Policy Development & Strategy Practice
VNF Policy Updates
Weekly Climate Change Policy Update - December 15, 2008
Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Andrea Campbell, Kevin Gallagher, Megan CeronskyDecember 15, 2008
President-elect Obama named his green team this week, choosing experienced, tough-minded regulators and a Nobel-prize winning physicist instead of political heavyweights. As expected, the COP-14 in Poznan ended without meaningful agreement, although several countries - Australia and Mexico included - announced significant reduction commitments. The California Air Resources Board formally adopted the CARB Scoping Plan for implementation of AB 32, setting the stage for a statewide cap-and-trade program. Statements in Congress made clear that a Democratic majority does not mean Democratic unanimity on the timing and ambition of cap-and-trade legislation.
Weekly Climate Change Policy Update - December 9, 2008
Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Andrea Campbell, Kevin GallagherDecember 9, 2008
Poznan: positioning or posing? At the Fourteenth Conference of Parties (COP-14) in Poznan, Poland, Brazil agrees to adopt an ambitious target for reducing deforestation, and legislators from “advanced developing countries” - Brazil, India, China, South Africa, and Mexico - suggest that they might be willing to accept targets based on emissions intensity. Will Poznan see progress on reforms to the Clean Development Mechanism? When will the new Chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman, make a statement about his plans for energy and climate change legislation?
Weekly Climate Change Policy Update - November 17, 2008
Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Andrea Campbell, Kevin GallagherNovember 17, 2008
EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board decided this week that EPA could not issue a permit to a coal-fired power plant without considering whether to impose a “Best Available Control Technology” CO2 limit, a decision that could bring permitting of new fossil-fired power plants to a halt until the agency or the Congress establishes new GHG policies. Senator Jeff Bingaman, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, expressed skepticism about the use of offsets in cap-and-trade legislation. Robert Sussman, co-chairman of the Obama transition for EPA, published a paper arguing that the Dingell-Boucher bill “should not be the starting point for legislative action in the Congress...”
Weekly Climate Change Policy Update - November 11, 2008
Kyle Danish, Shelley Fidler, Andrea Campbell, Kevin GallagherNovember 11, 2008
What can we expect from President-elect Obama and the new Congress? Expect some near-term green energy legislation and possibly cap-and-trade legislation. Another big change? Rep. Henry Waxman is challenging John Dingell’s Chairmanship of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Rep. Waxman is seen as more aggressive on environmental issues than Chairman Dingell, the most senior House member, who has strong ties to the Detroit-based auto industry. Dingell’s recently released discussion draft (offered with Rep. Rick Boucher) suggested some innovative solutions to some of legislative problems, but Waxman’s openness to market-based approaches to GHG regulation is unclear.
Post-Election Update
Edited by Curt RichNovember 6, 2008
Democrats captured the White House and substantially improved their majorities in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives during Tuesday’s national elections. President-elect Barack Obama and his team plan to move quickly with a transition plan, with key cabinet positions possibly being announced as early as next week.