Policy & Law

Peabody, Exxon Accused of Undermining Climate Talks

Negotiations for a new climate treaty in Copenhagen this December are being blocked by a multi-national backlash led by fossil fuel industries and other heavy ...

China Pushes for CO2 Storage, Not Emissions Reductions

The head of the U.S. delegation at U.N. climate talks in Barcelona this week says China should cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, ...

Electronics Industry Lawsuit Called ‘Attack on States’ Rights’

As the electronics industry continues its lawsuit against New York City's e-waste recycling law, a number of state and local government representatives have signed ...

One Committee Down for Senate Climate Bill, Five More to Go

All seven Republicans in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee boycotted voting on the Senate climate bill, allowing the bill pass to pass ...

EU Poised to Give Heavy Industry Free Carbon Permits

European industries including metals, building materials, textiles and ceramics will benefit from free carbon permits, starting in 2013, under the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme. Operators in those ...

U.S. Cap-and-Trade Creates Winners and Losers among Largest Emitters

Under the Kerry-Boxer cap-and-trade bill, ExxonMobil would face an annual charge of $5.9 billion to purchase carbon allowances, while electricity giants like Exelon and Pacific Gas ...

Partisan Bickering Puts Climate Bill in Jeopardy

A key U.S. Senate panel, controlled by Democrats, will begin debating a climate change bill this week despite a planned boycott by minority Republicans who demand ...

Forests Carbon Offsets Endangered by New UN CO2 Credit Plan

Some forest carbon-dioxide credits under a new UN forestry climate agreement may be worth less after text that protected forests was removed last month, according to ...

Chesapeake Energy Changes Natural Gas Drilling Over Water Concerns

Due to environmental concerns over safe drinking water, Chesapeake Energy Corp. has agreed not to drill for natural gas within the New York City ...

U.S. Airlines Lobby Feds to Oppose Global Aviation Emissions Tax

The Air Transport Association fired off a letter to Todd Stern, the U.S. Climate Change Envoy, requesting that the U.S. stand against a ...

Carbon Registry Bolstered by Credit Transfer System

The Voluntary Carbon Standard registry system is now able to transfer carbon emission offsets across different registries, after several months of delays due to technical ...

Global Climate Talks Set Carbon Offsets in Motion, Market May Quadruple by 2015

The success of the emerging global carbon market rests on the outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Conference in December, according to a report from market researcher ...

EPA Orders Pesticides Tested for Hormone Effects

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has ordered the first test for pesticide chemicals to be screened for their potential effects on the endocrine system. Endocrine ...

Senate Democrats Pushing For Climate Bill Markup Next Week

Despite Republican pleas to slow down on the Senate climate bill, Democrats on the Environment and Public Works Committee are hoping to mark up ...

Canadian Boreal Forests Emerge As Viable Carbon Sink

In northern Canada, an area twice the size of California stores the equivalent of 27 years worth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Now, Canadian ...

PG&E Expands Net Metering, California Solar Producers Jump For Joy

Solar advocates in California say that a recent move by Pacific Gas & Electric to expand net metering will encourage ...

EPA to Regulate Mercury Emissions, May Tag Coal Ash ‘Toxic’

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is considering labeling coal ash as toxic waste, while the agency moves to regulate mercury emissions at coal-fired power plants. The ...

Keeping Climate Momentum Up, Obama Woos Business Execs

To rally support for cap-and-trade legislation and other climate bill aspects, President Obama met with more than 100 business executives at the White House ...

Senate Tries to Get Past Hot Air in Climate Hearings

With the Senate set to wrap up three days of hearings on the climate bill Oct. 29, stakeholders on all sides of the debate are ramping ...

Federal Grants to Spur Clean-Tech, Smart Grid Innovations

The Obama Administration has released billions of dollars under the federal stimulus act to drive technological innovation in the areas of clean technologies and smart-grid networks. The ...