Energy
Climate Change and “The Chosen One”
The plan of this messianic figure is clear — expanding fossil fuels and eliminating climate action.
A leading presidential candidate recently reposted a video that called him the “Chosen One,” echoing the view of many of his followers that God has chosen him to lead the country. “And on June 14, 1946,” the video tells us, “God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a caretaker.’ So God …
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CONTINUE READINGWindmills are Killing Our Donuts! And It’s All Biden’s Fault!
A peek inside the mind of a leading presidential candidate.
Donald Trump has been talking a lot about donuts lately. Donuts, it seems, are threatened by renewable energy and depend on fossil fuels. Maybe because he’s heard that they’re cooked in oil? Trump’s knowledge of cooking is likely pretty minimal, given that it’s unlikely he’s ever been inside a kitchen. And windmills are terrible, just …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Unique Legal Context of EPA Methane Regulations
Three separate congressional actions intersect to support the regulations.
The government’s efforts to control methane have followed a complicated path, involving three different congressional actions: section 111 of the Clean Air Act, which allows EPA to regulate emissions of greenhouse gases; a congressional override of an earlier regulatory action; and a newer statute that creates a fee on methane emissions. The upshot is to …
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CONTINUE READINGSaving the Planet, One Case at a Time
These 50 law school clinics are doing vital work on environmental issues across the country.
Law school clinics are where the proverbial rubber meets the road. They introduce students to the realities of lawyering. Often, they are a law school’s most important form of public service. Environmental law clinics have blossomed across the country. Today’s post provides a directory to the clinics. There are several sites that promise comprehensive lists …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Bumper Crop of New State Climate Policies Since July.
State governments aren’t sitting on their hands. Far from it. The pace of climate action is picking up.
State climate policy is a big deal. State governments began cutting emissions at a time when the federal government was essentially doing nothing about climate change. Since then, more states have become involved, and state policies have become more aggressive. it’s not for nothing that 2023 has been called a banner year for state climate …
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CONTINUE READINGElection 2024: Climate Action vs. Radical Deregulation
Voters should consider the radical, right-wing deregulation agenda that would await on Day One of a second Trump administration.
The Iowa Caucuses are 12 days away. The South Carolina Republican Primary comes 5 weeks later. And just two weeks after that is Super Tuesday. In the lead up to all these primary contests, anti-democracy candidate Donald Trump continues to march toward capturing the GOP nomination with a commanding lead in national polls. While headlines …
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CONTINUE READING2023: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Here’s what happened in the world of energy and environment.
A lot has happened this year, with political turmoil in the House of Representatives, indictments of Donald Trump and associates, and a close scrape with default on the national debt. In the world of energy and environment, the picture has also been mixed, but with more good than bad. The Good. California enacted two major …
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CONTINUE READINGReviewing Agency Indecision
The Third Circuit straightens out a quirk in FERC law, to the benefit of renewable energy.
A case decided by the Third Circuit on Dec. 1 is important for two reasons. It clarifies a puzzling procedural rule applying to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). And it upholds an important policy shift regarding renewable energy by the country’s largest grid operator. Since you’re probably more interested in the second point than …
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CONTINUE READINGWhat EXACTLY Did the UN Conference Decide?
OK, I’m a lawyer: I think it’s important to look at the text.
Having read a lot of takes on the outcome of the latest UN climate conclave, I wanted to see for myself what the agreement says. The key provision in the latest international agreement on emissions reduction is section 28 of Article 2(A).. It states the position of the Conference of the Parties — the consensus …
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CONTINUE READINGHow Will Americans Learn to Love the Inflation Reduction Act?
Pres. Biden has toured the country to sell his climate victories, but polls show it isn’t resonating yet with voters. Will Trump attacks help?
Last February, on the eve of the State of the Union, President Joe Biden embarked on a victory lap for his landmark climate laws. At the time, the White House was focused on explaining to the American people how the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act would boost jobs and lift the economy. …
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