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Fossil Fuels vs. Renewables: A Price on Reliability?

Union of Concerned Scientists

Since companies and policymakers do not want to pay a lot to ensure reliability, they both subscribe to the theory that the law of supply and demand will provide an adequate supply at a low cost. Consider what happened in New York City and northern New Jersey when Hurricane Sandy struck in 2012. That can prove disastrous.

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Western Wildfires are Burning Through Local and State Budgets 

Union of Concerned Scientists

For years, fossil fuel companies have socialized the costs of their pollution while privatizing the benefits. Since local and state governments are on the frontlines of paying for worsening wildfires, they should also be on the leading edge of holding fossil fuel companies accountable. Source: Statista 2023.

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America’s Leading Environmental Court

Legal Planet

The state court on the cutting edge of environmental law is a long way from the major population and media centers, which may be one reason it doesn’t get much attention. The Hawaiian Supreme Court has been forging new paths in environmental law that may lead the way for other courts in years to come. It deserves more.

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Oregon Takes a Big Step Forward

Legal Planet

These laws ban new fossil fuel plants and set aggressive targets for the state’s two major utilities, requiring emission cuts of 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035 and 100% by 2040. The cuts are measured from a 2010-2012 baseline. On Wednesday, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed a package of four clean energy bills.

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Illinois Utilities Ameren and ComEd Plan for the Grid of the Future

Union of Concerned Scientists

An ambitious law that promises to accelerate the state’s clean energy transition, CEJA provides a detailed framework for greater utility transparency and accountability to update electricity distribution infrastructure to ensure a clean energy future. Illinois utilities contributed to that trend. billion to $2.2 Starting with stakeholders.

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Livestock Operations Are Responsible for Over Half of California’s Methane Emissions—Why Won’t CARB Regulate Them?

Legal Planet

CARB’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) seeks to incentivize the production and sale of alternative, lower emissions transportation fuels in order to displace conventional fossil fuels. To identify which fuels should be promoted, CARB calculates the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.

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The Real Cost of Food

Acoel

The Farm Bill is likely the most significant environmental law Congress will address this year. More detail can be found in my book, Farming for Our Future; The Science, Law, and Policy of Climate-Neutral Agriculture , and related Columbia , Harvard , NYU , and Yale Law School blogs). For example, between 2007 and 2012, 7.8