Online Articles

Heavy industrial pollution leaving smokestacks in blue sky.

Has Massachusetts v. EPA Hurt the Climate?

February 23, 2024 by Diego Huerta Air Climate change Fossil Fuels Regulations State and Local

Massachusetts v. EPA is seen as an unalloyed victory for the climate movement, but over 15 years after the case was handed down, legal knock-on effects from the decision have come back to bite.

Image of Baldwin Steam Locomotive 69 on the White Pass and Yukon Route; Photo Credit: Nils Öberg, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WPYR_Steam_train_at_Glacier.JPG)

Moving Beyond Zombie Engines: New Regulations Driving Cleaner Locomotion

February 23, 2024 by Paige Kendrick Air Climate change Fossil Fuels Regulations

In the hope to leave Zombie Engines in the past, the EPA recently promulgated a new final rule on Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. In this GELR blog post, Paige Kendrick analyzes the recent changes regarding federal preemption of non-new locomotives and locomotive engines as well as steps being taken by California to reduce locomotive emissions.

Natural gas powers this home stove.

Healthy Homes for D.C.

October 30, 2023 by Kathryn Blanco Air Fossil Fuels Oil and Gas

Amid growing concern over the health and climate impacts of natural gas appliances, the Washington, D.C. council has proposed a solution with the Healthy Homes Act.

A lack of focus on carbon capture harms the global community’s ability to keep the world’s average temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

Carbon Capture: Clearing Confusion and Calling Attention

October 19, 2023 by Sera Simpson Air Climate change

Carbon capture and storage is a complicated technology whose use and value confuses many. To address this confusion, this article explains the importance of carbon capture and provides solutions to support its development.

City skyline in orange haze

Inadequate Protections for Workers In a Warming World

October 2, 2023 by Agnes Enochs Air Climate change Litigation State and Local

July 2023 was the hottest month on record. As extreme temperatures become the norm, many workers find themselves without adequate workplace protections. With heat-related deaths on the rise, more must be done to secure workers' safety in a warming world.

Picture depicting a series of airplanes, one behind the other, on a tarmac with grass on either side. An additional single aircraft, one tarmac over on the right, is also visible

The Environmental Injustice in Aviation Emissions

February 6, 2023 by Paige Kendrick Air Energy Fossil Fuels

The last few years, especially these last few months, have seen aviation emission regulation like never before. At home and abroad, the aviation industry appears to be making significant inroads relating to emissions from engines “typically used in…

Then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry advocates for the Kigali Amendment during the 28th meeting of the parties to the Montreal Protocol in 2016

The Kigali Amendment: Congress's First Approved Climate Treaty in Decades

October 31, 2022 by Megan Algya Air International Sustainability

On September 21, 2022, the Senate voted 69-27 to ratify the 2016 Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, marking the first climate treaty approved by the Senate in decades.[1] The Montreal Protocol is an international environmental agreement to phase…

Courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

We're Falling into a Ring of Fire: Taking Stock of Wildfire Liability Regimes from Varying Perspectives in the United States

March 31, 2021 by Alec Williams Air Climate change Litigation Public Lands State and Local

After a record-breaking wildfire season in 2020, lawsuits are likely to flood the dockets of federal and state courts across the United States. Wildfire liability determinations at either level can be complex, typically implicating many parties and exorbitant damage awards. However, in light of the projected impact of climate change on wildfire frequency and severity, such lawsuits may become increasingly commonplace.

By Alec Williams, Managing Editor