Union of Concerned Scientists
MARCH 29, 2023
According to the nonpartisan National Association of Attorneys General, a state attorney general’s job is to represent the public interest—not private, special interests—by, among other things, “enforcing federal and state environmental laws.” Here’s a roundup of what these AGs have been doing to make a bad situation worse.
Legal Planet
AUGUST 18, 2022
Production and combustion of fossil fuels imposes enormous costs on society, which the industry doesn’t pay for. One option, a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, gets the most attention but seems politically impossible. The closest we’ve ever come to a carbon tax is a limited fee on methane emissions under the new IRA law.
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Union of Concerned Scientists
APRIL 24, 2023
In an important win for climate accountability in the United States, the US Supreme Court decided that lawsuits filed in Colorado, Maryland, California, Hawai’i, and Rhode Island against fossil fuel companies including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, Suncor, and others will remain in state courts.
Legal Planet
MAY 19, 2024
(credit: PBI Actuarial Consultants) Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, in coordination with an equally myopic and partisan Florida Legislature, has approved new state legislation ( HB 1645 ) that eliminates the term “climate change” from numerous existing Florida statutes that former Republican Governor Charlie Crist signed into law in 2008.
A Greener Life
JANUARY 12, 2024
Especially since even some Republicans have begun to acknowledge the fact that renewable energy solutions are essential and that it’s time to pivot from fossil fuels — not to mention that, under the Biden administration, the US is already extracting fossil fuels at the highest rate in its history.
Legal Planet
DECEMBER 20, 2021
But climate legislation is hard , even in more favorable political settings such as California. Manchin’s financial ties to the fossil fuel industry may help explain his resistance. The effort to pass a California mandate foundered due to opposition from two directions, both centered on important Democratic political allies.
Union of Concerned Scientists
JANUARY 10, 2024
Last year’s UN climate talks, while criticized for certain shortcomings , brought into sharp focus the need for robust legal frameworks to transition from fossil fuels. It also encourages badly needed reforms inside and outside of government and will help create new political coalitions.
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