Environmental

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First Ozone Season Under the CSAPR Update Rule Begins Amid Uncertain Market Conditions

This month marks the official start of the 2017 ozone season. 22 eastern U.S. states will have to comply with much tighter emission budgets than over the last two ozone seasons. Emission budget reductions for CSAPR states, required by the EPA as part of the 2016 CSAPR Update Rule, have created very delicate market conditions […]

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New EPA under President Trump: Obama-Era Regulatory Rollbacks are in Full Swing

After last month’s issue of the long-awaited Executive Order (EO) on “Promoting Energy Independence” (see March Newsletter), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headed by Administrator Scott Pruitt is in full force to undo some of the regulations supporting the “War on Coal.” As part of his EO issued last month, President Trump requested that the […]

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President Trump Issues Long-Awaited Executive Order on “Promoting Energy Independence”

On March 28, President Trump signed a highly anticipated Executive Order that will significantly impact future and existing environmental regulations. While media rumors regarding the content of the Executive Order were for the most part correct, the implications of this administrative action remain to be seen. President Trump’s “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and […]

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No CPP, No Problem

To keep in line with the twists and turns of the fate of EPA’s Clean Power Plan, one of the highest-profile environmental regulations to come out of the Agency, which aims to reduce U.S. power sector CO2 emissions by more than 30% by 2030 below 2005 levels, the November 8 presidential election was no different. […]

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How the Trump Administration could change the Environmental Regulatory Landscape

On November 8, 2016, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump achieved one of the biggest political surprises in the history of presidential elections. This month’s newsletter examines what short- and long-term impacts the incoming administration can have on the environmental regulatory landscape over the next four years. During the election, candidate Trump discussed repealing environmental laws […]

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EPA’s 2016 CSAPR Seasonal NOx Update Rule and its Effect on Coal Generation

On September 7, 2016 the EPA finalized an update to its Cross-State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) ozone season program. The CSAPR Update Rule adjusts state budgets to maintain the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Ozone (75 ppb). While state budgets have increased for most states from the proposed rule, some states and […]

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The CPP Goes to Court: Update on the litigation of EPA’s Clean Power Plan

After months of anticipation, EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) – one of the most watched environmental regulations coming out of Washington, DC – finally had its first day in court on September 27. This newsletter summarizes the Clean Power Plan and the legal issues at stake, previews the remaining schedule for the litigation, and highlights […]

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New York’s Clean Energy Standard puts the state (back) at the forefront of fighting Climate Change

On August 1, 2016, New York’s Public Service Commission presented the Clean Energy Standard (CES). New York’s latest policy achievement to combat climate change will require 50% of the state’s 2030 electricity consumption to come from renewable energy sources and provide financial incentives to at-risk upstate nuclear power plants for their carbon-free electricity. The 50 […]

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Trouble All Around: Results from the California Cap & Trade program’s latest auction hints at worrisome future

California’s cap-and-trade program, established under Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32) by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, which aims to reduce California’s GHG emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, is facing significant legal, political, and financial troubles. The latest cap-and-trade allowance auction held in May displays worrisome results. Of the almost 78 million allowances available in the auction, […]

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