Politics
Sessions Out, Whitaker In: What Might the DOJ Shakeup Mean for Environmental Enforcement?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
News broke this afternoon that Trump has forced Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III to resign — naming Sessions’ chief of staff, the Marbury v. Madison critic and sports take tweeter Matthew Whitaker acting AG. This move obviously has some pretty horrifying implications for the country at large, but it’s worth thinking about how the …
CONTINUE READINGThe 2018 Elections: What’s the Upshot?
Overall, some very positive developments in terms of energy and environmental policy.
What happened on Tuesday? And what does it mean for the environment>? Going into Tuesday’s voting, there were three possible scenarios about the outcome: The Least Favorable Scenario for Environmental Regulation. In this scenario, the Republicans would hang on to control of the House by a smaller margin than today, and they gain several seats …
Continue reading “The 2018 Elections: What’s the Upshot?”
CONTINUE READINGElection Scenarios
Here are three ways things could play out from now to 2020.
We should know within the next 48 hours who will control the House and Senate, though if races are very tight it might take longer. I don’t want to make election predictions — that’s Nate Silver’s job, not mine. But I do want to sketch out some scenarios for the next two years, depending on …
Continue reading “Election Scenarios”
CONTINUE READINGCalifornia’s Proposition 6: Bad Policy & Nefarious Politics
Proposed Repeal of California’s Landmark “Gas Tax” Legislation Would Be Disastrous for State
Politicians don’t like to focus on infrastructure maintenance. It’s not sexy, doesn’t command media headlines, and captures little public attention. But maintaining a functioning, safe public infrastructure system is vital to ensuring a strong economy, protecting public safety and promoting long-term environmental goals. That’s why Proposition 6, a measure on California’s November 6th general election …
Continue reading “California’s Proposition 6: Bad Policy & Nefarious Politics”
CONTINUE READINGTen Reasons Why (the Midterms Matter)
Whatever happens on Nov. 6 will have a big environmental impact.
We’re less than a month from election day, which will help shape the future of environmental protection. Because the parties are so polarized now, partisan control in Congress or the states translates into movement toward further regulation or deregulation, depending on which party is in the ascendancy. Here are ten reasons why you should care …
Continue reading “Ten Reasons Why (the Midterms Matter)”
CONTINUE READINGU.C. Davis Law’s Environmental Law Center Releases Proposition 3 White Paper
Report Analyzes California’s Newest, Multi-Billion Dollar Water Bond Initiative
The U.C. Davis School of Law’s California Environmental Law & Policy Center has published a detailed analysis of one of the most controversial initiative measures facing California voters on the November 6, 2018 general election ballot: Proposition 3. California’s Proposition 3: A Policy Analysis provides a detailed summary and analysis of the proposed “Water Supply …
Continue reading “U.C. Davis Law’s Environmental Law Center Releases Proposition 3 White Paper”
CONTINUE READINGVocê Fala Português?
Brazil’s New Environmental Crisis Raises Crucial Constitutional and Advocacy Issues
As Dan noted last week, and as E & E News reports today, Brazil’s President-Elect, Jair Bolsonaro, is not only an authoritarian quasi-fascist (no exaggeration in those terms), but is also horrific for the environment. And that, in turn, is not simply bad for Brazil and South America, but for everyone on the planet. In …
Continue reading “Você Fala Português?”
CONTINUE READINGPolitics, the Environment, and the Rural/Urban Divide
Rural areas have been home to regulatory skeptics. But there may be ways of changing that.
Is there an urban/rural split in America? Definitely so, in politics, demography, and economics — and on the environment. Consider this, from Dan Balz at the Washington Post: “in the 2,332 counties that make up small-town and rural America, [Trump] swamped his Democratic rival, winning 60 percent of the vote to Clinton’s 34 percent.” But Balz reports …
Continue reading “Politics, the Environment, and the Rural/Urban Divide”
CONTINUE READINGStates Rally Around Renewables
States have ignored Trump to promote clean energy within their borders.
CLEE published a survey of state energy policies through 2017. The trend toward renewables has continued in 2018. Even after nearly two years of the Trump Presidency, states haven’t given up. Instead, they’re moving forward aggressively. If anything, Trump seems to have stimulated these states to try even harder. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s …
Continue reading “States Rally Around Renewables”
CONTINUE READINGLand Use Planning, Transit, and the Dodgers: The Legal Planet World Series Special
Stop the Myths About Evil Walter O’Malley
Since the World Series starts in a few hours, I fully expect the standard kvetchers to come out of the woodwork and complain about Los Angeles stealing the Dodgers from Brooklyn, etc. Peter Golenbock, in Bums: An Oral History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, compares O’Malley to Hitler and Stalin. Nonsense. It is time to set …
CONTINUE READINGJoin Our Mailing List
Climate policy is changing rapidly. Stay in the loop with expert analysis via email Monday - Friday.
