Climate Law Blog

A new paper by Katherine Carey looks at the different actions that state utility commissions in the Southeast have taken to ensure that their electric utilities are prepared for tomorrow’s storms. The Gulf Coast region in the Southeastern United States is at especially high risk of more severe hurricanes and tropical storms, but there are […]

Ethan I. Strell, CCCL Associate Director & Fellow In an historic decision that will serve as a nationwide model, the New York State Public Service Commission on February 20 unanimously approved a settlement requiring Con Edison to implement state-of-the-art measures to plan for and protect its electric, gas, and steam systems from the effects of […]

By Mark James, CCCL Legal Intern On January 8, 2014, the sole remaining coal-fired generating plant in Ontario burned its last tonne of coal. With the closure of the Nanticoke Generating Station, Ontario ended its long-term relationship with coal-fired generating plants. To further its commitment to a coal-free future, the government has recently introduced a […]

On June 25, 2013, President Obama delivered a major speech on the topic of climate change. In it he outlined a broad policy agenda aimed at addressing the challenges posed by the changing climate. The agenda, detailed in The President’s Climate Action Plan, relies almost entirely upon executive powers; Congress is not even mentioned in […]

New CCCL Paper: Envisioning Resilient Electrical Infrastructure by Sam Nierop, Visiting Scholar Only last week, a powerful storm left thousands without access to electricity across Europe.[1] Last year, Hurricane Sandy left more than 8 million people without power in the Northeastern United States.[2] As climate change amplifies the frequency and severity of storms, heat waves […]

By Sascha Yim, Guest Blogger*  In the latest development in the country’s unfolding net metering battle, the Arizona Corporation Commission recently ruled that the state’s utility, Arizona Public Service (APS), could impose a $0.70 per kilowatt charge on solar customers beginning in 2014. The decision comes at a time when the future of net metering […]

Teresa Parejo Associate Professor of Law (Carlos III University) Visiting Scholar at the Center for Climate Change Law The EU ETS (European Union Emissions Trading System), the most important EU tool to fight against climate change, is now facing two challenges of great significance: 1. In October 2013, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Assembly agreed […]

Teresa Parejo Visiting Scholar at the CCCL Associate Professor of Law at Carlos III University (Madrid, Spain) The EU has a clear framework for its climate policy until the year 2020, based on the 20-20-20 targets (20% reduction of GHG emissions from 1990 levels; raising the share of the EU energy consumption produced from renewable […]

by Fiona Kinniburgh In 2011, France became the first country to ban hydraulic fracturing. Yet controversy over shale gas exploitation there has hardly subsided. Instead, industry pressure has ignited a new legal challenge over the 2011 ban, which natural gas producers allege violates the French constitution. As a consequence of the law, several companies’ permits […]

by Shelley Welton, Deputy Director & Fellow In what can only be interpreted as a major victory for California, the Ninth Circuit ruled on Wednesday, September 19 in Rocky Mountain Farmers Union v. Corey that the state’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) was neither discriminatory nor extraterritorial under the dormant Commerce Clause, reversing the district […]