by Marne Sussman This blog post discusses the renewable energy provisions in the Kerry-Lieberman bill (KL), including provisions for nuclear energy, clean coal technologies, and off-shore oil and gas, and compares them to similar provisions in the Waxman-Markey bill (WM). Title I starting on page 14 of the KL discussion […]
by Hannah Chang This second blog in our series on the Kerry-Lieberman bill (KL) discusses the bill’s market oversight provisions. Title II, Subtitle E, covering §§ 2401-16 and starting on page 624 of the KL discussion draft, is entitled “Regulation of Greenhouse Gas Markets.” These provisions amend the Commodity Exchange […]
by Jason James The long-awaited Senate climate and energy bill, introduced by Senators Kerry and Lieberman, was released yesterday. Various commentaries and analyses have already been circulated and are available at the Center’s legislation resource page. This is the first in a series of blogs that will summarize different portions […]
By Marne Sussman Within the past two years, two cities in the U.S. have passed ordinances mandating that existing buildings benchmark their energy usage. Benchmarking requires a building owner to report energy use data which can then be compared to data from buildings of a similar size and function and […]
by Bradford McCormick On March 15, 2010, ASTM International approved its Standard Guide for Financial Disclosures Attributed to Climate Change (“ASTM Guide”). The ASTM Guide was released a little over one month after the Securities and Exchange Commission issued its final Guidance Regarding Disclosure Related to Climate Change (“SEC Guidance”), […]
Led by Ireland’s nation-wide tax on single-use plastic bags implemented in 2002, which lowered the use of plastic bags by more than 90%, several large American municipalities have implemented similar regulations on single-use bags distributed by retail outlets. These regulations seek to reduce waste and, often, generate revenue. The first […]
By Elisa Botero* Colombia is the number one cocaine producer in the world. Hundreds of hectares of coca bush, the main component of cocaine, are planted each year to produce this popular recreational drug, consumed mainly in Europe and North America. The local social, economic and environmental impacts of illicit drug production have been […]
By Marne Sussman Recently passed legislation in New York State authorizes municipalities to create a PACE, or property assessed clean energy, program using federal grant assistance or federal credit support. In a PACE program a municipality sets up a special clean energy finance district capable of issuing low-interest bonds. Homeowners […]