Keystone XL pipeline Archives

Keystone XL pipeline

Biden and the Environment: The First 100 Days

Biden has set up a lot of future actions. But he’s already got some notches on his belt.

Tomorrow marks Biden’s first 100 days in office. He’s appointed a great climate team and is negotiating an infrastructure bill that focuses on climate change. With luck, those actions will produce major environmental gains down the road. There are also some solid gains in the form of actions that have already come to fruition. Here’s …

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Dawn of a New Era

Trump’s relentless war on the environment has finally come to an end.

A new chapter began when Joe Biden took the oath of office. That moment also marked the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, which featured efforts to roll back over a hundred environmental regulations. Biden campaigned on an ambitious plan to curb climate change, which he must now try to implement with a razor-thin control of …

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Trump’s Contradictory Policies

Trump’s policies clash with each other remarkably often.

A certain amount of policy inconsistency is inevitable in any Administration. But the Trump Administration seems to be breaking all records. The Administration does have strong impulses. The trouble is that its goals keep colliding. Here are some examples. Favoring gas at the expense of coal. . . And vice versa. Trump wants to promote …

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Public Opinion and Energy Politics

Pew published some intriguing polling results on energy issues just before Christmas. Americans have clearly noticed falling prices at the gas pump, but only half realize that U.S. oil and gas production has soared. So far, the changes haven’t affected policy views: a large majority favors expanding use of alternative energy, but solid majorities continue …

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Does Keystone Matter?

A recent analysis suggests that the pipeline could result in production of a billion extra barrels between now and 2030.

Many people who have studied the issue tell me that the Keystone XL issue is mostly symbolic, because the Alberta oil sands are going to be used one way or another. But I’m having some second thoughts because of arguments made (here) by Berkeley economist Max Aufhammer. He’s a pretty hard-headed analyst, not given to …

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The Debt Ceiling and the Environment

The House GOP plans to require a rollback of environmental regulations as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. This would be a massive power-grab by the House at the expense of the President and the Senate.

It slipped under the radar screen due to all the furor over the impending government shutdown, but the NY Times ran an important article two weeks ago about the debt ceiling. The Republican plan is apparently to condition their agreement to raise the debt ceiling and save the country from default on a massive regulatory rollback. …

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On the politics of the Keystone pipeline

This article from the New York Times a couple of days ago describes how President Obama, on a fundraising visit here in the Bay Area, made clear how difficult environmental politics are for a President in the midst of a recession – especially the Great Recession: Appearing at the home of an outspoken critic of …

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

Reflections on “Yes they can control the weather.”

Marjorie Taylor Greene is wildly wrong about government scientists controlling hurricanes. There is a rich history of weather modification experiments that make that false claim more dangerous.

Why You Should Read CA’s ExxonMobil Plastic Lawsuit

California’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil for lying about plastic recycling is the latest example of the state using old-fashioned legal tools to address more modern harms.

The Election, Vehicle Emissions, and State Climate Plans

If the California car waiver survives a possible Trump presidency, we may have the overruling of Chevron to thank.

How to Make Trees Worth More Standing Than Cut Down

The Katoomba Group is celebrating 25 years of pioneering new approaches to realizing value in nature. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Climate, Energy, and Environment on the Ballot

Ballot measures in Washington and California are especially important but others are worth noting.

Model Uncertainty in Politics and Climate Policy

The polls could be systematically off, not just due to random error. That’s a worry with climate models as well.

Still Crazy After All These Years

There’s been an alarming growth of conspiracy theories, often antisemitic ones, to explain extreme weather events.

We Need a Circular Economy for EV Batteries

California got close to making suppliers ensure EV batteries are managed responsibly at end of life. Here’s why 2025 should be the year California creates a circular economy for EV batteries.

The Dangerous Embrace of Convenient Narratives Over Inconvenient Truths

As it turns out, Nature doesn’t care what stories you post on social media or spin on TV.

New Environmental Laws Focus on Public Health

Many of the environmental-focused bills that the governor signed this year involve ways to alleviate the health disparities faced by frontline communities.

Keystone XL pipeline

Biden has set up a lot of future actions. But he’s already got some notches on his belt.

Trump’s relentless war on the environment has finally come to an end.

Trump’s policies clash with each other remarkably often.

A recent analysis suggests that the pipeline could result in production of a billion extra barrels between now and 2030.

The House GOP plans to require a rollback of environmental regulations as a condition for raising the debt ceiling. This would be a massive power-grab by the House at the expense of the President and the Senate.

Join Our Mailing List

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

TRENDING

New CLEE Report Release & Webinar on Wednesday, November 13th at noon PT

Several California laws prohibiting dangerous chemicals from household products go into effect on or after January 1, 2025.

Pretty or scary or brave? There’s a climate costume to suit all tastes and all ages.

Reframing Infrastructure Investments to Realize an Equitable Transition

The Presidential, Senate & House elections will have immense repercussions in terms of energy and environment.

A Trump victory would increase the odds that we will ultimately need to start blocking solar radiation as a last resort to limit climate change.

The Yankees recently dropped Hess Oil from their outfield scoreboard. But in LA, the Dodgers’ Big Oil sponsorship with 76 gas is on full display in the 2024 World Series.

Can the AGU’s new principles defuse controversy and enable responsible research?

Project 2025 isn’t just its headline proposals. It’s a thorough, detailed attack on environmental protection.

Many of the environmental-focused bills that the governor signed this year involve ways to alleviate the health disparities faced by frontline communities.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is wildly wrong about government scientists controlling hurricanes. There is a rich history of weather modification experiments that make that false claim more dangerous.

California’s lawsuit against ExxonMobil for lying about plastic recycling is the latest example of the state using old-fashioned legal tools to address more modern harms.

If the California car waiver survives a possible Trump presidency, we may have the overruling of Chevron to thank.

The Katoomba Group is celebrating 25 years of pioneering new approaches to realizing value in nature. Here’s what we’ve learned.

Ballot measures in Washington and California are especially important but others are worth noting.

The polls could be systematically off, not just due to random error. That’s a worry with climate models as well.

There’s been an alarming growth of conspiracy theories, often antisemitic ones, to explain extreme weather events.

California got close to making suppliers ensure EV batteries are managed responsibly at end of life. Here’s why 2025 should be the year California creates a circular economy for EV batteries.

As it turns out, Nature doesn’t care what stories you post on social media or spin on TV.

Many of the environmental-focused bills that the governor signed this year involve ways to alleviate the health disparities faced by frontline communities.