Energy

New journal issue on using the Clean Air Act to address greenhouse gas emissions

UCLA’s Journal of Environmental Law and Policy has just published its current issue, Volume 30, with all its content available free online in pdf format.  This volume is a special symposium issue, featuring articles relating to the use of the Clean Air Act to address greenhouse gas emissions.  Several of the articles’ authors were speakers …

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A Side-by-Side Comparison of Romney and Obama on Energy and Environment

I’ve put together a table of language from the issues sections of the official campaign websites dealing with energy and environment. I decided to use the candidate’s own language to avoid interposing my own views on the issues. Please keep in mind that the table uses their language, not mine. Not surprisingly, the candidates frame …

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The Challenge of Coal Exports

This article highlights a paradox.   Oregon is an environmentalist state whose residents seek to live a low carbon lifestyle.    Apparently, there is a lot of coal under Oregon and this state may become a major exporter of such high carbon fuel to Asia.  Given its location, it may become one of the leading …

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Coal, China, and Pollution

Air pollution in China is a global problem, because of climate change, and a California problem, because pollutants from China reach the U.S. West Coast. An article in the current issue of Nature has good news and bad news about coal and pollution in China.  The good news is increased pollution control.  The authors estimate …

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Green Industry Growth

Here’s a list of the fastest growing industries from the Washington Post: 1. Generic pharmaceuticals 2. Solar panel manufacturing 3. For-profit universities 4. Pilates and yoga studios 5. Self-tanning product manufacturing 6. 3-D printer manufacturing 7. Social network game development 8. Hot sauce production 9. Green and sustainable building construction 10. Online eyeglasses sales. I’m …

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Public Opinion on Environment and Energy

Gallup has issued the results of a very interesting poll about environment and energy. Here are their findings: There’s surprisingly broad support for more vigorous environmental enforcement and more clean energy, including about half of Republicans.  The reason for the partisan gap is that there’s such strong support among Democrats, not so much that all …

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Could Self-Driving Cars Help The Environment?

As companies like Google pioneer technologies to allow cars to drive themselves, futurists have been imagining a world where autonomous vehicles rule the roadway. Using computer programs, map data, complex sensors, and soon the ability to “see” all vehicles within miles, these cars hold the promise of averting the vast majority of car accidents caused …

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More Trouble at Fukushima

According to the Washington Post, the situation inside the reactors is grim. Tuesday’s examination with an industrial endoscope detected radiation levels up to 10 times the fatal dose inside the chamber. Plant officials previously said more than half of melted fuel has breached the core and dropped to the floor of the primary containment vessel, …

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EPA Unveils Carbon Standard for New Power Plants

This morning, U.S. EPA released its anticipated rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants.   The proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act purports to set national limits on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit. Today we’re taking a common-sense step …

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David Owens Overstates the Rebound Effect’s Relevance

Here is an impressive blog post. I didn’t write it!   Shakeb Afsah and Kendyl Salcito present a data filled post that takes David Owen’s Rebound Effect quite seriously. I respect hypothesis testing! Owen’s sexy hypothesis is that the Prius actually contributes to climate change!  How could this happen?  The Prius has such a high MPG that it effective …

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