Policy & Law

NYC May Audit Large Buildings for Energy Efficiency

A measure before the New York City council would require buildings larger than 50,000 square feet to undergo energy audits, reports the New York Times. Buildings that underperform in the audits would be required to ...

Republican Crosses Line to Support Senate Climate Bill

The Senate climate bill may get a Republican push now that a prominent senator has offered support for a compromise bill. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who does ...

Auction Recommended for California’s Allocation of Emission Allowances

Regulation of greenhouse gas emissions in the electricity sector under a cap-and-trade system in California poses significant policy questions about how to allocate tradable emission allowances, ...

Green Energy Execs Implore Congress for Sweeping Climate Change Bill

More than one-hundred green-energy company executives went to Washington, D.C., this week to urge members of Congress to pass a sweeping climate change bill, reports ...

EU’s Reverse VAT on Carbon Offsets Intended to Reduce Fraud

To cut down on fraud in the carbon trading market, the European Union is proposing a reverse payment scheme for value added taxes (VAT) ...

UK Gives Tesco, Hilton 1-Year Passes on Buying Carbon Permits

Larger non-utility, non-manufacturer polluters in the UK are getting a one-year reprieve on having to purchase carbon offsets, reports Bloomberg. Starting in April 2011, ...

Refill Stations Challenge London’s Bottled Water Industry

London is planning to set up its first water machines at rail and bus stations this month in a move that could impact England's $2.4 billion ...

Obama Orders Federal Agencies to Set 2020 Emissions Goals

Federal agencies were given 90 days to set goals for reducing emissions by 2020. President Obama is letting each agency set its ...

Emissions Traders Oppose Senate’s Limits on Carbon Credit Imports

Restricting cheap carbon credits that can be imported from poor countries in a proposed U.S. cap-and-trade system will drive up costs for consumers, according to the ...

Tariff on Solar Imports May be Challenged

A recent decision to impose tariffs on a type of Chinese solar panels could eventually extend to other such imports, raising the cost of ...

EPA May Regulate Chemicals in Many Products

Marking a significant overhaul of the country's chemicals policies, which have been in place since 1976, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's top official outlined the ...

Dems, Republicans Debate Cap-And-Trade On Airwaves

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) of California, Chair of Senate Public Works Committee, appears on Bloomberg to discuss Kerry-Boxer cap and trade legislation....

Sierra Pacific Industries to Sell Offsets From Forest Lands

In a move that indicates commercial forest owners see financial potential from carbon markets, the largest private forest owner in California, Sierra Pacific Industries, is entering ...

Bill Would Pave Way For Green Taxi Fleets

New legislation would allow cities to create local regulations mandating energy efficiency and emissions standards for taxi fleets. Previous efforts by cities, including New York City, to ...

In Climate Row, Nike Gives Up Chamber Board Seat

While not yet willing to give up its membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Nike nonetheless sent a strong message by relinquishing ...

Hawaii, Ontario Enact Feed-in Tariffs for Renewables

Businesses in Hawaii and Ontario can adopt renewable energy technologies with greater assurance that the investments will pay off now that the state and ...

EPA to Require Large Emitters to use ‘Best Technologies’ to Reduce Emissions

In a move that could galvanize industrial opposition to cap and trade, the EPA is proposing that large emitters use the "best available" technologies to minimize ...

E-Waste Recycling Bill Floated in Senate

As more and more states institute electronics recycling programs, a U.S. Senator has proposed federal legislation that would standardize the recycling of electronics devices, reports ...

With 20% Target, Senate Climate Bill Draft Tougher on Emissions

Forthcoming climate legislation in the Senate may outdo the House effort, which called for 17 percent emission cuts from 2005 levels by 2020 ...

U.S., EU Want to Cut Cleantech Tariffs

In an effort to bring Beijing into a global climate deal ahead of the Copenhagen meeting in December, the European Union and the United States are ...