Politics
Obama, Offshore Drilling, and Aikido
Concerning Obama’s new offshore drilling policv, it’s hard to disagree with the sentiment expressed by Matt Yglesias, Steve Benen, and Kevin Drum: why give a concession without getting anything in return? House Minority Leader John Boehner responded with a typically reality- and lithium-deprived statement. saying that “the Obama Administration continues to defy the will of …
Continue reading “Obama, Offshore Drilling, and Aikido”
CONTINUE READINGTo Save the Planet…Drill of For Oil?
In his State of the Union address this past January, President Obama found a way to equate greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy jobs with an increase in offshore drilling. If he were to agree to more offshore leases, perhaps reticent members of Congress would support the kind of energy legislation needed to address climate …
Continue reading “To Save the Planet…Drill of For Oil?”
CONTINUE READINGDeja vu all over again
Remember the Sagebrush Rebellion and the County Supremacy Movement? They were attempts in the 1970s-80s and 1990s, respectively, by state and local governments in the west to assert control over federal lands. They didn’t make any legal progress because of the pesky Supremacy and Property Clauses of the US Constitution, which declare that the federal …
Continue reading “Deja vu all over again”
CONTINUE READINGBully pulpit for nature
For those tired of the wrangling in Washington over legislation, there is some good news. For some time now, the Obama Administration has been taking matters into its own hands on the regulatory front (including fuel efficiency / greenhouse gas emission regulations for cars that should be finalized any day; greenhouse gas emissions reporting requirements …
Continue reading “Bully pulpit for nature”
CONTINUE READINGGiving the Coal Industry the Byrd
Senator Byrd (D-W. Va.) has long by a mainstay of the coal industry. Actually, you could add the phrase “has long been” to almost any sentence about Byrd — he’s been around for a heck of a long time. After all, he’s served longer than any member of Congress in history. You might expect him …
Continue reading “Giving the Coal Industry the Byrd”
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Delta & Water Reforms: Now the Hard Work Begins
Last fall’s passage of landmark California legislation to “fix” the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and reform California water law was big news. But key, recent events demonstrate that the devil is truly in the details, and that while legislation certainly matters, it is the manner and means of executive branch implementation that ultimately spell success or …
Continue reading “California’s Delta & Water Reforms: Now the Hard Work Begins”
CONTINUE READINGBig Three backs CAA regulation, cars deal
An interesting development: Yesterday, the industry group for major car manufacturers sent a letter to Congressional leaders opposing Sen. Murkowski’s legislative efforts (discussed by Holly here) to un-do EPA’s greenhouse gas endangerment finding. The Murkowski resolution, as many have pointed out, would have the result of undoing the federally brokered cars deal set to impose Clean Air …
Continue reading “Big Three backs CAA regulation, cars deal”
CONTINUE READINGU.S. Chamber of Commerce adopts “grassroots” organizing tactic, redoubles attacks on climate science and law
The Los Angeles Times reported last week that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – a significant and strident voice in opposition to anything that our government might possibly do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – is using its considerable financial resources to dramatically increase its constituent base through “grass-roots organizing,” and that its influence is …
CONTINUE READINGTo the left is the famous cardigan worn by Jimmy Carter in the oval office, when he urged Americans to turn down their thermostats to save energy. In reality, the most important ways of saving energy (such as cogeneration by industry, better insulation, etc.) don’t involve any discomfort. It turned out that the American people …
CONTINUE READINGEnforcement Pushback–Making It Personal
The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that enforcement staff and managers (including the regional office director and an enforcement attorney) in Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) were held personally liable for 6.5 million in damages relating to a series of enforcement actions against one company. MFS Inc., a manufacturer of industrial insulation and ceiling tiles, alleged that the four …
Continue reading “Enforcement Pushback–Making It Personal”
CONTINUE READING