Online Articles

The Colonial Pipeline transports refined oil products to the East Coast.

Cybersecurity Policy Responses to the Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack

March 7, 2023 by Kimberly Wood Energy Fossil Fuels

Long lines for gas and skyrocketing retail gas prices marked May 2021 as a memorable month for automobile owners. While gasoline shortages in the early 1970s were caused by an international oil embargo, this more recent supply shortfall resulted from…

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…

Installation of a rooftop solar photovoltaic system. Image by Greens MPs via Flickr.

So Long, Solar? The Future of Net Energy Metering in California Will Soon Be Decided

October 19, 2021 by Vyasa Babu Energy Renewable Energy State and Local

By Jaclyn Lee, Staff Contributor
Word count: 745

In September 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) began its highly anticipated proceeding to reevaluate the state’s net energy metering successor (NEM 2.0) tariff. Expected no later than January 2022, the decision from the national leader in solar electricity production could have far-reaching impacts on the future of customer-owned solar generation and battery storage.

Texas street covered with snow after a storm.

Renewable Energy Framed as the Culprit of Texas Blackouts

April 20, 2021 by Lawrence Corbeille Climate change Energy Environmental Law Review Syndicate Fossil Fuels Renewable Energy

By Blake Ellis, Staff Contributor
In February 2021, the state of Texas experienced unprecedented power outages caused by severe winter storms. Conservative politicians and media were quick to blame the use of renewable energy as the culprit of the outages. The facts present a different explanation.

Extending Tax Credits for Renewable Energy Projects – Is it an effective relief under COVID-19?

January 22, 2021 by Shannon Twiss Energy Renewable Energy

By Farrah Yan, Staff Contributor

COVID-19 has brought a lot of uncertainty to renewable energy projects. Even though the government recently enacted bills to extend renewable energy tax credits, whether this relief will be effective is of a question. As Joe Biden has put great emphasis on funding clean energy projects for his upcoming term, the questions are: what are some effective methods to boost the renewable energy industry? Are these methods viable under COVID-19?

The Energy Treaty 2.0 - What Does It Mean For The European Green New Deal

October 13, 2020 by Cullen T. Bryant Energy Natural Resources Renewable Energy

By Volodymyr Ponomarov, Staff Contributor

The European Green New Deal is an environmental plan aimed at making Europe carbon-neutral by 2050.[1] In order to achieve this ambitious goal, the European Union (“EU”) initiated the revision of a number of international agreements. Among one of those agreements is the Energy Charter Treaty (“ECT”). In July and September, 2020, the European Commission and EU Member States had two rounds of negotiations at the Energy Charter Conference dedicated to the modernization of the ECT.[2] The call for the ECT’s reform was, among other things, prompted by the ECT’s purported “serious threat to Europe’s climate neutrality target and more broadly to the implementation of the Paris Agreement.”[3] 

The ECT’s modernization is important because this is the first targeted attempt to reshape the unique, legally-binding, energy-related multilateral treaty and marks a step towards compliance with the Paris Climate Accord. Additionally, modernization of the ECT provisions is relevant to U.S. companies investing in both the renewable and fossil fuel energy sectors of the ECT Member States. At this point, it is unclear how the two rounds of negotiations went and whether the actual changes are coming in the nearest future. The third round of negotiations is scheduled to take place in December 2020. This post will take a closer look at the ECT’s history, goals, and environmental standards. Furthermore, this post will address novel critiques as to its incompatibility with the Paris Climate Accord.

Don’t Let this Crisis Go to Waste

May 3, 2020 by Camilla Brandfield-Harvey Climate change Energy Natural Resources Renewable Energy

By Robert Patton, Managing Editor

The coronavirus pandemic provides a unique opportunity to address global climate change.