Tag: GHG emissions

The Reality of Cutting GHG Emissions by Pushing EVs

To say that the EPA’s most ambitious plan to date to cut greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from passenger vehicles has been met with skepticism is an understatement. The overriding reason is that the plan isn’t realistic. The truth is clear, according to a variety of sources, for multiple reasons. The plan On April 12, 2023, […]

Doing Business in CA May Require Mandatory GHG Emissions Reporting

California’s Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act (SB 253) was approved by the state assembly’s Committee on Natural Resources in July 2023. If passed into law, it will require U.S. companies doing business in California with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion to annually report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including supply chain disclosures, beginning with reporting […]

Washington State’s Cap-and-Invest Program

In January 2023, Washington state’s new cap-and-invest program launched, which originated from the Washington Legislature’s passage of a package of historic legislative and budget proposals to combat climate change and prepare the state for the future low-carbon economy. The Legislature provided the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) with the authority and funding to develop […]

California GHG Emissions Regulations Waiver Under Fire

Four petitions for review were filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals challenging the EPA’s reinstatement of the waiver that allows the State of California to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from motor vehicles. The case presents significant questions regarding state and federal sovereignty, and any decisions reached in the matter have the potential […]

Proposed Climate Disclosures for Federal Contractors

The Department of Defense (DoD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently proposed a rule to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to implement a requirement to ensure certain federal contractors disclose their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and climate-related financial risk and set science-based targets to reduce their […]

New Methodology Estimating the Social Cost of GHG Emissions

Due to “recent scientific advances,” the EPA has proposed a new approach to estimating the social cost of greenhouse gases (SC GHGs). SC GHGs are the estimated social harms from each incremental ton of GHG emissions released into the atmosphere. The proposal came packaged as part of a proposed rule to cut methane and other […]

More Stringent Heavy-Duty Emissions Standards on the Way

The EPA is planning more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks and large trailers in 2023, Reuters reports. In March 2022, the Agency published a proposed rule to set more stringent pollution reductions regulations applicable to heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting with model year (MY) 2027.  The vehicle types expected to be […]

Biden Gets Climate Win With IRA Passage

After passing the House and Senate, President Joseph Biden Jr. signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 into law on August 16, 2022. Although significantly pared down from its predecessor, the Build Back America bill, it is the largest federal commitment to date to address climate change. The law provides $369 billion in funding […]

EPA Must Tighten Airline GHGs

Twelve states and a coalition of environmental groups are fighting the EPA over lax greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for airlines in two different lawsuits at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. Both suits petition the D.C. Circuit Court to review the final action by the EPA entitled “Control of Air Pollution from Airplanes and […]

Federal Contractors Should Expect Climate Disclosure Rules to Become New Norm

A forthcoming proposed rule from the Biden administration will require contractors supplying goods and services to the federal government to disclose greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other climate-related risks. The rule follows similar requirements proposed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to the disclosure of climate change risks. The proposed changes to the Federal […]