Politics
Legislative Tantrums Over EPA’s Proposed Carbon Rule
Politico reports that eight state legislatures have passed bills protesting EPA’s proposed power plant regulation, in at least one case refusing to comply with any eventual regulations. This was a childish tantrum rather than an adult response. The ultimate hope, according to Politico, is that many states will refuse to submit compliance plans, and that this …
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CONTINUE READINGObamacare’s lessons for the future of EPA’s CO2 rule
The survival of the greenhouse gas rule depends on how much people invest based on it
There has (rightly) been a lot of attention paid to the EPA proposed rule controlling greenhouse gas emissions from powerplants pursuant to Clean Air Act Section 111(d). All of that analysis – how effective the rule will be; how it will be implemented; the prospects for successful legal challenges to the rule – is important. …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Top 10 Reasons Why EPA’s Powerplant Rule is like Obamacare
Death Panels! War on Coal!
Opponents in Congress have likened EPA’s proposed rule covering greenhouse gas emissions to Obamacare. In fact, one called it “Obamacare 2.0”. In a helpful spirit, I thought it would be edifying to list the similarities: 1o. The powerplant rule and Obamacare both give state government a major role. 9. They were both endorsed by President Obama. …
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CONTINUE READINGDo EPA’s Carbon Emissions Rules Point to a New Climate Treaty? Nope.
The Future Global Climate Regime Will Not Rely on an International Accord
The irrepressible Jonathan Chait continues to do what he does best: shredding the GOP’s neanderthal nihilism on climate (or as Andrew Sullivan notes, the Republican Party has become “a reckless, know-nothing, post-modern fantasy machine.”). But Chait makes one big leap of logic that should actually be scotched. Chait points out that contrary to conservative predictions that …
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CONTINUE READINGGuest Blogger Kate Konschnik: EPA’s 111(d) Authority – Follow Homer and Avoid the Sirens
Kate Konschnik is the Director of Harvard Law School’s Environmental Policy Initiative. The views expressed in this blog post are her own. Thirty years ago, Chevron v. NRDC set the standard for judicial deference to an agency’s statutory interpretation. In that case, the Supreme Court upheld EPA’s interpretation of Clean Air Act language. This month, …
CONTINUE READINGThe Los Angeles River and GOP Ideology: Everybody Wins!
A few years ago, I heard Bruce Babbitt here at UCLA describe the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as “just a terrible agency.” Then he repeated it, just to make sure that we all heard him. When a politician does something like that, you know that he’s reached the end of his rope. The Los …
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CONTINUE READINGReassuringly Stupid
The House GOP’ is trying to stop the Pentagon from thinking about climate change. Here’s why it won’t work.
The military considers climate change to be a threat to national security. Naturally, that’s news that the House Republicans would like to suppress. Last week, they tried to do something about it with an appropriations rider. Luckily, the amendment is so poorly drafted that it would accomplish almost nothing. Here’s the language of the amendment: None …
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CONTINUE READINGWhat Will India’s New Regime Do About Climate?
Modi Will Make Solar-Powered Trains Run On Time
When the world’s largest democracy goes through a political earthquake, people around the world notice, even in the United States. So the victory of the right-wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and its authoritarian leader Narendra Modi, has the pundits scurrying to explain what it all means. Much of the early analysis is pessimistic, …
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CONTINUE READINGThom Tillis, the GOP Establishment, and the Environment
Tillis is not a Tea Party extremist on regulatory issues, but he’s also been no friend of environmental protection .
Thom Tillis’s victory in the North Carolina primary for U.S. Senate was widely seen as a victory for the Republican Establishment over the Tea Party. What does this mean on environmental issues? In other word, where do “Establishment Republicans” stand on the environment? In Tillis’s case, lowering regulatory costs seems to be the highest priority. …
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CONTINUE READINGAn Opening for Climate Adaptation?
Marco Rubio seems willing to admit that climate change exists and is causing real problems. That’s a start.
During an interview with ABC’s Jonathan Kent, Marco Rubio made a very interesting statement about climate change. He took the standard anti-science position about the causes of climate change. “I do not believe that human activity is causing these dramatic changes to our climate the way these scientists are portraying it,” he said. He went on …
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