Australia passes carbon tax

Australia has passed carbon tax legislation. The Gillard government led by Prime Minister Julia Gillard will now implement a plan to cut roughly 160 million tons of carbon pollution by 2020, provide tax cuts, household payments and pensions for homeowners and small businesses affected by the carbon tax, and, as Gillard said in a statement on its passage, this all represents “a major milestone in Australia’s efforts to cut carbon pollution and seize the economic and job opportunities of the future.”

Starting July 1, $23/ton will apply to carbon, a price the Gillard government said will give businesses time to get used to the new system; a system that will affect approximately 500 of the country’s largest carbon producers. “It’s a charge on pollution,” Gillard stated, “not a tax on households or small businesses.”

6 Energy policy topics for US presidential candidates

As the US heads into the process of electing its next President, many subjects and issues will be debated. While climate change may not be the defining issue of the moment in the USA, given the long term importance of the subject it would be useful to understand how the various candidates for office might seek to shape the energy and climate policy landscape through this decade. The climate issue will almost certainly come back to confront a President in office through to 2017 and is probably inescapable for a candidate with ambition to serve through to 2021.

US Supreme Court grants authority once again to the EPA, despite lobbyist efforts

By Donna Artusy; Cleantech Law Partners

The Supreme Court decision in Massachusetts v. US EPA 549 U.S. 497 (2007) is once again stirring up friction between utilities companies and Congress. The 2007 decision reaffirmed the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, under the power of the Clean Air Act passed in 1963.

Even in the recent June 20, 2011 decision by the Supreme Court in American Electric Power v. Connecticut (docket no. 10-174) the Justices dismissed the suit that contested the right for the EPA to determine the regulations regarding climate change and emissions. Thus, the EPA will continue to hold jurisdiction, so to speak, in regards to what state utilities companies are permitted to do.

CA groundbreaking climate law put on hold

A San Francisco superior court judge has put California's sweeping plan to curb greenhouse gas pollution on hold, saying the state did not adequately evaluate alternatives to its cap-and-trade program.

In a 35-page decision, Judge Ernest H. Goldsmith said the Air Resources Board had failed to consider public comments on the proposed measures before adopting the plan, which affects a broad swath of the state's economy.

Regulation of climate emissions heads to the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court said Monday it would consider a key global warming case over the right of US states to regulate carbon emissions as a "public nuisance."

In a move that could significantly impact the US approach to fighting climate change, the top court in the coming months will consider a lower ruling that allows states and environmental groups to sue utility companies under federal public nuisance law to make them reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

California voters protect the state's strong climate change law

The fight over Proposition 23, the ballot initiative to suspend California's global warming law, "will definitely be a David versus Goliath battle," Steve Maviglio, spokesman for the opponents told a reporter in September. "Our slingshot versus their oily club."

From the get-go, that's how environmentalists characterized their struggle against Prop. 23 which, based on early returns, appears to be resoundingly defeated. (UPDATE 11:55 pm: The Prop 23 campaign conceded defeat, as with more than 3.5 million votes counted, the measure was being rejected by more than 59% of voters)

EPA's efforts to regulate CO2 challenged in court

The Obama administration's move to curb greenhouse gases using the Environmental Protection Agency has drawn legal challenges from more than 90 companies and trade associations, giving the courts another opening to shape U.S. climate policy in the absence of legislative action.

New law could make Australia's Capital Territory carbon neutral by 2060

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The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Labor Government said today that it will set targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020, and 80% by 2050, based on 1990 levels. The announcement of the plans to enact tough carbon cutting laws comes after a national election that punished the ruling Labor party over lack of action on climate change.  ACT, which includes the capital Canberra, said its Climate Change and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Bill 2010 would set a target of cutting carbon emissions by 40 percent by 2020 from 1990 levels.