Svetlana German Fellow In February the Australian government announced a two-stage plan to put in place a domestic carbon price mechanism. The Gillard government intends to institute a fixed price on carbon for three to five years (essentially a tax equivalent) before transitioning to an emissions trading scheme in 2015. […]
By Danielle Sugarman Fellow Recently New York has taken a step forward in ramping up its solar energy commitment. In February of 2011 New York Assembly member Steven Englebright (D), along with Energy Committee Chair Assembly member Kevin Cahill (D), introduced The Solar Industry Development and Jobs Act of 2011 […]
by Cullen Howe Columbia Law School’s Center for Climate Change Law is proud to announce that two of its blogs, the Climate Law Blog and the Green Building Law Update Service, were recently recognized as two of the “Top 50 Environmental & Climate Change blogs” by LexisNexis. According to LexisNexis, […]
Brian Bowman Fellow After several unsuccessful bills in prior sessions of Congress, legislative proposals for a federal clean energy standard (“CES”) are once again being discussed in the current session. Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), two key Senators from the Committee on Energy & Natural Resources, […]
By: Danielle Sugarman On Thursday, April 14, Congress approved a bipartisan agreement that will fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. The trillion-dollar continuing resolution (CR) passed the House on a 260-167 vote, with 108 Democrats and 59 Republicans in opposition, before moving to an 81-19 approval […]
by Daniel Firger Associate Director On April 11, 2011, petitioners in American Electric Power v. Connecticut, five private investor-owned utility companies, filed their reply brief. On the same day, the Solicitor General filed a separate reply brief on behalf of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), an electric utility owned by the federal government, as respondent […]
Gregory E. Wannier Deputy Director In the secondary round of activity regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from stationary sources, EPA has sought to establish permitting programs under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) section of the Clean Air Act, in conjunction with individual states through their State Implementation Plans (SIPs). […]
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 […]