Global Push to Phase Out HFCs: US leaders and those from more than 100 other countries called for an early phase down of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), weeks ahead of a high-level Montreal Protocol meeting in Rwanda. Without additional curbs it’s estimated that HFCs, powerful greenhouse gases, can increase the global average temperature 0.5°C by 2100, necessitating an urgent phase-out to meet the Paris Agreement goals. A group of donor countries and philanthropists also committed $80 million in financial support. (News: Guardian, Economist $, The Hill, Greenwire $. Commentary: Huffington Post, Jake Schmidt op-ed)
Trump Promises Fossil Fuel Free-for-All: Republican candidate Donald Trump promised an “energy renaissance” through sweeping deregulation of the fossil fuel industry, rapid approval of new pipelines and the opening of federal lands to oil and gas production. Speaking at the Shale Insight conference in Pittsburgh — a natural gas industry event — he also promised to end the “war on coal.” Several news outlets noted that policies to encourage coal production would most hurt coal’s main fossil fuel competitor — natural gas. (News: New York Times $, LA Times $, Bloomberg, Politico Pro $, Washington Post $, Wall Street Journal $, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, NBC New York, The Hill, Inside Energy, TIME, ThinkProgress, Atlantic, CNBC, E&E News $. Commentary: Politico Pro, Elana Schor analysis $)
Obama-appointed Judge to Participate in CPP Arguments: The US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit announced the participation of Judge Nina Pillard for the September 27Clean Power Plan oral arguments. The involvement of Obama-appointee Judge Pillard, who had previously recused herself, is seen as a potential boon for the Clean Power Plan as it means there will be six judges appointed by the Democrats and four by the Republicans. In a recent blog, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said the agency “remains fully confident in [the plan’s] legal merits.” (News: Politico Pro $, The Hill, GreenWire $, UtilityDive, The Hill, GreenWire $, Bloomberg, West Virginia Public Radio. Commentary: Forbes, Mindy Lubber op-ed; Washington Post, Jonathan H. Adler column $; New Haven Register, Dan Esty op-ed; Politico Pro, Alex Guillen analysis $) |