The EPA Regs Kick in on Jan 2. By John Broder, NYTimes, 12/31/10. “With the federal government set to regulate climate-altering gases from factories and power plants for the first time, the Obama administration and the new Congress are headed for a clash that carries substantial risks for both sides… The administration is on notice that if it moves too far and too fast in trying to curtail the ubiquitous gases that are heating the planet it risks a Congressional backlash that could set back the effort for years. But the newly muscular Republicans in Congress could also stumble by moving too aggressively to handcuff the Environmental Protection Agency, provoking a popular outcry that they are endangering public health in the service of their well-heeled patrons in industry… With Mr. Obama’s hand forced by the mandates of the Clean Air Act and a 2007 Supreme Court decision, his EPA. will impose the first regulation of major stationary sources of greenhouse gases starting Jan. 2.”

EPA Moving Unilaterally to Limit Greenhouse Gases. By Merrill Hartson, AP, 12/24/10. “EPA announced [on 12/23 that] it is moving unilaterally to clamp down on power plant and oil refinery greenhouse emissions, announcing plans for developing new standards over the next year. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said the aim was to better cope with pollution contributing to climate change. ‘We are following through on our commitment to proceed in a measured and careful way to reduce GHG pollution that threatens the health and welfare of Americans,’ Jackson said in a statement. She said emissions from power plants and oil refineries constitute about 40% of the greenhouse gas pollution in this country.”

Future Uncertain for White House Energy Post. By Darren Samuelsohn, Politico, 12/6/10. “Would anyone notice if the White House didn't have a special energy and climate office? Carol Browner took charge of the newly-created enclave two years ago and was seen as the leader of an all-star green team. But while her stock has risen with the president, her portfolio has shrunk with the new political reality. Comprehensive climate legislation is dead and won't be coming back for several years. House Republicans are salivating over the chance to investigate global warming science, as well as Obama's use of so-called ‘czars’ like Browner who they claim have unprecedented power over Senate-confirmed agency heads… Although Browner’s ultimate goal -- climate change legislation -- didn’t come to fruition, the White House must consider the symbolic appearance and potential backlash from environmentalists and liberals that would come from shuttering Browner's office, filling the slot with someone who has less stature, or just shifting its portfolios around.”

EPA Unveils New Efficiency and Emission Standards for Trucks. By John M. Broder, NYTimes, 10/26/10. “The federal government unveiled the first national emissions and fuel economy standards for heavy vehicles on Monday [10/25/10], one of a series of regulatory steps that the Obama administration is taking in the absence of Congressional action on climate change…

“The mileage proposal, which is scheduled to become final next year after a period of public comment, will apply to tractor-trailers, buses, delivery vans, heavy pickup trucks, cement mixers and many other classes of vehicles. It will cover new vehicles manufactured between 2014 and 2018. The proposed policy would apply different standards to different vehicles, based on weight and intended use. For example, over-the-road tractor-trailers would be required to achieve a 20% reduction in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 2018. Heavy-duty pickups and vans would be subject to different gasoline and diesel fuel standards, with reductions ranging from 10 to 15%. Other work trucks would have to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 10% by 2018.”

Taxing Carbon in the U.K. and the U.S.. By David Roberts, Grist, 10/22/10. “The U.K. may have just implemented a carbon tax… The Carbon Reduction Commitment, developed by the U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change, is a scheme whereby the nation's 5,000 or so largest commercial energy consumers will be charged a fee for carbon emissions. Originally it was intended to be revenue-neutral -- the money from the fee was to be returned to participants; businesses that increased energy efficiency the most would get proportionally more money back. In effect the scheme would have operated like a feebate. However, the department just abruptly announced that the revenue from the program won't be returned to participants after all: ‘Revenue raised from the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme will be used to support the public finances (including spending on the environment), rather than recycled to participants,’ the statement said…

“Some politically savvy folks I know are convinced that carbon pricing will return to American politics, despite the recent defeat of cap-and-trade, for a simple reason: the U.S. has a problem with its long-term deficit. (Michael Levi briefly references the argument here; see also Brookings here.) As efforts to deal with the long-term mismatch between revenue and spending get serious (or perhaps, if they get serious), there's going to be a pressing need for new sources of revenue. Nobody wants to raise income taxes. Nobody wants to raise payroll taxes. One of the only remaining options is some sort of consumption tax. A carbon tax fits the bill. It could raise almost unlimited revenue and while reducing environmental externalities and enhancing energy security. Perhaps the UK's example might get deficit hawks in the U.S. thinking.”

Does the Acid Rain Strategy Work for Climate Change? By Michael Kranish, BGlobe, 10/17/10, in-depth. “Twenty years after Congress ordered huge cuts in pollution from Midwestern power plants that had long rained acidic particles on the lakes, streams, and forests of New England -- one of the most controversial environmental laws in the nation’s history -- …pollution has been halved, and at far less expense than expected… Politicians failed this year to pass legislation on the wider threat of global warming in large part because of Republican ridicule of the bill’s ‘cap-and-trade’ approach -- capping emissions and letting companies trade credits earned by cutting pollution. Yet it was a similar strategy, devised by a Republican president, that solved the acid rain puzzle.” Editor’s Note: There are definitely important lessons to be learned from the reduction of acid rain from coal-burning power plants. However, the sources of CO2 and other greenhouse gases are far more pervasive and harder to regulate. CCC believes that it is a reach to conclude that the same cap-and-trade approach would work with similar results with climate change. There is little indication that this approach used in the Kyoto Protocol has reduced emissions in any significant way.

San Francisco Watches Its Waste Line.By Matt Baume, Grist, 10/12/10. “In San Francisco, garbage is treated like a resource that shouldn't be wasted. And that means formulating a plan to reduce the city's garbage output to zero... thanks to the country's toughest mandatory recycling and composting laws, the amount of refuse that San Francisco diverts to recycling and compost is nearing 80%, and keeps on climbing each year… San Francisco's zero-waste quest was touched off by AB 939, a 1989 law that required California towns to divert 50% of their trash away from landfills. Inspired, San Francisco decided it could do even better.

"Randy Hayes, then president of San Francisco's Commission on the Environment, saw a unique opportunity. The city worked with its exclusive waste hauler, Norcal Waste Systems (since rebranded as Recology) to run a dozen experimental pilot programs, augmented by community outreach meetings and teams dispatched to train businesses and residents. In 2000, a three-stream system was established: blue bins for recycling, green for compost, and black for landfill… Hayes said, ‘The planet's survival depends on our ability to reuse resources… Waste is something we need to virtually eradicate from our society.’”

Climate Change Hotly Debated in Colorado Senate Race. By Scott Streater, Greenwire, 10/7/10. “Tea party politics has caught fire in Colorado, where Sen. Michael Bennet (D), the Democratic successor to former senator and now-Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, is being pushed to the brink by GOP challenger and tea party favorite Ken Buck. Bennet, a Yale-educated lawyer who has never won elected office -- he was appointed by Gov. Bill Ritter (D) to finish Salazar's Senate term -- believes the government must act aggressively to reduce greenhouse gases and drive the expansion of renewable energy through tax subsidies and the use of federal land. Such positions, which largely mirror the Obama administration's policies, stand in stark contrast to Buck's small government, and some say anti-environmental, rhetoric. Among other things, Buck has openly challenged the science behind global climate change and believes the federal government should keep out of state energy policies.”

U.S, and China Blame Each Other for Slow Climate Talks. By Tini Tran, AP, 10/9/10. “Modest progress at U.N. climate talks Saturday was overshadowed by a continuing deadlock between China and the United States, clouding prospects for a major climate conference in Mexico in less than two months' time. Marred by an atmosphere of mistrust, negotiations have made limited headway as the world's two largest emitters of greenhouse gases blamed each other for holding up talks. Chief U.S. negotiator Jonathan Pershing said he was disappointed by the resistance of China and other developing nations to a major issue: allowing the monitoring and verification of their efforts to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for global warming.

“‘We have made very little progress on the key issue that confronts us,’ he said. ‘These elements are a part of the deal. The lack of progress on these gives us concern about the prospects for Cancun.’ Meanwhile his Chinese counterpart, Su Wei, hit back, charging developed countries with failing to commit to substantial reductions in carbon emissions while making unfair demands of developing nations. He accused the U.S. of using the transparency issue to avoid its own responsibilities to cut emissions and provide financing and technology to poor countries.”

Interpol Takes on Emissions Fraud. By Mark Shapiro, MotherJones, 10/8/10. “In Lyon, France last month, undercover agents specializing in wildlife smuggling rubbed elbows with financial sleuths at a conference sponsored by INTERPOL intended to highlight the increasing complexity of environmental crimes and the tightening of environmental regulations in developing and developed countries… Global carbon markets, operating in countries subject to the emission restrictions of the Kyoto Protocol, have grown exponentially over the past five years, churning through more than $300 billion worth of transactions…

“The complexity of the carbon markets, which operate with ambiguous oversight, presents an array of new opportunities for fraud, noted Peter Younger, a veteran with Interpol and now in charge of the agency's enforcement of wildlife and forest protection in Africa. ‘You're talking about an international financial trade mechanism and the question is still evolving, where does the liability lie? We're still filling in our knowledge gap.’ The carbon commodities being traded, he said, are unlike any others: ‘You're obtaining not a physical entity or asset but a piece of paper.’ Take the rapid growth of interest in tropical forests serving as ‘offsets’ to companies' carbon emissions. In countries where land ownership is often disputed, the possibility for fraud is considerable, he said."

Tax on Vehicle Miles Traveled Gains Support But Raises Privacy Issues. By Saqib Rahim, ClimateWire, 10/7/10. “Last week, two former secretaries of Transportation joined a group of experts to propose the VMT [vehicles miles traveled] tax as a long-term solution for transportation funding. Currently, the federal money for roads, bridges and transit comes from a tax on gasoline. But… the tax hasn't been adjusted for inflation, so the system is going bankrupt… In a report [America’s New Transportation Agenda. PDF, 92 pp] from the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia, they acknowledged that the public will have privacy concerns about the tax, but ‘in reality, the infringement on personal privacy need not exceed that already associated with other technological conveniences such as cell phones and credit cards.’ Technology and VMT experts agree, but they say the real problem is that the devices can be configured to be far more invasive -- or at least more invasive than people are ready to accept.”

Will Pete Rouse Push for Climate Legislation? By Jonathan Hiskes, Grist, 10/1/10. "Rahm Emanuel gets blamed for the president's hands-off approach to energy legislation… [As the President's new chief of staff], Pete Rouse is stepping into the powerful role (at least through the end of the year) after an influential career as chief of staff to Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), then to Sen. Barack Obama, then as senior advisor to President Obama… Rouse is another insider/pragmatist. He's built a career on working within the limits of Washington, running Daschle's office for 19 years, then helping acclimate Obama to the halls of Congress. His record suggests he'll support the White House's continued deference to Congress in writing energy bills. But he knows his energy and climate policy. Rouse's time in Daschle's office put him in the scrum of key energy battles of the '90s...

"He put the freshman Sen. Obama in touch with experts on biofuels and energy security to help him get up to speed. And he cares about the stuff, according to Eric Washburn, who worked with him as Daschle's legislative director for 10 years. 'Pete's a pretty progressive guy in his heart,' said Washburn, who now lobbies for solar, nuclear, and gas companies. 'He feels pretty strongly about not just environmental stuff and climate change, but health care too. The thing that distinguishes Pete is that he's, more than anything, a political pragmatist.'... Using the filibuster to prevent EPA-neutering amendments could keep Obama out of difficult situations. Rouse's intimate knowledge of Congress would be an asset in that fight. 'He knows the Senate probably better than anyone in the White House, including the president,' said Daniel J. Weiss of the center-left Center for American Progress Action Fund. 'He's a very, very smart and politically savvy person ... If there is an opening, Pete Rouse can help find it and take advantage of it.'"

Obama Indicates a Piece-Meal Approach to Climate Policies. ClimateWire, 9/29/10. "President Obama's newest pledge to resume an 'urgent priority' on climate change next year could mark a new direction by Democrats that veers away from the politically hazardous effort to cut the bulk of national carbon emissions in one sprawling measure. An umbrella carbon policy failed despite a two-year attempt by the Democratic majority. Bite-size bills on electric cars, natural gas trucks and utility carbon caps might be reflective of a new strategy by Obama as he approaches midterm elections that promise to add Republican muscle to Congress.

"'One of my top priorities next year is to have an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our overreliance on fossil fuels,' Obama said in a wide-ranging interview published online Wednesday by Rolling Stone. 'We may end up having to do it in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation,' he added. 'But we're going to stay on this because it is good for our economy, it's good for our national security, and, ultimately, it's good for our environment.'"

Sen. Landrieu Blocks Approval of White House Budget Director As Protest Against Offshore Drilling Moratorium. Reuters, 9/28/10. "President Barack Obama's pick for budget chief has been blocked in the U.S. Senate by a member of his own party to protest the administration's ban on offshore oil drilling. The action by Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, means the Senate will not be able to approve Jack Lew as White House budget chief until at least mid-November, when it returns from a six-week break. Obama could temporarily appoint Lew to head the Office of Management and Budget while the Senate is out of town, which would help the administration as it tries to work out a budget for the fiscal year that starts October 1, 2011. Lew, who also headed the office under President Bill Clinton, would require Senate approval to remain on the job beyond January 2012. In a statement, Landrieu said she blocked the appointment to protest the offshore drilling ban, which the administration imposed in the wake of BP's massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."

Democrats Quash GOP Effort to Stymie EPA Climate Regs. By Robin Bravender, ClimateWire, 9/28/10. "Senate Democrats on Wednesday fended off a pre-election floor fight on a bill to thwart U.S. EPA climate regulations. Retiring Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) last night tried to bring up for a vote a bill from West Virginia Democrat Jay Rockefeller that would prevent EPA from regulating greenhouse gases from stationary sources for two years. But Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) objected to Bond's request for unanimous consent to begin debate on it. With little time remaining on this year's legislative calendar, Bond said he wanted the measure to be considered before the chamber is expected to recess later this week until after the November elections.

"Rockefeller said he is confident Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) will allow a vote on his bill this year but that it will likely occur during a lame-duck session. Reid said in June that he would allow a floor vote on the measure, but his office earlier this month declined to comment on whether he would schedule such a vote. Rockefeller has six Democratic co-sponsors for his bill and has said he expects he can round up the 60 votes needed for his bill to clear the Senate. Obama administration officials, meanwhile, have said the president would veto the bill if it reached his desk."

Marcellus Shale Fight Takes New Turn in Pennsylvania with Pipeline Mandate. By Andrew Maykuth, PhillyInquirer, 9/30/10. "In a sharp rebuke of one of the state's biggest Marcellus Shale gas drillers, Pennsylvania regulators on Thursday ordered an $11.8 million pipeline built to deliver water to Dimock Township residences whose household wells are contaminated by natural gas. In response, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., the Texas driller whose wells the state blames for the pollution, denounced the decision as 'unfounded, irrational, and capricious' and accused DEP Secretary John Hanger of 'obvious political pandering.' The atmosphere in Susquehanna County, which borders New York state north of Scranton, has become so polarized that Cabot crews now travel with uniformed escorts after an enraged Dimock resident drew a handgun on an employee."

Fish & Wildlife Service Issues Plan for Species Conservation in Climate Change Era. By Andrew Freedman, ClimateCentral, 9/28/10. "Calling global climate change 'the transformational conservation challenge of our time,' the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) issued a new climate change strategic plan on Monday, which represents a significant shift in the agency's approach to protecting species. The plan puts a heavy emphasis on the need for the federal government to work closely with state and local agencies, academia, and private groups as climate change alters the suitable habitat for many species across the country. As the plan notes, climate change is already shifting habitat and threatening species large and small, from polar bears to alpine plants.

"'In the history of wildlife conservation, the Service and the larger conservation community have never experienced a challenge that is so ubiquitous across the landscape. Our existing conservation infrastructure will be pressed to its limits -- quite likely beyond its limits -- to respond successfully,' the plan states. The agency, which is part of the Interior Department, announced several concrete measures to respond to climate change, including placing a high priority on helping species adapt to changing temperatures and precipitation patterns, and to sea level rise. The FWS plans to establish a network of regional hubs for scientific research and information sharing, to be known as Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, which will serve as a scientific research and information sharing arm of FWS and its partners. The scientific data produced from these cooperatives would be incorporated into FWS' plans to help species adapt to the effects of climate change."

Fuel-Economy Stickers Unveiled. ClimateWire, September 7, 2010. "U.S. EPA and the Department of Transportation issued two new designs for the fuel-economy stickers affixed to the windows of new cars. The designs aren't final -- they won't appear until the auto class of 2012, and the agencies have requested public input during the next two months. But the labels are distinct. One design would feature a large letter grade for a car's fuel economy and emissions levels. The other design would feature numbers: the car's miles-per-gallon score and the estimated annual cost of filling its gas tank or battery."

Cap-and-Trade Coalition Changes Focus From Climate Bill To EPA Authority. By Anne C. Mulkern, Greenwire, September 13, 2010. "A coalition thwarted in its effort to secure climate legislation will launch a campaign this week aimed at protecting what it sees as a last line of defense: U.S. EPA's ability to regulate carbon pollution. The coalition's thrust on EPA also happens as the alliance decides how it will approach the climate issue moving forward. Members of Clean Energy Works are talking about whether the group will exist in its current form or significantly retool now that it appears unlikely this Congress will act on climate or energy legislation. It is also searching for new strategies, which could include a greater emphasis at the state level. The group insists that it's not disappearing. Politico last week reported that the group planned to shut down. 'There's no question that there will be another version of this going forward,' said Maggie Fox, CEO of the Alliance for Climate Protection, the group founded by Vice President Al Gore. 'It's less about an ending and more about a semicolon. All we're going to be doing is trying to do it better.'"

Wesleyan University and the Price Carbon Campaign to Co-Host National Conference. Press Release, Price Carbon Campaign, September 13, 2010. "Wesleyan University, in conjunction with the Price Carbon Campaign, an umbrella organization of climate-policy advocates, is convening a conference to discuss and develop new approaches to pricing carbon emissions that are destabilizing Earth's climate and driving global warming. Pricing Carbon: The Wesleyan Conference will run from Friday evening, November 19, 2010, to Sunday noon, November 21. Headline speakers include climatologist Dr. James Hansen, author-activist Bill McKibben, and environmental-justice lawyer and advocate Angela Johnson Meszaros... Conference co-sponsors include the Carbon Tax Center, Citizens Climate Lobby, Progressive Democrats of America, and Climate Crisis Coalition.

"'Wesleyan University's College of the Environment was established in 2009 to help students become better stewards of our fragile Earth," said the Director of the College of the Environment, Wesleyan biology professor Barry Chernoff. 'We welcome this opportunity to co-host a national conference of scholars and advocates intent on re-energizing U.S. climate policy on the eve of the 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, beginning November 29.'... 'With the continuing failure of the cap/trade/offset mechanism to gain support in Congress, it's time for climate policy makers and concerned citizens to rethink carbon-pricing options,' said Laura Bonham, deputy director of Progressive Democrats of America. 'This conference will allow a broad spectrum of climate activists to seek a common agenda that will define the basic principles of good climate legislation, beginning with putting a clear price on carbon,' she added... Conference organizers expect three hundred participants. The public in invited to register at the www.pricingcarbon.org, info@kyotoandbeyond.org or 413-243-2556."