Bipartisan Commission Advocates New Energy and Environmental Policies

A private, bipartisan commission issued a report advocating the adoption of new national policies addressing oil security, climate change, natural gas supply, and other energy-related issues. The report was released by the National Commission on Energy Policy, which includes top industry officials, labor representatives, environmentalists, and former government officials.

DOE Issues Proposed Guidelines for Enhanced Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

The Department of Energy (DOE) published a proposed rule in the Federal Register establishing general guidelines for voluntary reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration. (68 Fed. Reg. 68203.) The rule is intended to revise the existing Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Reporting Program, which was established under 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. DOE also plans to issue a series of technical guidelines to supplement the general guidelines.

EPA Determines that it Lacks Authority to Promulgate Climate Change Regulations

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published two documents announcing its determination that it lacks authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to regulate for the purposes of addressing global climate change. In one document, EPA denied a petition requesting that it promulgate a rule addressing motor vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases under section 202(a) of the CAA (the Notice of Denial).

Carbon Dioxide Pipeline Regulation

How Long Should Obama Wait for Congress to Act on Climate Change?

Bob Nordhaus responds to the question,"How Long Should Obama Wait for Congress to Act on Climate Change?"

New Wine Into Old Bottles: The Feasibility of Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under the Clean Air Act

On November 29, 2006, Massachusetts v. EPA was argued before the United States Supreme Court. This essay, written before the decision was issued, presumes that the Court has decided that EPA was authorized or required to regulate CO2 under the CAA and explores the issues of 1) whether EPA could construct a domestic program to regulate CO2 emissions and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the statute in its present form and 2) would such a program be a comprehensive and cost-effective means of controlling such emissions?

Designing a Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reduction Program for the U.S.

The Pew Center asked report authors Robert Nordhaus of Van Ness Feldman, P.C., and George Washington University Law School, and Kyle Danish of Van Ness Feldman to examine options for designing a mandatory U.S. greenhouse gas reduction program. Three options are specifically evaluated: (1) cap-andtrade programs, (2) greenhouse gas taxes, and (3) a “sectoral hybrid” program that combines efficiency standards for automobiles and consumer products with a cap-and-trade program applicable to large sources of greenhouse gases. In addition to identifying design issues unique to each type of program, the authors evaluate the options according to the following criteria: environmental effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, administrative feasibility, distributional equity, and political acceptability.

Designing a Climate-Friendly Energy Policy

Energy use and climate change are inextricably linked. In the current national energy policy debate, choices made today will directly impact U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions far into the future. In addition, near-term energy policy decisions will affect the costs of implementing any future climate policy. This report contributes to the debate by examining a number of “climate-friendly” energy policy options for the near term—that is, policies that would advance U.S. energy policy goals during the next few decades while at the same time contributing to efforts to curb global warming.

Carbon Capture and Storage Legal Symposium

Bob Nordhaus is speaking at this event.

Carbon Markets U.S. Forum

Van Ness Feldman's Bob Nordhaus spoke on legal and legislative developments and the firm exhibited at this conference, the first such event in the U.S. for leading global greenhouse gas media outlet and market advisory service Point Carbon.