October 4, 2013
by Regina Cline
The U.S. Supreme Court may decide as soon as Oct. 7 whether it will hear challenges raised by states and industry groups over greenhouse gas emissions rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
September 30, 2013
by Eric J. Lyman
Whatever doubts may have existed among members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that the world’s changing temperatures are related to human activity have virtually disappeared, according to a final draft report released Sept. 30 by an IPCC working group.
September 27, 2013
The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing Oct. 1 to consider a bill that would implement an agreement between the U.S. and Mexico to allow for the development of oil and gas reservoirs that cross the international maritime boundary between the two countries in the Gulf of Mexico (S. 812).
September 23, 2013
by Andrew Childers
The Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to require new coal-fired power plants to install carbon capture systems as part of its carbon dioxide new source performance standards threw a spotlight on Southern Co.’s Kemper power plant project.
by Anthony Adragna
Senior Republicans and several coal state Democrats appear poised through legislation to do battle over newly announced carbon emissions limits for future power plants.
September 20, 2013
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power is expected to hold a hearing the week of Sept. 23 on the Environmental Protection Agency's proposed rule issued under the Clean Air Act to control carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants.
September 13, 2013
The Senate is expected to continue its consideration of an energy efficiency bill Sept. 16. The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1392) was stalled last week over Republican efforts to block health provisions of the Affordable Care Act, largely referred to as Obamacare.
September 6, 2013
While the Senate pushes aside floor consideration of an energy efficiency bill the week of Sept. 9 to debate military action in Syria, the Environmental Protection Agency's plan to use the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants will take center stage on the energy and climate front.
August 23, 2013
President Obama's Climate Change Plan will be among the issues Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will discuss Aug. 26 in New York at an event hosted by the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Moniz, in remarks covered in a May 22 Energy and Climate Reportarticle, said addressing climate change will be one of the Energy Department's top priorities. “Moving forward on climate, I think, is enormously important and, frankly, was in some sense the clincher for me certainly to want to come back [to DOE] and be part of advancing the agenda,” he said. “Clearly, this department is in the middle of it.”
August 16, 2013
by Andrea Vittorio
The growing green building industry in the United States is projected to account for more than half of all commercial and institutional construction by 2016, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) said in a new report.
The capture of methane from mines and the cultivation of rice to offset heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions will be discussed Aug. 19 at a California Air Resources Board workshop in Sacramento. Under CARB's economywide cap-and-trade program, offset credits may be used by companies to meet greenhouse gas remission caps through reductions occurring outside their facilities.
August 9, 2013
Greenhouse gas emission allowances will be up for sale in California as the Air Resources Board holds its fourth quarterly auction Aug. 16 as part of its economywide cap-and trade program. As detailed in an Energy and Climate Report article, during the last auction of vintage 2013 allowances that was held May 16, 14.5 million were sold at a settlement price of $14 a ton. The price was up slightly from the Feb. 19 auction's clearing price of $13.62 a ton and the $10.09 settlement price in the initial sale last Nov. 19.
August 2, 2013
While Congress has left Washington, D.C., for its August recess, New York will hold a “pre-proposal session” Aug. 7 on a request for bids for a study on how lower Manhattan can be protected by the impacts of climate change through the development of a “Seaport City.”
August 1, 2013
by Ari Natter
The authors of bipartisan energy efficiency legislation introduced a dramatically scaled-back version of the bill July 30. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) have struck from the bill a title that would have established a program to finance commercial building efficiency improvements "due to late concerns raised."
July 26, 2013
A 34 percent reduction in the Environmental Protection Agency's budget in a spending bill that is viewed by Republican sponsors as intended to "serve as a check" on the agency's ability to regulate industry may be considered by the House Appropriations Committee the week of July 29. As detailed in a July 23 Energy and Climate Report article, while Republicans claim that such spending cuts are necessary to address the federal government's nearly $17 trillion debt, Democrats call the cuts an "industry wish list" in that riders would prevent EPA from moving forward with Clean Air Act regulations to control carbon dioxide emissions from existing and new power plants, along with many other environmental initiatives.
July 24, 2013
Congressional hearings are frequently a matter of theater. Democrats and Republicans hand pick witnesses to bolster the case they choose to make and then try to catch the opposition's experts with a series of gotcha questions.
July 19, 2013
Both Houses of Congress are expected to turn their attention in the week ahead to amending or repealing the renewable fuel standard. While the Senate has not set a hearing date as of July 19, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold hearings July 23-24 on "An Overview of the Renewable Fuel Standard: Stakeholder’s Perspectives."
July 12, 2013
... The Senate may hold a vote as soon as July 16 on Gina McCarthy, President Obama's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency. As detailed in a July 11 Energy and Climate Report article, the date was announced after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) filed a cloture motion for McCarthy and six other stalled nominees for federal positions. As he filed for cloture, Reid threatened to move forward with the so-called nuclear option changing Senate rules to allow nominations to be confirmed with just 51 votes—if Republicans try to block the nominations. Reid took to the Senate floor July 11 complaining that Republican obstructionism has been holding up nominees, including McCarthy, who was nominated by Obama more than four months ago.
July 8, 2013
The Week Ahead blog covering the week of July 8 will not be published. The next blog will be cover the week of July 15.
June 28, 2013
President Obama this week unveiled a broad national plan for addressing climate change that would regulate carbon emissions from both new and existing power plants for the first time.
As Lithuania begins its six-month term July 1 as president of the Council of the European Union, leaders of the Baltic country say ensuring affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy will be high on the agenda. Holding the Council presidency means setting agendas and steering debates on mainly budgetary, economic, and societal matters for member countries, which will now number 28 after Croatia’s ascension, effective July 1.
June 21, 2013
President Obama plans to lay out his vision of what the United States must do to address and adapt to climate change in a June 25 speech at Georgetown University. "We need a national plan to reduce our emissions and prepare our country for the impacts of climate change," Obama said June 22 in a White House video. He said the United States needs to lead global efforts to fight climate change and called for a new clean energy economy.
June 14, 2013
Energy Department Secretary Ernest Moniz will testify June 18 before the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee on DOE's science and technology priorities. As detailed in a May 21 Energy and Climate Report article, Moniz, who formerly headed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's energy program, said his agenda, among other things, will include promoting “American leadership” in science and clean energy technology innovation.
June 7, 2013
Christopher Grundler, director of EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality, was seeking a little clarification June 5 when Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) insisted that implementing the renewable fuel standard will cause an impending economic “train wreck.”
A defense funding bill that includes controversial restrictions on the Pentagon's ability to produce and procure biofuels unless their cost is "equivalent to conventional fuels" is expected to be brought to the House floor the week of June 10. As detailed in a June 6 Energy and Climate Report article, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal year 2014 (H.R. 1960) would also prohibit the military from pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) efficiency building standards unless the investment is fully offset by the amount of energy conserved.
June 6, 2013
[BNA’s climate blog has taken a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to Hawaii and U.S Affiliated Pacific Islands, regions covered in the assessment include the Southeast and Caribbean, Great Plains, Northeast, Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, and Alaska and the Arctic.] Sea-level rise, ocean acidification, and other stressors related to climate change likely will force populations living in low-lying areas in Hawaii and on other Pacific Islands to migrate to higher elevations and continents, according to the draft National Climate Assessment.
May 31, 2013
International U.N. climate negotiations will resume June 3 in Bonn with a goal of establishing a pathway for an agreement in 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The talks, which will run through June 14, are the last formal negotiations before the 19th Conference of the Parties (COP-19) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change that will take place in Warsaw, Poland, Nov. 11-22. At last year's COP-18 summit in Doha, Qatar, negotiators agreed to launch two "work streams" on the scope and structure of a global deal that would require all nations to commit by 2015 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement would go into effect in 2020 after ratification.
May 24, 2013
As Congress takes its Memorial Day recess in the week ahead, the California Energy Commission will hold a workshop May 30 on electricity and natural gas demand forecasts for 2014-2024. The...
May 23, 2013
The Global Reporting Initiative, the organization that develops the most widely used sustainability reporting framework in the world, released an updated version of the guidelines May 22. The G4...
May 21, 2013
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to Alaska, regions covered in the assessment include the Southeast and Caribbean, Great Plains, Northeast, Northwest, Midwest, Southwest, Alaska and the Arctic, and Hawaii and U.S. Affiliated Pacific States.]Climate change in Alaska, which is melting Arctic sea ice, thawing permafrost, eroding coastlines is forcing the coastal village of Newtok to relocate to safer ground, according to the draft National Climate Assessment.
May 17, 2013
House Republican leaders plan to bring a bill to fast-track the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline to the floor for a vote the week of May 20 before Congress heads home for its Memorial Day recess.
May 15, 2013
Despite public pleas from President Obama for legislative action on climate change this year, Congress is not moving quickly on legislation and prospects for passage remain dim in the...
May 3, 2013
The Department of Defense, once known as one of the nation’s largest polluters, is turning to sustainability to reduce ballooning energy costs and the logistical risks of transporting fuel in combat zones.
April 26, 2013
Walmart added nearly 100 renewable energy projects in 2012 and now has more than 280 globally, a company sustainability executive said April 24.
This year's first full round of U.N. climate change negotiations will take place April 29-May 3 in Bonn amid hopes that negotiators will make progress toward reaching an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beginning in 2020.
April 19, 2013
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to the Northwest, regions covered in the assessment include the Southeast and Caribbean, Great Plains, Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, Alaska and the Arctic, and Hawaii and U.S. Affiliated Pacific States.]
The Senate may hold a floor vote the week of April 22 on whether to confirm nominee Ernest Moniz to be Department of Energy Secretary. He is expected to be confirmed. As detailed in an April 18 Energy and Climate Report article covering his approval by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Moniz said he supports renewable energy as well as the nation's "stunning" boom in domestic natural gas and oil production. Moniz, who serves as head of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Energy Program, said if confirmed, he would help implement a broad review of national energy policy that likely would affect DOE's research and development budget. ...
April 12, 2013
Legislation to circumvent the need for presidential approval of the Keystone XL pipeline to carry oil derived from Canadian tar sands to refineries in Texas is expected to be marked up by the House Energy and Commerce Committee the week of April 15. As detailed in an April 4 Energy and Climate Report article, the Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3) has been put on the fast track, with a floor vote expected before the Memorial Day recess in May.
April 11, 2013
The ethanol and petroleum industries have traditionally been at odds over EPA’s renewable fuel standard, but the adversaries found themselves on the same page when they both asked the agency this week to reduce the cellulosic ethanol blending requirement for 2013.
April 8, 2013
Climate change poses a significant risk to water, which is the most “precious” resource in the Southwest, according to the draft National Climate Assessment. The region also will continue to be plagued by an increasing number of wildfires posing increased risks to communities across extensive areas.
April 5, 2013
President Obama's nominees to head the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency will testify April 9 and April 11, respectively, during Senate confirmation hearings. Ernest J. Moniz, a nuclear physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is slated to replace DOE Secretary Steven Chu. Gina McCarthy, EPA assistant administrator for air and radiation, was nominated to take over for EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.
March 29, 2013
While Congress remains out of session for the second week of the spring state and district work period, the Environmental Protection Agency faces an April 5 deadline set by the House Energy and Commerce Committee to explain what climate change actions it expects to take during the rest of President Obama's second term.
March 22, 2013
With the U.S. Congress out of session on spring state and district work periods until April 8, the energy and climate focus for the week of March 25 will be on a high-level international meeting on aviation emissions, an Environmental Protection Agency seminar on energy efficiency subsidies, and a meeting in California to discuss sea-level rise.
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to the Great Plains, regions covered in the assessment...
March 15, 2013
...
March 8, 2013
On March 14, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing on “America’s Onshore Energy Resources: Creating Jobs, Securing America, and...
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to the Midwest, regions covered in the assessment...
March 5, 2013
What’s the "hook" some sustainability professionals at large companies use to get buy-in from c-level executives in support of climate change initiatives? Well for Gwen Migata, vice president of...
March 1, 2013
February 25, 2013
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to the Southeast and Caribbean, region, the...
February 22, 2013
If Congress fails to reach a deal by March 1 to prevent automatic federal spending cuts, vital environmental and energy programs would be jeopardized, according to Environmental Protection Agency...
February 15, 2013
California’s second quarterly greenhouse gas emissions auction under the nation’s first economywide cap-and-trade program will be held Feb. 19. The upcoming auction, and the remaining ones to be held May 16, Aug. 16, and Nov. 19, will offer 56.8 million allowances for sale for use between 2013 and 2020 and another 38.2 million for use beginning in 2016.
February 8, 2013
President Obama will give his State of the Union address Feb. 12, with many in the environmental arena expecting climate change to be included in his remarks. In the Senate, currently controlled by Democrats, an auditorium-style briefing on climate change will be held Feb. 13, showcasing four prominent climate scientists. A question-and-answer session will follow. On Feb. 12, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will reconvene a business meeting to go over its two-year oversight plan.The panel plans to increase oversight of the Obama administration's efforts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Plans also call for reviewing climate activities under the Energy Department and other departments, including those to prepare for and respond to weather events and natural disasters in the future.
February 1, 2013
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power will hold a hearing Feb. 5 on “American Energy Security and Innovation: An Assessment of North America’s Energy Resources.” As...
January 30, 2013
[In the weeks ahead, BNA’s climate blog will take a closer look at U.S. regions covered in the draft National Climate Assessment. In addition to the Northeast, regions covered in the...
January 25, 2013
How the United States can increase domestic energy production will be a major component of a "blueprint" for energy legislation expected to be released the week of Jan. 28 by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), ranking Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The blueprint, which will include "concepts for discussion" rather than specific provisions, will be circulated among Republicans for their input, she said. Murkowski's remarks, along with comments over potentially exporting U.S. liquefied natural gas to Japan, are covered in a Jan. 23 World Climate Change Report article. To overcome partisan gridlock, Murkowski said she has been meeting with committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and House counterparts, including Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to determine if energy legislation can be approved by both chambers within the next two years.
January 18, 2013
With the inauguration of President Obama Jan. 21 and the start of the 113th Congress, the spotlight will likely grow on whether the United States will increase its focus on climate change. As outlined in a World Climate Change Report 2013 Outlook article on U.S. climate legislation, Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) both pledged action on climate change in the days following the November elections, which appeared to give new life to several approaches, from modest bills to bolster energy efficiency and renewable energy to possible resurrection of a proposal to tax the carbon content of fuel. However, with Republicans maintaining control of the House though 2014, observers do not expect passage of any broad climate legislation.
January 11, 2013
Disasters--including drought, hurricanes, andwildfires--and the environment will be the theme of the 13th National Council on Science and the Environment conference Jan. 15-17 in Washington, D.C. A plenary session Jan. 16 will cover climate change, which some observers say may be exacerbating or increasing the likelihood and intensity of such disasters.
January 4, 2013
Four possible scenarios of global sea-level rise—ranging from 6 inches to 6.6 feet—that were developed by scientists for the U.S. National Climate Assessment will be discussed Jan. 9 during a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seminar in Silver Spring, Md.
December 26, 2012
Climate change issues will become more prominent in 2013 if recent developments are any indication and if efforts at the national, regional, state, and international levels continue to take shape.
December 14, 2012
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson faces a Dec. 21 deadline to turn over to a House committee information on the use of secondary email accounts to conduct agency business.
December 7, 2012
How to promote energy efficiency through tax reform and federal energy policy will be the subject of a hearing Dec. 12 by the Senate Finance Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure Committee.
November 30, 2012
U.N. climate negotiators from more than 190 countries are expected to wrap up two weeks of talks Dec. 7 in Doha, Qatar, with no major action on a 2015 global agreement.
November 23, 2012
Climate delegates from more than 190 nations will begin two weeks of negotiations Nov. 26 in Doha, Qatar, to hammer out a plan for a 2020 agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions and, for countries that remain committed to the Kyoto Protocol, to decide on a second commitment period.
November 16, 2012
The executive board for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change will meet Nov. 19-23 in preparation for two weeks of international climate negotations that begin Nov. 26 in Doha, Qatar.
A series of aerial photographs showing the Atlantic Coast before and after Hurricane Sandy reveals dramatically changed portions of shoreline extending hundreds of miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
November 9, 2012
California on Nov. 14 will hold its first auction of greenhouse gas emission allowances under its cap-and-trade program.
November 2, 2012
Hurricane Sandy's blow to New Jersey and New York has sparked renewed debate in the climate change arena, raising questions over whether it will be a factor in the Nov. 6 presidential election. ..
October 26, 2012
In addition to heavy rain, high winds, flooding, and tornadoes, coastal surges—which climate experts say are being exacerbated by sea-level rise due to global warming—are among the threats the East Coast faces from Hurricane Sandy in the week ahead.
October 25, 2012
Efforts to roll back state policies requiring utilities to obtain power from wind, solar, and other renewable sources largely failed in legislative sessions across the country this year, according to information compiled by analysts who track state incentives.
October 20, 2012
More than 120 experts in Florida on sea level rise want President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney to address climate change during the third and final presidential debate Oct. 22 in...
October 12, 2012
Will a question concerning climate change be posed Oct. 16 during the second presidential debate in New York on foreign and domestic issues? Maybe. The debate, to be held in a town-hall format at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., will feature undecided voters selected by the Gallup Organization to ask questions on foreign and domestic issues. Each candidate will be given two minutes to respond.
October 5, 2012
The European Union is expected to endorse legislation Oct. 8 designed to reduce energy consumption and meet greenhouse gas reduction goals. The legislation is part of the European Union’s “20-20-20” plan that calls for a 20 percent reduction in energy use via energy efficiency measures, a 20 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels, and a 20 percent renewable energy target, all by 2020. If approved, the measure would have to be implemented into national legislation by EU countries within 18 months.
October 1, 2012
The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change will host its second workshop on long-term financing of climate change initiatives Oct. 1-3 in Cape Town, South Africa. As detailed in a...
September 21, 2012
Bloomberg BNA will livestream the 2012 GreenGov Symposium, organized by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Association of Climate Change Officers, Sept. 24-25, beginning with the opening day plenary session at 8:45 a.m. ET. The symposium, being held in Washington, D.C., will feature officials from government, the private sector, nonprofits, and academia who will discuss opportunities to expand clean energy use, curb pollution, and incorporate other sustainable practices into the federal government's operations.
Southern Co.'s Kemper Plant Comes to the Fore with EPA’s Carbon Dioxide Proposal
The Week Ahead: Senate to Consider Bill to Implement U.S.-Mexico Agreement Over Oil and Gas Development
Members of Congress Draw Battlelines Over New Power Plant Regulations
IPCC report sparks strong calls for action but doubts persist on prospects for change
The Week Ahead: Supreme Court May Decide on Whether to Hear Greenhouse Gas Case