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Today we are looking at a judge ruling against the Biden administrations social cost of greenhouse gases and the Environmental Protection Agency’s latest move on a controversial Trump era public records rule.
Rachel Frazin was the editor of The Hill. Zack Budryk was the vice-president. Send us tips: [email protected] [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter: @RachelFrazin @BudrykZack.
Lets jump in.
Judge bans Biden’s use of key climate metrics
A federal court temporarily blocked the Biden administration’s use of a crucial climate accounting measure. This decision could have significant consequences for climate change regulations.
Louisiana Trump appointee Judge James Cain issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the use of the social cost of greenhouse gases, which were established under the Biden administration.
The Obama-era figures were used by the Biden administration to calculate the cost of these planet-warming gasses. However, it was temporarily restored by the Biden administration. It was expected that it would soon release its own findings.
Climate damage was given much more weight in Obama-era figures that under Trump.
Ok, but what are the social consequences of greenhouse gases? These social costs were used to quantify the climate benefits of regulation or, conversely, deregulation in agency rulemaking. For example, stricter regulations can be justified if greenhouse gas emissions are higher.
Cain’s ruling on Friday prevented agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Transportation Department from relying the findings of a White House Interagency Working Group.
The group was given the task of calculating its own values. However, it decided to use the pre-Trump figures as an interim.
He argued that the social costs directly cause harm to the states when they are used to assess oil and gas lease sales. They receive revenues from these sales.
So…now what? Bethany Davis Noll, a New York University professor of law, stated that the administration will still be allowed to present its future social cost value. This is because she said that the judge can’t rule on something which doesn’t yet exist.
She stated that agencies are largely left to calculate climate costs on their own.
Learn more about the decision.
EPA to reassess controversial FOIA rules
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), will take another look at a Trump-era rule governing public record requests.
The EPA will file a proposal to amend the text of the regulation in response to a lawsuit brought to it by public accountability and environmental groups. This was according to a settlement that it reached with the plaintiffs.
The Center for Responsibility and Ethics of Washington is one of the plaintiffs. Its website says soIt was granted the primary relief it desired.
The settlement stipulates the EPA will decide at its sole discretion what revision is proposed.
The controversial 2019 rule allowed the EPA administrator, and other officials, to withhold a part of a record that would normally have been released under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
The Freedom of Information Act obliges the government to release documents whenever requested by outsiders. Journalists and activists often use it to obtain more information about government operations.
US JOINS PLASTIC POLLUTION EFFORT
The United States is joining an effort to combat plastic pollution.
France and the White House have released a joint statement stating that they support the launch of negotiations at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) to create a global agreement to address all aspects of plastics’ lifecycle and promote a circular economy.
It stated that the agreement should contain both binding and nonbinding commitments and call for ambitious national actions plans from all countries.
ON TAP NEXT WOEEK
Tuesday
- The House Natural Resources Committee will host a HearEnvironmental justice legislation
- The Energy and Commerce Committee will be holding a Hear“Restoring Brownfield Sites to Economic Engines”
- The House Climate Crisis Committee is holding a HearGrid resilience and reliability
Wednesday
- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to vote on two nominees for EPA. It will then hold a meeting. HearBiofuels
Thursday
- The Senate Budget Committee will host a HearTitled Warrior Met and Wall Street Greed – What Corporate Raiders Are Doing to Workers & Consumers
- The House Natural Resources Committee will host a HearClimate adaptation science at U.S. Geological Survey
WHAT WAS READING
That’s all for today. Thank you for reading. Check out The HillsEnergy & Environment PageGet the latest news and coverage. We’ll see you Monday.