The D.C. Circuit granted in part and denied in part a petition challenging EPA's update to the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule. Environmental groups and Delaware argued that EPA violated the CAA by failing to require upwind states to eliminate their significant contributions in accordance with the de...
The D.C. Circuit upheld EPA's implementation of its Renewable Fuel Standards Program, which requires transportation fuel sold in the United States to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuels. Some industry groups argued that EPA arbitrarily refused to revise its 2010 point of obligation rule that...
In Federal Lands and Fossil Fuels: Maximizing Social Welfare in Federal Energy Leasing, Prof. Jayni Foley Hein assesses inefficiencies in the federal fossil fuel leasing program that lead to the over-extraction of fossil fuels at great societal cost. In recognition of the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (DOI's) role in stewarding federal lands for the long-term benefit of the American people, Hein proposes that DOI should adopt a policy of seeking to maximize social welfare or “net public benefits” in its leasing decisions.
The externality costs of fossil fuel production—including pollution costs—are not accounted for under the U.S. Department of the Interior’s (Interior) coal, oil, and natural gas leasing programs. This results in fossil fuel production on public lands imposing significant social costs. Interior’s leasing programs have never been tailored to meet any past or present climate change goals, despite their significant contribution to domestic greenhouse gas emissions.