After this summer’s anti-climatic end to federal climate change legislation, some thought that perhaps there would be a temporary end of the discussion of climate change regulation. However, recent weather events (wildfires in Russia, floods in Pakistan and an ice sheet breaking off Greenland) and extreme heat have reinvigorated the debate.
Here is some highlights
In a very close vote 53-47, the U.S. Senate defeated a resolution designed to block U.S. EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gases utilizing its existing authority under the Clean Air Act. Six Democrats supported the Republican effort to block EPA. Republicans needed 51 votes to effectively block or delay EPA’s efforts. Now everyone is offering their opinions as
As reported in the New York Times, Senator Murkowski announced that the Senate will vote June 10th on her resolution to block EPA from implementing climate change regulation under the Clean Air Act. The proposal was announced this past December and the vote follows finalization of EPA regulations that will initiate regulation of
Last week, two distinct paths clearly emerged for addressing climate change. The first, legislation that would put in place a market mechanism to reduce emission over time- the Kerry-Lieberman Bill. The second, EPA’s use of its existing regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act to reduce greenhouse (GHGs) emissions (EPA Tailoring Rule)
EPA
On October 30, 2009 U.S. EPA finalized the first mandatory rule related to climate change- Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mandatory Reporting Rule. Beginning this year 31 industries must track and report their emissions. Overall, the original GHG mandatory reporting rule required reporting for an estimated 85 percent of the total GHG emissions in the U.S.
Only a
The President called together key Senators and members of his cabinet in hopes of re-invigorating stalled discussions in the Senate over climate change legislation. This summer the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require greenhouse gas reductions of 17 percent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels. Since legislative debate moved to the Senate, a viable
The twists and turns in the saga of regulation greenhouse gases (GHGs) continue. After the State of the Union and release of the President’s budget, there is speculation that President Obama has abandoned Cap & Trade legislation.
Meanwhile, businesses face greater risk as a result of new and impending regulatory action. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued guidance telling companies
.jpg)
I was giving a speech to a trade association last night regarding Cap and Trade legislation in Congress. The sentiment of most participants in this manufacturing group was that they had dodged a major bullet because passage of a bill looks very unlikely. While that is true, I told the audience don’t lose sight of
Today, a day that will likely live in environmental law infamy….the EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson finalized the "endangerment finding" in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in EPA v. Massachusetts which was issued way back in April 2, 2007. While the Supreme Court found that greenhouse gases were air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act, it
The past two days I have been in Houston at the Environmental Markets Association (EMA) fall conference. If you are not familiar with the EMA, it is an organization that supports the use of market-based solutions to environmental issues. The members are largely made up of consultants, traders of environmental credits and project developers.
Many