Senators Jeff Plale and Mark Miller today announced a series of hearings on Gov. Doyle’s global warming bill, dubbed the “Clean Energy Jobs Act.” The 174-page bill (SB 450/AB 649) would considerably alter Wisconsin’s economy. For more information about what is in the bill, see Hamilton Consulting’s analysis. Below is a schedule of hearings on particular topics within […]
Wisconsin Senate Schedules Hearings for Global Warming Legislation
Date Thu, Jan. 14, 2010 - 6:39pm By Hamilton
EPA to Impose Stricter Ozone Standards
Date Mon, Jan. 11, 2010 - 11:39am By Hamilton
The Obama Administration last week announced plans to significantly reduce the national ambient air quality standards for ground-level ozone. If adopted, the proposed rule would reduce ozone from 0.075 parts per million (ppm) to between 0.060 – 0.070 ppm for any eight-hour period. The new regulations could require utilities, refineries, gas stations and other businesses […]
Governor Introduces Global Warming Bill
Date Fri, Jan. 8, 2010 - 10:26am By Hamilton
Gov. Jim Doyle yesterday introduced his 174-page global warming legislation (Assembly Bill 649 and Senate Bill 450), which includes policy recommendations from the Global Warming Task Force he convened in 2008. Below are some of the key provisions of the legislation: Renewable Energy Mandates. The bill increases Wisconsin’s renewable energy mandate from 10 percent by […]
Efforts in California to Limit Climate Change Law
Date Mon, Jan. 4, 2010 - 9:36pm By Hamilton
As the Wisconsin Legislature is poised to begin debating climate change legislation, an interesting scenario is taking place in California, which became the first state to adopt sweeping global warming legislation in 2006. Nearly four years after the law (Assembly Bill 32) was enacted, a movement is afoot in California to stop the law from […]
Small Businesses Overwhelmingly Oppose Cap-and-Trade Legislation
Date Tue, Dec. 29, 2009 - 6:32pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin BizTimes reports that a vast majority of small businesses oppose pending federal cap-and-trade legislation. Key findings from the National Federation of Independent Business survey include: 66 percent of small business owners and managers oppose a federal cap-and-trade system while 24 percent are in favor of such a system. 54 percent of small […]
Report: U.S. Senate Unlikely to Pass Cap-and-Trade in 2010
Date Mon, Dec. 28, 2009 - 10:09am By Hamilton
Now that the Copenhage Climate Change Change Conference has ended without a major treaty, the question remains whether the U.S. Senate will pass climate change legislation. Congress earlier this year passed sweeping climate change legislation imposing a cap-and-trade program. A similar bill introduced in the Senate has since stalled. After a brusing debate over controversial health-care legislation, Politico.com is reporting that a number of moderate Senate […]
Wisconsin Global Warming Bill Officially Unveiled
Date Fri, Dec. 11, 2009 - 9:21am By Hamilton
After months of meetings and drafting, the global warming legislation has been officially released. The bill, 174 pages in length, would dramatically change energy consumption and Wisconsin’s economy. Most notable are provisions adding a “low carbon fuel standard,” which is aimed at curtailing the use of Canadian crude derived from oil sands in Alberta, Canada. Wisconsin […]
Midwestern Greenhouse Gas Reduction Accord Still Drafting Regional Cap-and-Trade Program
Date Mon, Dec. 7, 2009 - 2:32pm By Hamilton
The next few months are likely to be very active when it comes to climate change legislation. Wisconsin legislators are expected to unveil comprehensive climate change legislation in the next week that could prove to be controversial. Climate change legislation narrowly passed in Congress earlier this year, and is now being debated in the […]
Obama Administration Set to Announce Endangerment Finding – Grants EPA Rulemaking Authority Under the Clean Air Act
Date Mon, Dec. 7, 2009 - 11:55am By Hamilton
The EPA today is expected today to declare carbon dioxide (CO2) a dangerous pollutant, and thus hand the agency sweeping regulatory authority under the Clean Air Act (CAA). An endangerment finding under the CAA is the first step toward regulating CO2 and other greenhouse gases. The proposed endangerment finding will be issued under § […]
EPA Proposes New Regulations for Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)
Date Wed, Nov. 25, 2009 - 1:25pm By Hamilton
The EPA last week proposed to strengthen the primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2). The new rule is the first time EPA has tightened controls for SO2 since 1971. Specifically, the EPA proposes to replace the existing annual and 24-hour primary SO2 standards with a new 1-hour SO2 standard […]