Inflation Reduction Act
Government by Reconciliation
The reconciliation process avoids the risk of a Senate filibuster. But it comes wth procedural and political complications.
The GOP’s efforts to accomplish a big agenda through the reconciliation process will face serious complications. The Byrd rule limits the use of reconciliation to achieve non-budgetary purposes. A razor-thin House majority and factional warfare will make it hard to reach deals, as will Trump’s (& Musk;s) distaste for compromise.
CONTINUE READING2024: Ending on a Dark Note
It was a pretty good year for the environment – until November 5, that is.
2024 ended on a grim note for anyone who cares about the environment. Donald Trump is once again in the White House. His record in the first term made him in the most anti-environmental President in history. The story of the next four years will be a struggle to limit his damage while doing as much as we can to continue progress at the state level and in the private sector.
CONTINUE READINGTrump & Environmental Policy: The Sequel, Part II
Expect a lot of the same, but there could be some new twists.
Trump’s basic thrust is to eliminate environmental protection, just as he tried to do in his first term. But there are some new factors — new faces like Kennedy and Musk, and new developments like the massive investments sparked by Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. Both Trump and the resistance will be better organized. In one way, you could think of this as a fascinating social experiment — but one with potentially devastating consequences for public health, climate change, and the future of the planet.
CONTINUE READINGYes, Virginia, There ARE Federal Climate Laws.
Contrary to myth, Congress has actually passed laws relating directly to climate change.
It’s a common misconception that Congress has never passed any climate change legislation. But Congresshas passed at least laws regulating two powerful greenhouse gases, as well as a series of other laws stretching back almost forty years. The story begins under President Nixon and extends into the Biden years with the multi-billion dollar Inflation Reduction Act.
CONTINUE READINGWhat does the election mean for the EV transition?
Slower, less certain, and less equitable–with a new focus on local leadership
The election of Donald Trump and a Republican Congress poses a direct threat to environmental protection and climate policy across the board, including destructive agency heads, reduced clean energy funding, abandoned international agreements, and more federal judges openly hostile to science-based regulation in service of public and environmental health. It’s a bleak outlook from any …
Continue reading “What does the election mean for the EV transition?”
CONTINUE READINGA To-Do List For Biden
The clock is ticking, but there’s still time for a few important last things.
Biden has a little over two months left in office. There are some important things he can do in the meantime to protect the environment from the next administration. Here are a few of the most important efforts.
CONTINUE READINGTrump Can’t Stop the Clean Energy Transformation
The global transformation to an economy fueled by clean energy can’t be stopped. Trump could slow down U.S. progress though.
Here’s an uncontroversial proposition: if Donald Trump wins the election (a horrific thought), we will make less progress in attacking climate change than if Kamala Harris wins. His most recent remarks on climate were appalling: “They say global warming, they used to call it global warming but now they call it climate change. You know …
Continue reading “Trump Can’t Stop the Clean Energy Transformation”
CONTINUE READINGCarrots Are More Durable Than Sticks
Laws like the Inflation Reduction Act may have more sticking power than regulations.
it’s hard to repeal subsidies and tax credits. We’re seeing that right now in Congress. There’s been a lot of talk by Trump and others of blowing away the IRA. But many billions of dollars of IRA investments are being made in Republican congressional districts. And this has had an effect. Subsidies won’t solve the climate crisis on their own, but they provide a solid economic and political foundation for climate policies of all kinds.
CONTINUE READINGEvolving Energy Positions, 2016-2024
The national debate over climate and energy has shifted since Trump’s first run in 2016.
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.
CONTINUE READINGChina, Climate, and Clean Energy
China seems to have leap-frogged the U.S. on clean energy. We need to catch up.
In 2023, China accounted for about 60% of the world’s additions of solar and wind power, and of electric vehicles. The U.S. will need to make a major effort to catch up. Otherwise, we risk being shut out of important global markets and giving China an opening to influence developing countries.
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