are suddenly hit with huge responsibilities. Underfunded state and local public health agencies were overwhelmed, while governors and local officials found themselves struggling to obtain and distribute vital supplies, from respirators to vaccines. Efforts to accelerate the transition away from carbon, …

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How Much Should Texas Invest in Grid Resilience?

The Texas blackouts provide a case study in how to think through resilience issues.

As we begin to think through the long-term response to the Texas blackout, there’s a lot we don’t yet know. The ultimate issues are how much resilience we need against events like this and how we should obtain it. It’s helpful to lay out the kinds of questions we need to be asking as we …

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The Big Chill

What went wrong in Texas and what can we learn from it?

The rolling blackouts in Texas were national news. Texas calls itself the energy capital of the United States, yet it couldn’t keep the lights on. Conservatives were quick to blame reliance on wind power, just as they did last summer when California faced power interruptions due to a heat wave. What really happened? It’s true …

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Expertise versus Politics Under Biden

Experts will no longer be pariahs under Biden. But will their voices be heard?

One of the abiding issues in governance is the balance between democratic leadership and experts. We don’t want government solely by technocrats. Nor do we want government steered solely by ideology and politics, as under Trump. Biden will be a vast improvement, but there’s still some question about whether he’ll get the balance right. I …

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Three of Yesterday’s Stories of Climate Progress

There was Biden’s Executive Order, of course. And two other things. Or maybe three.

Yesterday, I read three encouraging stories about the U.S. and climate change. One was about action by the federal government, one about action by the states, and one about action by the private sector. The biggest news was from the federal government, in the form of Biden’s Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at …

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A Big Win for Climate Regulation

The DC Circuit overturns Trump’s effort to hamstring regulation of carbon from power plants.

The D.C. Circuit issued an opinion today knocking out Trump’s Affordable Clean Energy rule. The Trump rule was a rollback of Obama’s keystone climate initiative, the Clean Power Plan. The majority opinion plus dissent take up 185 pages, and I won’t try to describe it all here. Briefly, here’s what the appeals court ruled and …

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Renewable Energy in the Southwest

Despite Trump, the needle has kept moving in the right direction.

The sun is intense in the desert Southwest. During the Trump years, the federal government has hard worked to promote fossil fuels. Trump also has been no friend of renewable energy. This has not stopped progress toward a cleaner energy mix in Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. Arizona Arizona’s current power mix is about …

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What’s At Stake

Here’s a quick crib sheet on the climate change and the election

Here’s a quick reminder about the environmental stakes in the election. I’ve tried to stick with the facts here — you’re free to decide which way the cut. ISSUE TRUMP BIDEN Problem of climate change ” I don’t know that it’s man-made… I don’t wanna give trillions and trillions of dollars.” Biden “has long appreciated …

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Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

The Trump Administration Is Trying an End Run Around Revoking California’s Car and Truck Rules

Zeldin’s actions face a major problem: the Congressional Review Act doesn’t apply to California waivers.

Congress Lacks Authority to Review California’s Car Waiver

It’s a complicated issue but the answer is clear: the Congressional Review Act does not apply.

Trump’s Seven Most Anti-Environmental Moves — and How to Push Back

There were dozens of actions, all harmful to the environment. These are the worst of the worst.

The California Car Waiver and the Congressional Review Act

Trump has found a possible way to end run California’s legal arguments for the waiver. But there’s no reason to give up.

Tracking the Trump Administration

Rollbacks of Climate, Energy, and Environmental Policies and Investments

What is Life Like Inside Trump’s EPA?

Three EPA employees talk about DOGE, work anxiety, regulatory rollbacks, and the impact on protecting health and the environment.

Why Isn’t Hydrofluoric Acid Banned at Oil Refineries?

The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance and Rep. Maxine Waters have renewed calls to ban hydrofluoric acid at SoCal refineries. Here’s why and how that could work.

Energy

It’s not that the policy choices are that hard. It’s the 6-3 Supreme Court.

Here’s what the conservative response might look like.

State agencies will need help to deal with a fast-changing energy system.

The Texas blackouts provide a case study in how to think through resilience issues.

What went wrong in Texas and what can we learn from it?

Experts will no longer be pariahs under Biden. But will their voices be heard?

There was Biden’s Executive Order, of course. And two other things. Or maybe three.

The DC Circuit overturns Trump’s effort to hamstring regulation of carbon from power plants.

Despite Trump, the needle has kept moving in the right direction.

Here’s a quick crib sheet on the climate change and the election

Join Our Mailing List

Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.

TRENDING

The Current Overheated Housing Market in Los Angeles Demonstrates That Market-Rate Housing Can Reduce Rents

Three EPA employees talk about DOGE, work anxiety, regulatory rollbacks, and the impact on protecting health and the environment.

The acclaimed science fiction author says at a UCLA talk that Trump’s attack on science is “a murder suicide” that won’t work because “you cannot kill the future.”

New CLEE report explores the risks of federal preemption.

Congress was aware that there could be a backlash against environmental standards. It took precautions.

Just as a past dictator rejected modern genetics, Trump rejects climate science. For both, evidence was no match for ideology and ego.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has launched a full-scale attack on climate, air and water pollution.

Thousands of people rallied at more than 100 Stand Up for Science events from Missouri to France. Where will the movement go from here?

The Supreme Court struck down Obama’s powerplant regulation. but it didn’t endorse Trump’s first try either.

The political economy implications of how EV tax credits are distributed

Zeldin’s actions face a major problem: the Congressional Review Act doesn’t apply to California waivers.

It’s a complicated issue but the answer is clear: the Congressional Review Act does not apply.

There were dozens of actions, all harmful to the environment. These are the worst of the worst.

Trump has found a possible way to end run California’s legal arguments for the waiver. But there’s no reason to give up.

Rollbacks of Climate, Energy, and Environmental Policies and Investments

Three EPA employees talk about DOGE, work anxiety, regulatory rollbacks, and the impact on protecting health and the environment.

The Torrance Refinery Action Alliance and Rep. Maxine Waters have renewed calls to ban hydrofluoric acid at SoCal refineries. Here’s why and how that could work.

Don’t let the headlines deceive you. It’s not just the Supreme Court that shapes environmental law.

Private recycling subscription services are helping my family divert our waste, though I wish we didn’t need them.

Analysis of causation under NEPA should be driven by the statute’s purpose of informed decisionmaking.