Politics
Governor Newsom Should Veto These Four Bills
Four seemingly modest bills — AB 1122, AB 1296, AB 637 and AB 3179 — are sneaky legislative efforts to threaten California’s world-leading clean transportation investments.
This post was co-authored by Ruben Aronin, Principal of the Better World Group. With just weeks to go before November 5, all eyes are on the election, including what it means for environmental policy. And yet, one of the largest threats to California’s clean transportation leadership in recent history has materialized right under our noses …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Contract with America
Or, as some critics called it, “the Contract ON America.”
The Contract with America was the brainchild of Newt Gingrich. It was a turning point in American politics: moving the GOP from compromise to confrontation, nationalizing what had previously been locally oriented House races, and shifting the GOP far to the right. There’s a reason they call Gingrich the man who broke Congress.
CONTINUE READING‘Schedule F’ Would Be Bad—Even for Trump
My time in the Biden administration shows that Project 2025’s proposal to purge civil servants would be bad policy for everyone.
Here’s one of the best kept secrets of the federal government: nothing gets done without effective civil servants. I learned this secret firsthand in the three years I just spent at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), first as Chief Counsel, then as Acting Administrator. Political appointees, as I was, help set an agency’s …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Battle for Congress: Key U.S. House Races in California
These elections could prove critically important to how much the next President can reshape energy and environmental policy.
These are key races for control of the House: if they did all flip and Democrats held their remaining seats, Hakeem Jeffries would be the next Speaker. The battle for control of the U.S. House is going to be very tight. Democrats need to pick up only four seats to flip control – something that will be especially important for them if Trump wins and Republicans win the Senate as expected. Especially in that scenario, control of the House will have a big impact on climate and energy policy, one way or the other. It doesn’t look like climate or energy are major issues in the key U.S. House races in California. Only one candidate (Dave Min) devotes significant attention to them. To avoid unintentionally distorting anyone’s views, these descriptions are taken straight from their campaign websites.
CONTINUE READINGThe State of the Race
Who will shape federal climate and energy policies? The answer remains too close to call.
Republicans are favored to take control of the Senate, but who will control the House and the Presidency remains too close to call. The implications for climate policy and the future of the planet could be profound.
CONTINUE READINGWhy the 2024 House Races Matter So Much for Energy and Climate Policy
Those races get a lot less attention than elections for the Senate, but they’re equally important.
Unified government would give Trump a much freer hand. Republicans are likely to win the Senate. If they also win the House, he wouldn’t have to worry about annoying congressional investigations and could use the Senate reconciliation procedure to gut environmental agencies and federal support for clean energy.
CONTINUE READINGThe Harris-Trump Debate and Environmental Policy
In the ABC News debate, both candidates were asked directly, “What would you do to fight climate change?” Fracking and energy policy got most of the focus.
While abortion and immigration took center stage during last night’s presidential debate in Philadelphia, climate change and energy policy were referenced throughout the more than ninety minutes, in stark contrast to that Biden-Trump debate in June in which climate change was largely relegated to one question. From the very beginning of the debate, Trump attempted …
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CONTINUE READINGShould We Be Upset If Candidates Don’t Provide Concrete Policy Plans?
Policy specifics give me something to write blog posts about. But how much should they matter to voters?
After all, you don’t need specifics to know that Trump and Harris have very different views about climate and energy. Should voters care about their failure to go into detail?
CONTINUE READINGEnvironmental Bills at the 10-yard Line
Now that the legislative session has wrapped, the ball is in the Governor’s hands. Here are some of the environmental bills he could sign by September 30.
The California legislative session wrapped up on Saturday, August 31st at midnight, with legislators working until the clock struck twelve. As usual, it was an exciting night to watch. Unlike most years, there seemed to be more of a rush at the end to reach agreement on some of the major issue areas, as well …
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CONTINUE READINGRightwing Authoritarianism vs the Environment
In the U.S. and elsewhere, rightwing authoritarians oppose climate action. That’s not a coincidence.
Project 2025 favors authoritarian presidential rule. It also wants to destroy environmental regulation, especially climate law. That’s not a coincidence. The combination of authoritarianism, extreme conservative ideology, and anti-environmentalism is common globally, not just in U.S. politics. There’s no logical connection between a belief in authoritarian government, upholding traditional hierarchies, and views about protecting the …
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