Energy
The politics of Trump’s offshore leasing proposal
Widespread political opposition at the state level poses major obstacles to federal plans
This post is the second in a three-part series looking at the Trump Administration’s announcement of plans to vastly increase offshore oil and gas drilling. The first post, here, focused on the legal context for those announcements. In this post, I’ll discuss the political context. In my last post, I’ll conclude with an analysis of …
Continue reading “The politics of Trump’s offshore leasing proposal”
CONTINUE READINGRenewable New England
The New England states include Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine, with a total population of 8 million. These states are all small in acreage but have larger populations than many western states – for instance, tiny Rhode Island has a larger population than the Dakotas, Wyoming, Montana, or Alaska. In terms …
Continue reading “Renewable New England”
CONTINUE READINGWildfires and the Cost of Electric Service
It turns out, electric transmission is not as cheap as we thought it was.
Economists detest externalities – those nasty hidden costs that businesses don’t face when they sell polluting or dangerous products and services, but that are instead imposed on the public or the environment. And economists are right to be concerned. A polluter that does not pay the cost for its pollution is likely to keep polluting. …
Continue reading “Wildfires and the Cost of Electric Service”
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: Oil and Transportation in California
Post #4 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
[This is the fourth post in a series expressing my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. The introductory post provides an overview and some general context.] In 2015, Jerry Brown challenged the State to reduce oil usage in the transportation sector by 50% by 2030. …
Continue reading “Guest Blogger Ken Alex: Oil and Transportation in California”
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Building Energy Efficiency Mandate
Post #3 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
[This is the third post in a series expressing my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. The introductory post provides an overview and some general context.] Energy usage associated with buildings is substantial. There are different ways to calculate it, but the California …
Continue reading “Guest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Building Energy Efficiency Mandate”
CONTINUE READINGGeorgia: A Peach of an Energy Policy
Georgia’s energy policy is much better than you’d expect from its Southern location and politics.
Georgia is a bit of a surprise. It is a leader in solar energy in a region that generally has not been very friendly to renewables. It currently ranks 9th nationally in total solar installations (and even more surprisingly, ranked 3rd in 2016 in newly added solar). What’s also surprising is that Georgia has done this …
Continue reading “Georgia: A Peach of an Energy Policy”
CONTINUE READINGTrump Administration Imposes Tariffs On Solar PV Imports
The expected blow for solar companies, consumers, and clean energy & climate advocates will likely bring a U.S. solar slowdown and prompt industry changes
Following up on a campaign promise to crack down on free trade policies, the Trump Administration today announced that they will be imposing tariffs on foreign solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. The tariffs will start at 30 percent in the first year and then decline to 25 percent in year 2, 20 percent in year 3, …
Continue reading “Trump Administration Imposes Tariffs On Solar PV Imports”
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard
Post #2 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
[This is the second post in a series expressing my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. The introductory post provides an overview and some general context.] SB 350 (2015) requires that California’s investor and municipal owned utilities provide 50% of their customer’s electricity …
Continue reading “Guest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Renewable Portfolio Standard”
CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Vision on Climate Change
Post #1 in a Series on California Climate Policy by Ken Alex, Senior Policy Advisor to Gov. Jerry Brown
California accounts for about one percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. As the Brown Administration enters its final year, I want to set out my view of why California’s actions on climate change are so important and how they will change the world. I thank the faculty at Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy, …
Continue reading “Guest Blogger Ken Alex: California’s Vision on Climate Change”
CONTINUE READINGRenewable Energy on the Lower Mississippi
From Missouri to Louisiana to Alabama, fundamental similarities but individual differences.
The states in the lower Mississippi basin have a lot in common. From Missouri down to Louisiana and Alabama, they all voted for Trump. These states – Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee – were all part of the Confederacy. (I’m stretching geography a bit by including Alabama, since only the top of the state …
Continue reading “Renewable Energy on the Lower Mississippi”
CONTINUE READING