Environmental Law Commons^™

Climate-Change Related "Non-Economic Loss And Damage" And The Limits Of Law, Anastasia Telesetsky

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This article examines the concept of “loss and damage” in a world where climate impacts are being experienced over multiple years increasingly at the community level and, as in the case of Mozambique’s lengthy recovery from Cyclone Idai, at a national level. As climate impacts increase in prevalence, policymakers are focusing greater attention on how to address the destruction and depletion from “natural” events, where the severity and frequency of these events have been exacerbated by human-fueled climate change. There is a growing recognition that these types of ongoing climate-related “problems of loss cannot be analytically or ethically assigned to …

The Ninth Circuit Expands The Mining Law's Extralateral Rights Doctrine To Pegmatite Dikes, Mahdi Ibrahim, Judge Robert C. Coates

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

What happens when a miner strikes gold (metaphorically and sometimes literally speaking) under someone else’s land? As the Latin maxim states, “cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos,” which translates to “whoever owns [the] soil, [it] is theirs all the way [up] to Heaven and [down] to Hell.” It would seem the answer to who has a right to minerals below their property would be straight forward based on this Latin maxim. However, this is not truly the case. Over the last century, courts have expanded the idea of “extralateral rights” and allowed an adjacent landowner …

Preemptive Attack: California's Sb 100, The Fpa, And Combatting Climate Change, Charles Kreuzberger

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

The United States contributes fifteen percent of the world’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while making up only four percent of the world’s population. In recent years, the United States has made progress towards reducing the amount of GHGs we put into the atmosphere. However, there is the fear that the current administration is attempting to curtail regulations.

In 1935, the federal government passed the Federal Power Act creating two distinct jurisdictions over the energy market. This was in response to a gap in jurisdictional coverage between the states and federal government known as the Attleboro Gap. Interstate wholesale sales were …

Irena At 10: Post Paris Transitions And Energy Diplomacy Beyond Opec, The Energy Charter Treaty, And The Coronavirus, Nadia B. Ahmad

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

In understanding the post Paris energy transitions, this Article analyzes the intergovernmental organization, IRENA, as a means of working toward sustainable energy. Clean energy is an alternative to carbon emissions from fossil fuel extraction and generation. This Article looks at the formation and rise of IRENA and how the silencing of the climate controversy may continue to improve its efficacy. In other words, IRENA has steered away from the controversy of climate change i.e. climate denial. This Article will proceed in five parts. Part I explores the formation of IRENA and the positive outcomes of renewable energy deployment. Part II …

V.10, 2019 Mastead

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

No abstract provided.

Evolving Energy Federalism: Zero Emissions Credits And Opportunities In State Energy Policy, Matt Flaherty

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Courts traditionally view regulation of the energy sector as a dual federalism framework in which a “bright line” separates sovereignty of the states from the power reserved to federal regulators. In particular, the Federal Power Act (FPA) grants the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority over wholesale electricity markets. Courts generally interpret this authority over wholesale markets as exclusive, which ensures the federal government and states occupy different fields of the electric industry. States retain authority in fields that bookend FERC’s power over wholesale markets— electric power generation on one side and retail sales of electricity on the other…

Part …

The Emergence Of Commercial Scale Offshore Wind: Progress Made And Challenges Ahead, Joseph B. Nelson, David P. Yaffe

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article examines the offshore wind development process from leasing and permitting to electric power supply and interconnection. Willing developers may divide the process into three discrete, but not necessarily sequential, endeavors. First, the developer must secure a viable purchaser or market for the output. “Offshore wind energy” is a more complex commercial product than one might envision—it includes the actual electric energy produced, the electric generating capacity that is available to serve load, and both the environmental and clean energy attributes of wind energy. The environmental and clean energy attributes may have an economic and regulatory value separate from, …

Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift: The Risks Of Net Neutrality Repeal To Energy Reliability, Public Safety, And Climate Change Solutions, Catherine J.K Sandoval

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article contends that the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) January 2018 repeal of net neutrality rules created a “zero-day” cybersecurity vulnerability for the energy sector and other criti¬¬¬cal infrastructure. “A zero-day cybersecurity vulnerability is a previously unknown flaw in a computer program that exposes the program to external manipulation.” The flaw may also reside in compromised hardware that creates a “back door” into the internet-connected device. This Article argues that cybersecurity has been primarily viewed from a “hacker paradigm” that obscures systemic threats an Internet Service Provider (ISP) can create to energy reliability and cybersecurity through paid priority and other …

State Climate Actors Under The Federal Power Act: A 2017 Fpa Update, Guidance, And Solution, Ian Kearney

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Climate change poses the greatest single threat to nearly every being on this planet. It is the result of many factors, but anthropogenic emissions of carbon and other greenhouse gasses (GHGs) are among the largest contributors to climate change. Though many sources emit anthropogenic GHGs, the energy sector is the largest global emitter of any economic sector. As such, the energy sector has come under particular scrutiny as it relates to climate change policy.

Today in the United States, state climate action is as prevalent as ever. However, the federal government’s environmental progress under the Obama Administration has come to …

Fracking The Public Trust, Kevin J. Lynch

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article explores the application of the public trust doctrine to fracking, specifically as it relates to regulations designed to prevent harms of continued greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as a result of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels.

Enforcement Or Fiction? Considering Grants Of Authority Under The California Global Warming Solutions Act Of 2006 And An Alternative To Compel Enforcement, Jessica Kirshner

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

California has long established itself as a leader in climate change policy, with a deeply entrenched and ever-developing regulatory framework. The state is home to some of the earliest research on, and regulations targeted at, mitigating the severe implications of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, like carbon dioxide (CO2), on Earth’s atmosphere. It is therefore unsurprising that California’s regulatory approaches for climate change mitigation and GHG emissions reductions influence local and national climate change law and policies. This influence also notably percolates international climate policy. However, before California may definitively proclaim itself as a global model for successful climate change efforts, …

Can He Do That?: A Constitutional Analysis Of President Trump’S Withdrawal From The Paris Agreement, David Hubinger

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article is structured to give context as to the history of United Nations-sponsored, climate change centered, international agreements from the early 1990s to the present. The Article also shows how the goals and responsibilities placed on the United States as a part of the Paris Agreement may still be realized even without full party membership. Additionally, the Article discusses the structural framework of the Paris Agreement and the significance of its legal classification when deciding how President Trump can leave the agreement in accordance with international law. The Article will also discuss how President Trump’s actions regarding the Paris …

Hope On The Horizon For Offshore Wind Development? An Examination Of The Regulatory Framework Rhode Island Navigated To Make The Nation’S First Offshore Wind Farm A Reality, And The Implication For California’S Ability To Adopt A Similar Approach Under The Coastal Zone Management Act, Lauren Perkins

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

After establishing the reasons for why creating a more efficient permitting system is crucial, this Article examines the question of under what conditions BOEM, the lead agency in the offshore wind permitting process, delegates authority to a state so that it may permit a project in federal waters under the CZMA without running into federal preemptory roadblocks. This question is of utmost significance in California and Hawaii where projects utilizing floating turbine technology are proposed to be located in federal waters to take advantage of optimal wind gusts farther offshore. After examining the conditions favorable for federal delegation of the …

The Trump Effect On Power Plant Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Thomas O. Mcgarity

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article will probe the legal, technological and economic underpinnings the Trump Administration initiatives and the viewpoint that their initiatives will have little impact on CO2 emissions from power plants. Part II will highlight the Trump Administration’s views on the extent to which human activities are the leading contributing factor. Part III will describe the radical change in direction that that the Trump Administration is taking with respect to regulations designed to reduce GHG emissions from power plants. Part IV will offer predictions about the likely effect of the Trump Administration’s rollbacks on the electric power and coal industries, on …

Net Neutrality Powers Energy And Forestalls Climate Change, Catherine J.K. Sandoval

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Drawing on my experience as a Commissioner of the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) from January 2011 to January 2017, this Article explores the interdependence of the electricity sector and the open and neutral internet. Section II of this Article discusses the evolution of critical infrastructure laws and policies. Section III examines California’s energy loading order adopted in 2003 to increase energy reliability and protect the environment. Section IV analyzes the evolution of federal and state Smart Grid policies to infuse communications and information technologies including the internet into the energy ecosystem. Section V discusses FERC’s authorization of demand response−the …

A Broader Vision For Climate Policy: Lessons From California, Alice Kaswan

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

As the federal role in addressing climate change shrinks, state and local action is once again taking center stage. States are facing innumerable challenging policy questions about the best mechanisms for addressing climate and energy, and many are looking to California for inspiration. This article focuses on a particular and unique feature of California’s approach: the integration of social and environmental justice concerns into the state’s climate and energy policies. As decisionmakers grapple with the fundamental and existential shifts associated with a clean energy transition, California’s efforts to incorporate environmental justice—and the state’s broader social, economic, and environmental vision–provide important …

Judicial Review In An Age Of Hyper-Polarization And Alternative Facts, David A. Dana, Michael Barsa

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article is organized as follows: Part I reviews the case law and commentary on judicial review of agency shifts in policy or practice, focusing on the technocratic case for deference and how recent political realities call such deference into question. Part II sets forth the background and history regarding fuel economy standards, leading to the Obama Administration’s adoption of standards in 2012 and the “midterm” review of those standards that Obama’s EPA declared final as of January 2017. Part II also reviews the legal issues surrounding Trump’s EPA’s “re-opening” of the midterm review. We suggest how courts could, and …

Moving Beyond The Wto: A Proposal To Adjudicate Gmo Disputes In An International Environmental Court, Marguerite A. Hutchinson

San Diego International Law Journal

This Article begins with a brief summary of the scientific basis of creating GMOs and its historic precursors. The second section provides an overview of risks to humans and the environment. The third part of this Article analyzes the arguments put forward by both the United States and the E.U., which have defined the conflict between blocs of countries pushing GMOs abroad and those who persistently reject them. The fourth section evaluates the respective regulatory schemes imposed on GMOs by the United States and Europe, domestically and by international treaty. The success of these systems is evaluated in the fifth …

V. 8, 2017 Masthead

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

No abstract provided.

Planning For The Sun To Come Up: How Nevada And California Explain The Future Of Net Metering, Mark James, Ashleigh H. Krick, Kelsdy R. Bain

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article explores the growth of rooftop solar and the future of net metering through the debates and policies of Nevada and California. Part II details the recent, rapid growth and projected future growth of solar power in the United States. Part II also describes how Nevada and Californiaare leading the nation in utilization of solar power and are already addressing issues that are likely to emerge in other areas of the country. Part III begins with a brief introduction to net metering and the national scope of net metering program reviews. Part III concludes with a summary of the …

Quick Fixes Or Real Remedies? The Benefits And Limitation Of Climate And Energy Fast Policy, Melissa Powers, Edward Jewell, Joni Sliger

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

To avoid these shortcomings, this article recommends that Oregon and other states lacking meaningful climate mitigation and energy decarbonization strategies slow down their policymaking so that they can first develop a long-term plan. These states should also ensure that their governance structures are in order. Specifically, states should ensure they have a governance system capable of designing, from the ground-up, a comprehensivestrategy to decarbonize the energy system and substantially reduce greenhouse gases by the middle of the century.[1] An adequate governance structure would also ensure that regulatory and planning agencies have the expertise, independence, and capacity to evaluate existing laws, …

Moving The Legal Needle Of Western Climate And Energy Options, Steven Ferrey

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

All fifty U.S. states are not legally equal on energy options. The Western states are different from others in three notable regards, when assessing the possibilities and tools available to dictate their future energy landscapes. That future will not be based as much on traditional fossil fuel use. There will be a transition to more use of renewable energy, such that the majority of future electric power additions will be comprised of renewable energy.[1] For context, fossil fuels are transportable within the U.S.;either by pipeline or surface transport. Renewable energy is fixed in place and in its raw form is …

Do Mess With Texas ... ? Why Rolling Easements May Provide A Solution To The Loss Of Public Beaches Due To Climate Change-Induced Landward Coastal Migration, Carolyn Ginno

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This paper explores the viability of rolling easements in California as well as how they might be implemented. California has the opportunity to use rolling easement doctrine to fill the public policy vacuum created by the Severance decision. By messing with Texas; precedent, California could utilize rolling easements to preserve public access to its beaches in the wake of coastal inundation resulting from climate change.
Determining whether and how rolling easements might be used in California requires an understanding of climate change as a man-made phenomenon and the impacts it has on coastal property. The next sections will outline this …

Discretion Bites: The Current State Of Animal Emergency Planning, Paige Chretien

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Natural disasters have historically wreaked havoc on the lives of animals. Hurricane Katrina, which hit the gulf coast of Louisiana in 2005, exposed the tragic vulnerabilities of pets and pet owners in disasters and brought awareness to the significance of the human-animal bond.[1] As climate change will likely breed storms that are more deadly than their predecessors, planning and preparedness are essential to mitigating the impacts of these storms. The current status of animal emergency planning and preparedness in the state of California does not ensure that such vulnerable population will be adequately protected.
Part I begins by discussing the …

From Top-Down To Bottom-Up Climate Policy: New Challenges In Carbon Market Design, Jonas Monast

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

This Article explores the shift from top-down to bottom-up approaches to carbon market design, focusing on three strategies that have emerged since 2009: the California Cap-and-Trade Program, the Clean Power Plan, and the UNFCCC process. The Article then examines the prospects for broad multilateral markets to emerge under a bottom-up approach and identifies three pathways to streamline market design choices: a coordinated approach; a dominant actor approach; and a common elements approach.

Article Iii Standing For Private Plaintiffs Challenging Greenhouse Gas Regulations, Bradford C. Mank

San Diego Law Review

An important unresolved question is whether non-state plaintiffs have standing under Article III of the U.S. Constitution to sue in federal courts in climate change cases. In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court held a state government could sue the U.S. government to address climate change issues, and suggested, but did not decide, that private litigants might have lesser rights than states. In Washington Environmental Council v. Bellon, the Ninth Circuit held that private groups did not have standing to challenge Washington State’s failure to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from five oil refineries, and implied that private plaintiffs may …

A "Switching Costs" Approach: Epa's Clean Power Plan As A Model For Allocating The Burden Of Carbon Reductions Among Nations, Michael Barsa, David Dana

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

In Part I, this paper reviews the allocation plans that have been tried so far on an international scale and why they have not succeeded. In Part II, the paper explains EPA's Clean Power Rule and what we are calling the switching opportunities approach that is at least roughly suggested by the Rule. In Part III, the paper discusses the two different "cost-sensitive" approaches adopted by the EPA under the Clean Air Act so far, and in Part IV, the paper discusses the basis for using the Clean Power Plan as a model and the advantages and disadvantages of "scaling …

Subnational Discretion Mediating New Climate Regulatory Challenges, Steven Ferrey

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

Subnational units of government are critical actors in the U.S. federalist scheme of regulation. It was the original 13 colonies/states which were the core of the American experiment, and banded together as a nation for common defense and commerce after fighting for independence from the United Kingdom. The Constitution vested in the new federal government the treaty and war powers, as well as powers over interstate commerce.

Clever Titles And Insurance Don't Mix: How Dodging Liability Will Allow Insurance Companies To Become A Major Player In Climate Change Law And Policy Reform, Samantha Daily

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

While some of the worlds governments and industries have taken action and enforced regulations attempting to mitigate the effects of climate change, the United States has been slow to join. An increasing number of groups and public figures in the United States, however, have started to strongly advocate for climate change policy reform including stricter laws and policies. The insurance sector is a group that can influence the United States to take actions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
The insurance industry comprises a significant part of the United States economy. In 2013, net premiums written for the property …

The Dirty Effects Of Clean Energy Technology: Supportive Regulations To Promote Recycling Of Lithium Ion Vehicle Batteries, Liz Harland

San Diego Journal of Climate & Energy Law

The discovery of potential environmental, geo-political, and human health concerns from the production and disposal of millions of Li-ion batteries each year demands stronger government policies to encourage recovery, recycling and reuse of Li-ion battery materials. The increasing demand for lithium will potentially shift the resource curse experienced by oil-rich countries to lithium-rich countries in South America, such as Chile, Argentina, and Bolivia. Part II of this Comment provides an overview of the negative impacts associated with the mining, production, and disposal of Li-ion batteries. It examines the environmental and human health effects of mining lithium on surrounding communities, and …