WIMS Environmental HotSheet 1/23/14

<> Supreme Court Briefs Filed in Carbon Pollution Permits Case - David Doniger, Policy Director, Climate and Clean Air Program, Washington, D.C. On Tuesday, NRDC and other environmental groups filed their brief in the latest Supreme Court case about climate change.  This case, called Utility Air Regulatory Group v. EPA, will decide whether the Clean Air Act's permitting requirements apply to major industrial sources of the carbon pollution that. . .

• Docket, Briefs & News

<> TransCanada's Keystone Pipeline's Southern Leg to Begin Transporting Oil to U.S. Gulf Coast - TransCanada announced today the start up of the 485-mile southern segment of the Keystone XL, now called the Gulf Coast Pipeline, which runs from Cushing, OK, to refineries on the Gulf Coast of Texas. In anticipation of TransCanada's announcement, Texas landowners launched a new oversight network today, Texas Pipeline Watch, to arm landowners and citizens along the route. . .

<> Business Rallies Action on Climate Change at World Economic Forum in Davos- The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and partners will engage in several high-profile events to rally action on key sustainability issues -- including climate change and water security -- among the world's top business leaders.

<> Wind's Outlook Remains Strong - The following op-ed by T. Boone Pickens ran in the Des Moines Register on Wednesday, January 21, 2014. In 2008, I launched the Pickens Plan to help get America off OPEC oil. Our reliance on Middle East oil has been the number one threat to our national security and economy. Thanks to advances in the oil industry's discovery and recovery technologies, the U.S. energy picture is. . .

<> The Social Benefits of Carbon - America has long relied on fossil fuels for economic growth and technological advancement. The American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity (ACCCE) released a study, "The Social Costs of Carbon? No, The Social Benefits of Carbon," which demonstrates the vast benefits valuable fossil fuels, like coal, play in our day-to-day lives. The study demonstrates that reliable and affordable energy from fossil fuels not only provides. . .

<> The State of the Climate - C2ES' Eileen Claussen: As President Barack Obama prepares to deliver his State of the Union address, we believe it's a good time to take a look at the state of our climate: the growing impacts of climate change, recent progress in reducing U.S. emissions, and further steps we can take to protect the climate and ourselves. . .

<> Global Warming, Winter, and the President's Climate Action Plan -

Dan Lashof, Program Director, Climate & Clean Air, Washington, D.C. It's snowy and cold today in the Eastern United States. Yesterday NASA and NOAA announced that 2013 was among the 10 hottest years on record globally. Last week, I testified at a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing titled "Review of the President's Climate Action Plan," but Senators. . . 

<> CA Governor Brown Delivers 2014 State of the State Address - The Governor renewed his call for all Californians to conserve water, laid out the key elements of the state's long-term water plan and noted the work ahead to fight climate change and build on historic reforms to the state's school funding and criminal justice systems.

<> Cleantech venture APATEQ announces its first oil-water separation product- delivery for a large customer in Europe. The unit will treat produced water from oil production and hydraulic fracturing, requiring virtually no chemicals for operation using a proprietary technology. The Luxembourgish water and wastewater specialist expects extensive follow-up orders after successful field tests of the initial unit.

<> "Litigation Forecast 2014: What Corporate Counsel Need to Know for the Coming Year," a Crowell & Moring LLP publication – Includes environmental and energy sections

<> Developing nations express dismay at "disappointing" EU climate package - Small Island States and Least Developed Countries say science demands higher level of ambition than 40% target. . .

• Europe, Facing Economic Pain, May Ease Climate Rules - Source: NY Times - For years, Europe has tried to set the global standard for climate-change regulation, creating tough rules on emissions, mandating more use of renewable energy sources and arguably sacrificing some economic growth in the name of saving the planet. 

<> A united call for action on climate change (by Kofi Annan)

<> American solar employers condemn China's retaliatory trade action against U.S. industry - The Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) protested the government of China's imposition of duties against U.S. and Korean producers of polysilicon, the main raw material for production of photovoltaic solar cells and panels.