Monthly Archives: February 2011

8 posts

New Report Highlights Potential for State-Federal Cap and Trade Partnerships under Clean Air Act §111

Gregory E. Wannier Deputy Director CCCL recently released a report detailing options for implementing potential cap and trade regimes through federal-state partnerships under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act (§111).  This report, written jointly with the World Resources Institute, asserts that cap and trade regulations are legally defensible under […]

New Hampshire House Votes in Favor of Bill to Withdraw the State from RGGI

By Danielle Sugarman Fellow On February 23, 2011, the New Hampshire House of Representatives took another step forward in its efforts to withdraw the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”).   Originating in the Science, Technology and Energy Committee (the “Committee”), House Bill 519[1] passed in the House of […]

AEP v. Connecticut: A Comparison of the Briefs Filed by the Defendant Electric Utilities

By Julia Ciardullo Fellow On January 31, 2011, five investor-owned utilities[1] (Petitioners) and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), an electric utility owned by the US government, filed separate briefs with the United States Supreme Court (USSC) in American Electric Power Co. Inc., et al., v. Connecticut, et al. (No. 10-174).  […]

Ninth Circuit Vacates NIETC Designations in Calif. Wilderness Coalition v. Dept of Energy

by Bahrad Sokhansanj J.D. Candidate, Columbia Law School On February 1, 2011, a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a landmark Department of Energy (DOE) electricity transmission Congestion Study, together with the agency’s designation of the Mid-Atlantic and Southwest National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs). […]

The Climate Battle Continues: Two Senate Bills Seek to Block EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases

By Julia Ciardullo Fellow With the 112th Congress now in session, Senators from both parties have already introduced legislation that would block EPA’s ability to regulate greenhouse gases (GHGs).  This post addresses two of the most notable examples: First, on January 31, 2011, Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced the “Defending […]