The European Union is considering removing a rule that—in the effort to meet international carbon-reduction goals—has been defining wood pellets as “carbon-free” fuels. That special elevation of wood pellets has made their production a thriving industry in the United States, which exports substantial amounts of wood pellets to England and other parts of Europe. However,…
Category: Jane Shaw Stroup
Why the Supreme Court Reined in the EPA
On June 30 the Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, decided that the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, a major change in the way carbon dioxide from power plants would be regulated, had exceeded the agency’s authority. (The plan had not gone into effect, partly because of multiple legal challenges, which ended on Thursday.)…
Stanford’s New Sustainability School Gets Heat for Welcoming Funds from Fossil Fuel Companies
John Doerr, a venture capitalist who made billions of dollars in the tech industry, is giving $1.1 billion to Stanford University to set up a school for sustainability. It is the largest-ever gift to Stanford. Wrote David Gelles in the New York Times: “The school, to be known as the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability,…
Update: Sweeping California Legislation Will Keep a Ban on Styrofoam Off the Ballot
July 2, 2022 Update: Governor Gavin Newsom signs what Waste Dive calls “the most ambitious extended producer responsibility bill for packaging in the U.S.” The California legislature is trying to head off a ban-polystyrene initiative this fall. It is crafting legislation that would require 20 percent of the state’s polystyrene (the lightweight plastic with the…
Reality Check: Coal Will Be Around for Awhile. A Long While.
“If you think the world is moving beyond coal, think again,” writes Robert Bryce in RealClearEnergy. India and China plan to increase their coal production by 700 million tons in the next two years. In comparison, total U.S. annual coal production is only 600 million tons. He writes: “In April, China announced it will increase…