Politics
The Path to Abundance, Part IV
Abundance reforms may not produce immediate political benefits, and may see significant backlash
This is the fourth post in a series of six posts. The first post is here. The second post is here. The third post is here. As I discussed in my last blog post, abundance policy reforms will necessarily require tradeoffs, which leads us to politics. Will the political context allow for making decisions about …
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CONTINUE READINGDemocratic Governors and the A-word
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
The governors and legislative leaders of several blue states on the East Coast are obsessed with the A-word: affordability. So much so that several of them are looking to pull money away from state programs that boost renewable energy and energy efficiency, as a shortcut to try to lower electricity costs. In Maryland, Rhode Island, …
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CONTINUE READINGLaunching OPERATION EPIC FURRY
It’s time to rename the Endangered Species Act.
Environmentalists need to do better. at marketing Consider the Endangered Species Act. That’s an accurate but uninspiring name. Where’s the pizzaz? Where’s the spark? And the acronym ESA is just lame.The aspects of the law that appeal most to the public are its protections of iconic creatures like polar bears and cute creatures like black-footed ferrets. Why not take a leaf from Trump’s book and rebrand? Make it big, bold, and appealing: EPIC FURRY. Sounds thrilling! It could stand for Endangered Prized Innocent Creatures Flourishing Under Real Regulatory Yodas. The title doesn’t mean anything, but has a nice Star Wars connection, which never hurt anyone’s marketing. And what regulator wouldn’t like to be compared with Yoda the Jedi Master?
CONTINUE READINGSurprise Support for Solar
Solar power is on the Trump Administration hit list, but it turns out to have support in unexpected places.
ere’s a social media post whose content won’t surprise you:
“Solar power is the energy of the future.
“Giant fusion reactor up there in the sky – we must rapidly expand solar to compete with China.”
And from a political ally, a poll that found three-quarters of Trump voters in five states agreed that solar should be used “to strengthen and increase” the U.S. energy supply.
Who were those solar supporters?
Climate Issues in the 2026 Governor’s Race: Transportation
First in a series of posts outlining key challenges and opportunities facing California’s next governor.
In collaboration with California Environmental Voters, CLEE is leading a nonpartisan initiative to educate all candidates running for governor, as well as the public, on critical climate, energy, and environmental issues. In February, CLEE and CEV co-hosted a candidate forum featuring 90 minutes of discussion on these issues. And we’ve launched a public website, www.climatevote.org, …
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CONTINUE READINGPolicies on the Bus Go Round and Round
The Drain is a weekly roundup of environmental and climate news from Legal Planet.
A year ago, the transportation manager of Northshore School District, outside of Seattle, wrote to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin pleading with him to release frozen funding she was owed for new school buses. “We need your assistance to complete these projects and lift the financial burdens school districts are facing due to the delay in …
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CONTINUE READINGTrump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge: More BS on Electricity Prices
In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a new “ratepayer protection pledge” from technology companies.
Last night, in his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a new “ratepayer protection pledge” from technology companies as his latest effort to respond to rising electricity prices across the country. In his brief remarks on the pledge, the President said that it “obligated” the technology companies to provide for their own power, …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Most NIMBY Man In The World
As ICE moves to warehouse tens of thousands of immigrants, can locals fight back?
Good piece in the Grey Lady on Wednesday about Trump voters suddenly deciding that some of his policies aren’t so great after all. ICE is trying to build huge detention facilities in order to drag legal immigrants off the streets — specifically, those who are waiting for asylum decisions and those waiting to receive their …
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CONTINUE READINGRecapping “Our Climate Future”: A California Gubernatorial Candidate Forum
How four top candidates plan to tackle affordability, environmental justice, and clean energy and continue California’s leadership
Californians will elect a new governor in November. The race presents state voters with a wider variety of potential outcomes for climate policy–from increased ambition to continuity to changed priorities–than any election since 2010. To help voters understand where the candidates stand on our most pressing environmental challenges, the Center for Law, Energy, and the …
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CONTINUE READINGIn the Cross Hairs
The Right has taken umbrage at some of the important work of environmental law professors and centers.
The fossil fuel industry and its conservative allies seem to have taken notice of the important work done by environmental law centers. Their response is to try to repress this valuable work. This is a backhanded acknowledgement that law schools are making a difference.This campaign has targeted some of the law schools with the most prominent environmental law programs. Climate scientists have long been the target of harassment and public attack. It appears that people who work on climate policy are now also in the crosshairs. What we’re seeing lacks the drama of other attacks on free speech and academic freedom. But it is capable of being no less harmful. McCarthyism writ small is still McCarthyism.
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