Online Articles

Smoke from Taylor Creek Fire in 2018, as seen from just outside of Grants Pass, Oregon. USFS/Darren Stebbins.

Dual Hazards of Homelessness and Climate Change

March 7, 2024 by Kayla Minton Kaufman Climate change Public Lands State and Local

Climate change and the legal punishment of homelessness together create intersecting hazards. Homelessness, therefore, is a community issue and an environmental issue.

Field of solar panels absorbing sun to generate energy.

The Villars Framework: Can International Trade Break Its Own Climate Curse?

March 1, 2024 by Kennedy Pivnick Climate change International Sustainability

Aligning trade policies with environmental objectives is imperative to efforts to address the mounting global climate crisis. The Villars Framework offers a groundbreaking approach to environmentally-conscious trade policy.

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.

View from Main Street in Ludlow. Source: Joe Shlabotnik, https://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/16166710787, no changes made.

Slopes Submerged: Understanding and Addressing Flooding in Ludlow

February 8, 2024 by Nicholas Alois Climate change Regulations State and Local

Last summer, Ludlow, Vermont, experienced devasting flooding after several inches of rain fell in the area in one day. In this article, Nicholas Alois discusses the flood’s impact on the community, the long rebuild process, and recommended flood prevention and mitigation efforts moving forward.

Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve Board Building, Washington, D.C.

Basel III: Endgame and Tax Equity Investments: Risk Allocation in Green Energy and Climate Change

February 7, 2024 by Andrew Lloyd Bellah Climate change Regulations

Proposed changes to regulations affecting banks in the United States could potentially jeopardize wind, solar and other renewable energy projects that have relied on tax-equity financing to get off the ground, drawing criticism to regulators charged with the long-term stability of the financial system. The proposed rules, which require banks to hold greater reserves against direct investments in clean energy projects, play into a broader debate over whether a transition to sustainable energy and mitigating the existential risk of climate change fall within the purview of the Fed and other financial regulators.

The cattle industry, a major polluter, seems a natural target for more aggressive environmental regulation.

What’s for Dinner? The Environmental Regulatory Landscape Provides a Battleground for States to Fight Over the Meat Industry

January 5, 2024 by Eli Merkadeau Climate change Regulations State and Local

Against the backdrop of a Supreme Court highly skeptical of agency action, the meat industry has seen legislation from both states seeking environmental improvements and states looking to support their meat producers. Given the Court’s willingness to defer to impactful state legislation, states may be allowed to duke it out and try to exert control over the production of meat and meat alternatives on a national level.

Lush community garden tucked between colorful homes.

Thinking – and Acting – Expansively to Fight Climate Change

November 20, 2023 by Rachel Garwin Climate change State and Local Sustainability

Can broadening visions for climate action and building solidarity across social movements protect against climate anxiety and encourage the urgent emissions reductions needed by the end of the decade?