Environmental Law

California Utility Regulators Adopt Sweeping Energy Efficiency Blueprint

Posted on September 18, 2008
The California Public Utilities Commission Thursday adopted a sweeping blueprint for promoting energy efficiency across the state, including setting aggressive goals for reducing the amount of power drawn residential and commercial buildings draw from the grid...

In The News (September 18)

Posted on September 18, 2008
Michigan lawmakers approve a sweeping change in the way that state regulates electric utilities and prods the development of alternative energy such as wind power, reports the Detroit Free Press. Fallout from that big vote in the House the other day on energy and, by the way, offshore oil drilling, includes the creation of divisions among environmentalists, an issue examined by the Washington Post...

CA Economy, Health to Benefit from Greenhouse Gas Cuts -- Reports

Posted on September 17, 2008
California air regulators Wednesday issued two reports on the economic and health impacts of complying with the state's aggressive plans for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, suggesting both could benefit at least to some extent from the effort...

In The News (September 17)

Posted on September 17, 2008
Support for offshore drilling may not be as deep as has been previously thought, at least in the West, suggests a new poll, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. Google and General Electric say that they will collaborate on developing geothermal power as well as technology to enable plug-in vehicles to return electricity to the grid, according to Green Wombat, a blog produced by Fortune...

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Congress Clashes -- Again -- Over Energy, Renewable Tax Credits

Posted on September 16, 2008
The U.S. House on Tuesday scuffled over the nation's energy policy, an issue in which the sides sometimes have appeared to grow farther apart the longer the debate goes on. However, late in the day majority Democrats in the House muscled through a massive bill that would allow for some expansion of offshore oil drilling, as well as extend federal tax credits for renewable energy considered vital to the industry...

In The News (September 16)

Posted on September 16, 2008
General Motors Corp. has unveiled the production version of an electric car that's designed to go 40 miles without recharging and also carries a gas tank for longer trips; it's called the Volt, from a Reuters dispatch. But at the same time, a scientist looking at the issue of electric cars says lead-footed drivers blasting the air conditioning could significantly cut the battery range of the vehicles -- although that's not necessarily always a bad thing, according to another Reuters report...

California Energy Officials Move Toward Bigger Renewable Goal, Carbon Auction

Posted on September 15, 2008
California's utility and energy regulatory bodies are moving toward urging that the state adopt an aggressive renewable energy goal, and that a cap-and-trade system to reduce greenhouse gases ultimately auction all of the credits needed to cover the emissions...

In The News (September 15)

Posted on September 15, 2008
Wall Street's woes spilled over into the European carbon market, as carbon futures dropped 4 percent on Monday and Lehman Brothers shut down its carbon desk after the bank went into bankruptcy protection, Reuters reports...

'Cellulosic' Ethanol Looks to be Growing Industry

Posted on September 12, 2008
While there remains a lot of controversy over the use of grain crops for ethanol, another form of the fuel, which generally uses as its raw material stuff like wood chips, agricultural wastes and similar biomass, appears to be gaining some ground...

Economic Forces Combining to Encourage Energy Efficient Industrial Remodels

Posted on September 10, 2008
A combination of factors, including high energy prices that are making shipping more expensive and slower, are also creating an extremely rare chance to  improve energy efficiency in the industrial sector, a new report suggests...

International Geothermal Effort Launched

Posted on September 08, 2008
Even as interest in domestic geothermal energy production appears to be increasing, a far-flung new international effort has begun to promote new means of exploiting the planet's own heat sources. The U.S. Department of Energy the other day announced it had entered into a pact with Iceland and Australia that appeared to be primarily intended to promote development of what's called "enhanced geothermal" technology...

Wind Hits a Milestone -- But Big Speed Bumps Loom

Posted on September 05, 2008
The wind power industry took a moment the other day to note a milestone in the energy source's development in the United States, and to issue a familiar warning. First, the milestone: Wind capacity has for the first time exceeded 20,000 megawatts, according to the American Wind Energy Association...

In The News (September 5)

Posted on September 05, 2008
California's trend-setting energy and environmental laws are a noble but risky effort, according to a commentator who writes that while the statutes are serving to create a new economy, the rules may also be hamstringing some utilities and businesses -- from EnergyBiz...

New York City Says: 'Shut That Door!'

Posted on September 04, 2008
Anyone whose parents have told them to shut the door "or you'll let all the heat (or cold) out" can relate to a new piece of legislation going into effect in New York City. Simply put, the bill signed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg this week requires many businesses to shut their outer doors when using air conditioning...

In The News (September 4)

Posted on September 04, 2008
Here's a breakdown of the energy policies offered by the presidential candidates: Democrat Barack Obama is a big supporter of renewable energy, while Republican John McCain would rein in the role of government on energy policy, as reported by C/Net's Green Tech from an analysis by researchers at New Energy Finance...

Government Authorizing Coal Projects -- Illegally -- Environmental Group Says

Posted on September 03, 2008
Despite acting earlier this year to withdraw direct support for coal-fired power plants, an influential government agency is continuing to indirectly authorize billions of dollars of new investments in such projects, and doing so illegally, an environmental group has charged...

Food-Fuel Battle Rages on with Dueling Estimates, Little Consensus

Posted on June 13, 2008
The continuing conflict over ethanol, particularly the kind that comes from commodities such as corn, has been stirred up again with both the federal government and the food industry trading much differing assessments of the economic impact of the fuel additive...

In Other News (June 13)

Posted on June 13, 2008
Representatives from 170 nations meeting in Germany have failed to come up with proposals on how to slow global warming, heightening the differences between wealthy and developing countries, Bloomberg reports.  Europe's biodiesel producers complaining about 'unfair' United States subsidies are seeking punitive duties on American imports of the fuel, according to The Guardian...

Connecticut, New Hampshire, Join States' Parade to Curb Greenhouse Gases

Posted on June 12, 2008
Connecticut and New Hampshire have become two of the latest states to move forward on their own to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.Recently, Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell signed HB 5600, a bill that sets a goal of dramatically slashing the output of the heat-trapping gases by 2050...

In Other News (June 12)

Posted on June 12, 2008
Here's the "poop" on a new solar-and-biomass plant that can operate day and night in California's Central Valley and will use manure for part of its fuel mix, as related by the San Francisco Chronicle.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has chosen a pair of institutes in Alaska and New Jersey that foster collaboration between government agencies and noted universities to join in conducting research on climate change, greenhouse gases, and changes to Arctic ice coverage, according to a statement from NOAA...

Energy Efficiency, Green Building Standards, Get International Notice

Posted on June 11, 2008
Interest in energy efficiency, including green buildings, seems to be on the increase as other efforts to combat climate change run up against opposition targeted primarily at  their costs.By contrast, a recently released study from a pro-green building and appliance group, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, suggests that boosting energy efficiency would actually result in a net benefit for the American economy...

Despite Setback for Renewable Bill, Senator Vows to Keep Pushing

Posted on June 11, 2008
The U.S. Senate, fresh from dealing a blow to an effort to extend renewable energy tax incentives, might not be done with the issue just yet.Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (pictured) Wednesday touted the backing of hundreds of businesses for legislation along the lines of that which ran off the rails the other day in the Senate when backers could not muster the 60 votes needed to end a Republican-led filibuster...

In Other News (June 11)

Posted on June 11, 2008
In one more indication that China has big hopes for wind power, here's word that the country plans to triple its wind capacity within 2 years, as reported by Inter Press Service in a dispatch carried by Power Engineering International. Meanwhile, the shares of American Superconductor Corp...

Renewable Tax Credits Hit Snag in Senate

Posted on June 10, 2008
Efforts to extend renewable energy tax credits, which advocates have contended are needed in order to sustain boom times in alternative generation, hit a snag when the Senate could not muster enough votes to overcome a Republican filibuster...

In Other News (June 10)

Posted on June 10, 2008
Scientific academies are urging humanity to act to curb threats including that posed by global warming by starting the transition toward a low-carbon economy, according to The New York Times environmental blog Dot Earth. The 'green' job market is booming, with the number jobs specific to climate change nearly tripling in the past year, despite economic problems elsewhere, environmental recruiters say, according to this Reuters report...

State and Regional Climate Efforts Could Help Prod National Action

Posted on June 09, 2008
Congress may have its problems moving ahead with climate change legislation, as evidenced by the failure of the Lieberman-Warner bill to advance last week, but officials in states and Canadian provinces have been laying the groundwork for regional efforts to establish greenhouse gas curbs and a carbon market...

In Other News (June 9)

Posted on June 09, 2008
Companies that burn coal would like to cut carbon emissions, they just don't want to be the first to do it, according to this analysis by The New York Times.  Hard times for coal, brought on by concerns over global warming, are chronicled by the Chicago Tribune...

U.S. Climate Bill Stalls While World Experts Seek Energy 'Revolution'

Posted on June 06, 2008
World experts Friday sought an "energy revolution," one that might require a multi-trillion dollar financial commitment, to ward off global warming.The call for action came even as the U.S. Senate failed to advance a massive climate change bill Friday...

In Other News (June 6)

Posted on June 06, 2008
Reports of the death of the SUV may be premature -- but not by much, according to this near-obituary of the beloved gas-guzzler appearing in U.S. News & World Report.  Some big companies, including Dell and Lenovo, are joining together with cities and nonprofit groups to launch a campaign called Together to promote energy-saving products, services and initiatives, according to ChannelWeb...

Lawmakers Seek to Reduce Tariffs on Imported Ethanol

Posted on June 05, 2008
Two senators have moved to drop the United States' tariff on imported ethanol as at least one way of reducing skyrocketing gasoline prices.The legislation, which drew praise from critics of current government policies favoring domestic ethanol, was proposed by U...

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