Appeals court revives Biden climate damage cost estimate

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By KEVIN McGILL, MATTHEW BROWN and MATTHEW DALY

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has revived a Biden administration effort to account for potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions when creating rules for polluting industries.

A Louisiana-based federal judge had blocked the so-called “ social cost of carbon ” policy last month, saying it would bring costly regulatory burdens and drive up energy prices. But a panel of three 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals judges in New Orleans unanimously stayed the lower court in a ruling dated Wednesday, meaning the administration can continue using the policy while the case goes on.

The panel said any regulatory burdens the policy might bring are speculative at this point and that Louisiana and other states challenging the policy therefore had no standing to sue.

The social cost of carbon attempts to put a dollar value on damage caused by every additional ton of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. That cost estimate would be used to shape future rules for oil and gas drilling, automobiles, and other industries, and a higher estimate could justify more stringent rules.



FILE - President Joe Biden speaks during the "Accelerating Clean Technology Innovation and Deployment" event at the COP26 U.N. Climate Summit, Nov. 2, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland. A federal appeals court has revived a Biden administration effort to put greater emphasis on potential damage from greenhouse gas emissions when creating rules for polluting industries. A Louisiana-based federal judge had blocked the so-called “social cost of carbon” policy last month, saying it would bring costly regulatory burdens and drive up energy costs. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool, File)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/climate-business-environment-louisiana-new-orleans-d3b9ad5f5ddfce695b63a7b69a03041b

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R!

[PSPS]

2. The judge who blocked it was, of course, a trump judge. James Cain of the Federalist Society

[2naSalit]

3. They were trying to...

Block the EIS processes so that we cannot know the facts of polluting industries and, therefore, public record/documentation. Been down this road in other states for a career, they never stop trying to use the laws against the purpose and spirit of such laws. A decades long battle that has metastasized into voting rights among other issues where social/civil progress have been hard fought and won. Fuckers.

This is a good win. The studies will eliminate the "what if" argument at this point in the biospheric decline.

[Mr.Bill]

4. Since when is it a judge's job

to keep costs low for business and keep energy prices from going up?

Sounds like he is serving business instead of the law.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. "Louisiana and other states challenging the policy therefore had no standing to sue."

and from all places - the 5th Circuit.

I expect they would demand an en banc review.

In fact from the article -

(snip

The panel that ruled Wednesday included judges Leslie Southwick, appointed by President George W. Bush, and James Graves and Gregg Costa, both appointed by President Barack Obama.

A spokeswoman with the U.S. Department of the Interior said the administration was reviewing the decision.

Landry’s office said the decision would be appealed to the full 17-member 5th Circuit.

“We strongly disagree with the 5th Circuit’s opinion that we lack standing in Biden’s latest attempt to inject the federal government into the everyday lives of Americans,” the statement said.

(snip)

(so it's back to the "states rights" thing unless it has to do with certain laws enacted by other states that they disapprove of )