Energy
(Vermont) Yankee Go Home!
You may recall the Supreme Court’s decision in the Vermont Yankee case. It was a major administrartive law decision. Prior to Vermont Yankee, the D.C. Circuit and some other courts had been experimenting with an approach to judicial review which focused on helping to improve agency procedures, rather than reviewing the substance of the agency’s …
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CONTINUE READINGUCLA Clinic persuades federal Administrative Law Judge to vacate approval of new coal mining permit on Indian land in Arizona
I have some exciting news I can’t resist sharing: UCLA’s Frank G. Wells Environmental Law Clinic won a major administrative case last month, which is now final now that the time for appeal has run. All twelve of our clinic students spent a significant chunk of this fall working on it, along with me and …
CONTINUE READINGDOE Bets on Central Station Solar — Is It the Right Horse?
Congratulations to Oakland’s BrightSource Energy Inc. for winning the largest federal loan guarantee for a renewable energy project thus far — $1.37 billion for the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, to be constructed in the Mojave Desert. For an observer like me – one who is most definitely not a financial markets expert – the …
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CONTINUE READINGWhite House Draft Guidance on Climate Change and Environmental Impact Statements
The Council on Environmental Quality has issued a draft guidance to agencies on treatment of greenhouse gases. The key point is that emissions exceeding 25,000 tons per year of CO2 will be considered a “significant environmental impact” and require preparation of an environmental impact statement. Overall, of course, this is a huge step forward. One …
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CONTINUE READINGStormy Weather
Saying that climate change is a hoax because there’s a lot of snow in Washington is childish. Can’t we at least pretend to be grown-ups?
CONTINUE READINGThe “Write Your Own Permit” Approach to Climate Mitigation
We seem to be at an impasse. Cap-and-trade seems to be in political disrepute; market-oriented economists must find it aggravating that their idea is now considered too “liberal.” Carbon taxes give politicians cardiac arrest. “Command and control” regulation is out of fashion. Perhaps it’s time to try something new. Here’s an alternative that has some …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Nuclear Option
According to an NYT report, President Obama has offered loan guarantees for two new reactors. If the project goes forward, it would be the first nuclear reactor built in the United States since the 1970s. In a speech in Lanham, Md., Mr. Obama announced government approval of an $8.3 billion loan guarantee to help the …
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CONTINUE READINGA Website Named DSIRE
Those who are interested in Clean Tech, particularly from the investment point of view, will want to take a look at the DSIRE site. Sorry, it doesn’t actually have anything to do with the Tennessee Williams play, I jsut couldn’t resist the play on words. DSIRE stands for Database of State Incentives for Renewables and …
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CONTINUE READINGOur Carbon-Based Trade Deficit
A lot of people are worried about the trade deficit. As it turns out, more than half of the deficit is due to petroleum imports, as Matthew Yglesias points out. This graph tells the story:
CONTINUE READINGNew environmental dating site matches fossil fuel industry lobbyists, elected officials
I’ve never been involved in either of two trends that have exploded in recent years: internet dating, and lobbying of federal officials by fossil fuel-based energy-producing companies. But I just learned about a new website that links the two. The site, Polluter Harmony, says it “is the #1 matchmaking site for polluters, industry lobbyists, & politicians.” Although …
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