by Ken Zhong JD Candidate, Columbia Law School On July 14th, 2011, Texas-based renewable energy developer Mesa Power Group, owned by billionaire T. Boone Pickens, initiated a complaint against Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The complaint alleges that Ontario arbitrarily instituted a rule change in June […]
Energy
By Danielle Sugarman Fellow In a major setback in the effort to limit carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming, on July 14th, American Electric Power Company (AEP)[1] announced that it would be putting on hold its plans to build a full scale carbon capture plant at Mountaineer, a […]
by Daniel M. Firger Associate Director Note: a longer version of this article first appeared in BNA’s Daily Environment Report (No. 133, 12 July 2011). Climate change is poised to become the next big thing in international trade law, but not for the reason most experts have long predicted. The […]
On June 22, 2011, the New York State Legislature passed The Power NY Act of 2011 (A. 8510/S. 5844) (PNY Act).[1] Governor Cuomo is expected to sign it. The new law, once enacted, would do two very important things: (1) provide a mechanism to allow owners of residential and non-residential […]
By Danielle Sugarman Fellow On June 22, 2011, the New York State Legislature passed The Power NY Act of 2011 (A. 8510/S. 5844) (PNY Act). Governor Cuomo is expected to sign it. The new law, once enacted, would do three very important things: (1) provide a mechanism to allow owners […]
by Amy Ward LLM, Columbia Law School New working paper available for download. Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is considered in many circles a critical technological development that may make a significant contribution to future climate change mitigation efforts by reducing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. China is implementing CCS […]
by Michael B. Gerrard This article first appeared on the Asia Society’s blog, ReAsia. Cities have at least four central roles in the fight against climate change. In most countries: 1. Cities write and enforce building codes, which, by determining energy efficiency standards and heating types, help determine greenhouse gas […]
By Julia Ciardullo Fellow On May 26, 2011, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that New Jersey will withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (“RGGI”) by the end of the year. RGGI is a regional cap-and-trade system encompassing 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states.[1] Governor Christie’s authority to withdraw arises […]