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Judges Skeptical of Challenge to Proposed E.P.A. Rule on Climate Change
A panel of federal judges appeared inclined on Thursday to dismiss the first legal challenge to President Obama’s most far-reaching regulation to slow climate change. But in the arguments before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, lawyers for the nation’s two largest coal companies, more than two dozen states and the Environmental Protection Agency offered a preview of what is expected to be a protracted battle over a regulation Mr. Obama hopes to leave as his signature environmental achievement. [ read more … ]
Skeptical judges question attack on EPA’s proposed rule
Courts typically don’t entertain challenges to rules before they are finished. Previous attempts to block EPA from finalizing greenhouse gas rules — such as a 2012 bid to stop the agency from finalizing greenhouse gas rules for new power plants — were quickly dismissed. Judge Thomas Griffith, a Republican appointee, asked Lin whether there is “any case in which we have halted a proposed rulemaking.””Why in the world would we resort to an extraordinary writ?” he asked, adding that the climate regulations seemed to be going through a “garden-variety rulemaking” process. [ read more … ]
Wind power breezes back, led by Iowa and Texas
In Iowa, a center for both wind energy production and manufacturing, the sector has attracted $10 billion in cumulative investment and supports 6,000 jobs, according to AWEA. With nearly 5,700 MW of installed capacity, Iowa also receives more of its electricity from wind energy than any other state, at 28.5 percent, followed by South Dakota (25.3 percent) and Kansas (21.7 percent).
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Support for carbon tax reaches almost 70%
A large majority of Americans support taxing carbon emissions, according to polling results released yesterday, and favorability rises to two-thirds if the tax is used to send money back to households. The survey by Stanford University and Resources for the Future also found that efforts by environmental organizations to increase urgency around climate change by pointing to extreme weather isn’t working, and neither are efforts to erode people’s belief in global warming by questioning the science. “There is really no evidence here at all that the disinformation campaign has successfully, dramatically reduced confidence in environmental scientists,” said Jon Krosnick, a Stanford professor who oversaw the poll. [ read more … ]
New chairman’s first day is marked by protests, weighty decisions
Norman Bay’s first day on the job as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was repeatedly interrupted by the removal of shouting climate activists opposed to hydraulic fracturing and the agency’s approval of gas pipelines and export terminals. “Well, I guess one wouldn’t be the chairman of FERC without having to deal with protesters,” Bay said today after Ted Glick, the national campaign coordinator for the Chesapeake Climate Action Network, was removed from the commission’s meeting room in Washington, D.C. [ read more … ]
Falling costs, barriers help solar flourish in the Southeast
Some Southeastern states slowly are loosening barriers that once prevented consumers from putting solar panels on their homes and small businesses. But many say that isn’t the reason for the recent — and probably future — growth in the residential solar market. The explanation is more likely straight-up economics, solar industry advocates argue. Solar panel technology is improving, the costs are falling, and developers are installing systems more efficiently, they say. [ read more … ]
Ark. utility pushes for state’s biggest solar array
An Arkansas public utility is poised to offer its customers a choice of sun alongside its standard nuclear and hydro-powered fare, fattening the state’s super-slim solar industry. Entergy Arkansas Inc., a subsidiary of Entergy Corp., yesterday announced a 20-year power purchase agreement with solar developer NextEra Energy Resources, which will supply the company’s solar generation if a proposed 81-megawatt solar facility gets the green light from the state’s Public Service Commission. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.