A Free-Market Energy Blog

Archive

Posts from December 0

EPA Overlook: Improved Health & Welfare from Greenhouse Gas Emissions

By Chip Knappenberger -- July 13, 2012

“The [EPA] Proposal ignores the obvious association between increased GHG emissions and positive health and welfare benefits. GHG emissions and improving quality of life are associated because the economy runs on energy, and that energy is principally derived from fossil fuels.”

Several detailed and extensive comments were submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding their proposed Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units documenting new and influential science that the EPA did not assess when issuing the proposed standards. Instead, EPA simply deferred to their Endangerment Finding that they issued in December 2009.

As yesterday’s post pointed out, a lot is new in the rapidly evolving field of climate (change) science, and thus the EPA Endangerment Finding is getting a bit stale—or should I say becoming “endangered.”…

New Science Endangers EPA’s “Endangerment Finding"

By Chip Knappenberger -- July 12, 2012

“If the EPA were to have done that with the regulations being proposed here … it is quite likely that their original Endangerment Finding would have to be revised and potentially overturned.”

The public comment period for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed Standards of Performance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions for New Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units closed on June 25, 2012. A number of extensive comments were submitted arguing that the basis of the Endangerment Finding—that human greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations”—has become so outdated as to require a thorough re-assessment.

Strong cases were made that the EPA failed to completely consider new and influential scientific results which have a direct relevance to the impact that climate change as a result of human greenhouse gas emissions may have on the public health and welfare.…

Ignored Science, Neglected Economics: D.C. Circuit Upholds EPA Greenhouse Gas Rules

By Chip Knappenberger -- June 28, 2012

“The United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued a decision affirming EPA’s first round of greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations in all respects.”

Last year, I outlined  the case being made against the EPA’s issuance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations. The case was being brought before the Washington D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals by a group of petitioners which have become collectively known as the Coalition for Responsible Regulation, and made up of large number of businesses, business associations and several states. The petitioners argued on several different grounds that the EPA was wrong in the way that it determined that GHGs were an endangerment to the public health and welfare as well as in the manner in which it was going about issuing regulations.

Earlier this week, the Court handed down its decision—a unanimous finding in support of the EPA on virtually all counts.…

Asian Air Pollution Warms U.S More than Our GHG Emissions (More futility for U.S. EPA)

By Chip Knappenberger -- June 7, 2012

Earth Day 2012: Top 10 Positive Climate Developments

By Chip Knappenberger -- April 23, 2012

Is the EPA Endangering Public Health and Welfare by Attempting to Mitigate Extreme Weather?

By Chip Knappenberger -- April 9, 2012

Lower Climate Sensitivity Estimates: New Good News

By Chip Knappenberger -- March 19, 2012

The Climate Impact of Keystone XL? About 0.0001°C/yr

By Chip Knappenberger -- March 5, 2012

Overcoming the Climate: The Case of Malaria

By Chip Knappenberger -- February 23, 2012

Global Lukewarming: A Great Intellectual Year in 2011

By Chip Knappenberger -- January 19, 2012