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Full-Text Articles in Law
A Us Clean Energy Transition And The Trump Administration, Joseph P. Tomain
A Us Clean Energy Transition And The Trump Administration, Joseph P. Tomain
Faculty Articles and Other Publications
The Obama administration undertook several steps giving the US federal government a leadership role in a clean energy transition. Among other actions, the administration develop a Climate Action Plan, successfully negotiated higher fuel vehicle standards with car manufacturers, passed the Clean Power Plan, and signed the Paris Climate Agreement. Although the United States had been party to other international climate agreements and was a signatory to the Rio Declaration, other federal efforts were lax at best.
During his election campaign, Donald Trump promised his supporters to eliminate the Clean Power Plan, withdraw from the Paris Agreement, curtail the Environmental Protection …
The Democratization Of Energy, Joseph P. Tomain
The Democratization Of Energy, Joseph P. Tomain
Faculty Articles and Other Publications
The electricity industry is changing in dramatic ways.Most significantly, as demonstrated by the Obama Administration's Clean Power Plan, the country is witnessing the merger of energy and environmental regulation. Historically, energy regulation was driven by the need to produce more power for economic growth. By contrast, environmental regulation attended to the pollution of the environment. Production of energy depends upon the use of natural resources, and throughout the fuel cycle from extraction and transportation to the burning and disposal of those resources, the environment is directly affected. Most dramatically, greenhouse gas emissions present climate change challenges. In order to effectively …
Shale Gas And Clean Energy Policy, Joseph P. Tomain
Shale Gas And Clean Energy Policy, Joseph P. Tomain
Faculty Articles and Other Publications
If we look behind the numbers on energy consumption, how much of that declining consumption is attributable to increases in energy efficiency and how much is attributable to a poor economy? If we look more closely at shale gas production, particularly when we consider hydraulic fracturing, what environmental costs are associated with developing this domestic resource? And, from a broader perspective, what role should natural gas, including shale gas, play in the country's clean energy future? Will we continue to favor fossil-fuel incumbents at the expense of new entrants in renewable resources and energy efficiency? This Article will address these …
Our Generation's Sputnik Moment: Regulating Energy Innovation, Joseph P. Tomain
Our Generation's Sputnik Moment: Regulating Energy Innovation, Joseph P. Tomain
Faculty Articles and Other Publications
In his 2011 State of the Union Address, President Obama stressed the necessity of innovation as the key to unlocking our economic future. More pointedly, he stated that now is "our generation's Sputnik moment." Just as the United States responded to national security threats posed by a cold war Russia, today we must respond to threats to our economy and our environment, as well as to our national security, posed by an oil addiction that we have not been able to break for over half a century. The intertwined needs to provide sufficient energy, environmental protection, and a vibrant economy …