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Full-Text Articles in Law
California's Climate Diplomacy And Dormant Preemption, David L. Sloss
California's Climate Diplomacy And Dormant Preemption, David L. Sloss
Faculty Publications
After President Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, Governor Brown issued a joint statement with his counterparts from New York and Washington, announcing that the three governors “are teaming up to fight climate change in response to President Trump’s” withdrawal decision. A few days later, Governor Brown met in Beijing with China’s President Xi Jinping. The Chinese President reportedly “welcomed California’s efforts to work with the Chinese government to help combat global warming.” According to the California government web site, the state is party to a total of 54 “international agreements” on climate …
Do Not Forget To Wear A Hat, Michael Herz
Do Not Forget To Wear A Hat, Michael Herz
Faculty Online Publications
President Trump’s tweets get all the attention, but those from others in the federal government can also be pretty striking. Consider how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Twitter feed is taking on global and local environmental threats.
Grid Modernization And Energy Poverty, Shelley Welton
Grid Modernization And Energy Poverty, Shelley Welton
Faculty Publications
Grid modernization holds the alluring promise of rationalizing electricity pricing, saving consumers money, and improving environmental quality all at the same time. Yet, we have seen only limited and patchwork regulatory initiatives towards significant grid modernization in the United States. Outside of a few leading states, state energy regulators appear loath to embrace fullthroated versions of the project. This article argues that the underdiscussed problem of energy poverty in the United States is a critical contributing factor in the gap between grid modernization’s possibilities and our regulatory reality. Only by explicitly understanding how the issues of grid modernization and energy …
The Elephant In The Room Or The Elephant In The Mousehole? The Legal Risks (And Promise) Of Climate Policy Under §115 Of The Clean Air Act, Nathan Richardson
The Elephant In The Room Or The Elephant In The Mousehole? The Legal Risks (And Promise) Of Climate Policy Under §115 Of The Clean Air Act, Nathan Richardson
Faculty Publications
Climate policy in the United States is near an inflection point. With Congress uninterested in new legislation, focus at the federal level for most of the last decade has been on the Clean Air Act, but whether regulation under that old statute can successfully address carbon emissions remains unclear. Under President Obama, the EPA has focused on two core programs-vehicle emissions standards and the Clean Power Plan, aimed at fossil fuel power plants. But with the latter of these programs under legal challenge, and both falling short of the flexible, economy-wide policy many believe is necessay, academic and policy attention …
Constitutional Challenges And Regulatory Opportunities For State Climate Policy Innovation, Felix Mormann
Constitutional Challenges And Regulatory Opportunities For State Climate Policy Innovation, Felix Mormann
Faculty Scholarship
This Article explores constitutional limits and regulatory openings for innovative state policies to mitigate climate change by promoting climate-friendly, renewable energy. In the absence of a comprehensive federal policy approach to climate change and clean energy, more and more states are stepping in to fill the policy void. Already, nearly thirty states have adopted renewable portfolio standards that create markets for solar, wind, and other clean electricity. To help populate these markets, a few pioneering states have recently started using feed-in tariffs that offer eligible generators above-market rates for their clean, renewable power.
But renewable portfolio standards, feed-in tariffs, and …
Business Responsibilities For Human Rights And Climate Change - A Contribution To The Work Of The Study Group On Business And Human Rights Of The International Law Association, Sara L. Seck
Reports & Public Policy Documents
This contribution to the work of the International Law Association’s Study Group on Business and Human Rights considers the relationship between business responsibilities for human rights and climate change. While it is now widely accepted that the adverse effects of climate change undermine the enjoyment of human rights, and that businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights, the relationship between business responsibilities for human rights and climate change is unclear. This paper first considers state duties to protect human rights from climate change harms, including harms arising from business activities, and second, considers how the business responsibility to respect …
The Paris Climate Agreement – Assessment Of Strengths And Weaknesses, Meinhard Doelle
The Paris Climate Agreement – Assessment Of Strengths And Weaknesses, Meinhard Doelle
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
This paper provides an overview of the core elements of the Paris Climate Agreement and offers an assessment of its key strength and weaknesses. The paper concludes with thoughts on what is required for its effective implementation.
Climate Regulation Of The Electricity Industry: A Comparative View From Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, And The United States, Lincoln L. Davies, Penelope Crossley, Peter Connor, Siwon Park, Shelby Shaw-Hughes
Climate Regulation Of The Electricity Industry: A Comparative View From Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, And The United States, Lincoln L. Davies, Penelope Crossley, Peter Connor, Siwon Park, Shelby Shaw-Hughes
Utah Law Faculty Scholarship
Climate regulation of the electricity sector is one of the most important growing — and rapidly changing — areas of law and policy today. This is both because of the critical role that electricity plays in modern society, acting as economic lifeblood, and because of electricity’s part in driving climate change, accounting for more greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions globally than any other activity. This article provides an introduction to different methods of regulating climate emissions from the electricity sector. It does so through detailed, comparative accounts of climate regulation of electricity in four different jurisdictions: Australia, Great Britain, South Korea, …
Nova Scotia's Cap & Trade System: A Modest Proposal, Meinhard Doelle
Nova Scotia's Cap & Trade System: A Modest Proposal, Meinhard Doelle
Articles, Book Chapters, & Popular Press
The government of Nova Scotia has just released a discussion paper on its proposed Cap and Trade (C&T) System for provincial GHG emission reductions. The C&T system is a key component of Nova Scotia’s contribution to Canada’s overall effort to implement the Paris Climate Agreement in line with the Pan Canadian Framework on Climate Change. This article summarizes the key elements of the proposed system, identified shortcomings and proposes a way forward for Nova Scotia.