by Patrick Woolsey Connecticut has released a draft Comprehensive Energy Strategy. The strategy, prepared by the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), calls for dramatically increased investment in energy efficiency and renewable power. The plan also calls for a large-scale expansion of natural gas use in the state […]
Clean Energy
273 posts
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) has benefited the economy of participating states but achieved only modest reductions in greenhouse gas reductions, according to a panel of energy experts convened at Columbia Law School last night. To achieve greater reductions, RGGI should adopt a stricter carbon cap at its three-year […]
The ongoing trade disputes between the U.S. and China have escalated in recent weeks, with both nations filing new requests for consultations through the Dispute Settlement Body of the World Trade Organization (WTO). While these disputes span a broad range of issues and products, renewable energy technologies have been one […]
State public utility commissions (PUCs) could make major progress toward achieving energy efficiency if they utilized the tools available to them, according to a study released August 14 by Columbia Law School’s Center for Climate Change Law. The report, “Public Utilities Commissions & Energy Efficiency: A Handbook of Legal & Regulatory Tools […]
By Sarah Goldmuntz, Intern The debate about zoning of natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing has intensified with a recent decision by a Pennsylvania appellate court that struck down crucial parts of the law known as Act 13. The law would have required that drilling, waste water pits and pipelines […]
By Michael Babakitis, Legal Intern Governor Chris Christie signed a bill on Monday, July 23rd, that will require New Jersey’s utilities to procure 2.05% of their electricity from solar projects in 2014 (.5% more than would have otherwise been required) and to procure 4.1% of their electricity from solar projects […]
By Katee Kline, Legal Intern On July 24, the Department of the Interior released a final programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) identifying prime areas for solar development, approving seventeen large-scale energy projects on public lands, and outlining the procedure for approval of similar projects. The PEIS, authored by the DOI’s Bureau […]
By Erin Parlar, Legal Intern Another element of the proposed “fracking” measures in New York was recently highlighted in the public debate by a new study by the group Earthworks. The study found that in the period from 2001 through 2010, the number of annual inspections of active conventional oil […]