Laura Mulry Fellow Implementation of California’s landmark Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 was recently placed on hold, putting its 2012 start date in doubt following a California Superior Court decision. The law, which California voters defended in rejecting referendum 23, is now facing a major setback from environmental justice […]
Monthly Archives: March 2011
Brian Bowman Fellow On March 25, 2011, the Columbia Center for Climate Change Law made available on its website a climate legislation tracker for the 112th Congress. This resource summarizes, and will continue to follow, legislative proposals from both houses of Congress which have the potential to impact U.S. federal […]
Gregory E. Wannier Deputy Director As discussed previously, implementation of EPA’s greenhouse gas regulations necessitates a large program of regulation under the Clean Air Act’s Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. EPA has attempted to give states authority to implement these changes, but not all parties have been compliant. A […]
by Daniel Firger Associate Director As a result of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami and the ongoing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, speculation is mounting that Japan will be unable to meet its greenhouse gas emission (GHG) reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol and may declare “force […]
By Julia Ciardullo Fellow On March 11, 2011, the plaintiff-appellees in American Electric Power Co. Inc., et al., v. Connecticut, et al. (No. 10-174) – six states,[1] the City of New York, and three land trusts[2] – filed their opposing briefs with the United States Supreme Court (the “Court”). In […]
Gregory E. Wannier Deputy Director As discussed previously, EPA has issued a series of four rules designed to initiate regulation of greenhouse gases (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act (“underlying regulations”). As litigation challenging the legality of these regulations moves forward in the DC Circuit, and legislation seeking to limit […]
by Daniel Firger Associate Director Europe is doubling down on decarbonization. On March 8, 2011, the European Commission (EC) released its widely anticipated “roadmap for moving to a competitive low carbon economy in 2050.” The roadmap calls for both short- and longer-term cuts in EU-wide GHG emissions: 20% below 1990 […]
by Laura Mulry Fellow The national public interest in developing renewable energy projects, expedited by the Obama Administration’s goal of generating 80% of the nation’s electricity from clean energy sources by 2035, is being met with opposition from Native Americans seeking to preserve sites sacred to their cultural heritage, some […]