by Grace Kurdian Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started to close the loop on the regulation of greenhouse gases set in motion in April 2007 when the Supreme Court issued its seminal decision, Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007), and ruled that the agency may not decline to regulate greenhouse gases, but instead must determine whether such gases from new motor vehicles cause or contribute to air pollution and endanger public health. The Supreme Court decision received much attention at the time, in part because it uncharacteristically took sides in the 'debate' on global...

I am heading next week for the Orange County Convention Center for the annual convocation of insurance professionals that is RIMS. We will be there just a few weeks before the Green Cities Convention at the same locale. In the meantime, maybe I could mix the two subject areas and see what comes out - like, what are the insurance issues associated with a green roof? A green roof (aka vegetative roof, eco-roof, living roof) is a roof made of vegetation and a growing medium, overlain on a waterproof membrane. Some roofs are meant to be visited and act as gardens. Others, so-called "extensive" ro...

By Rebecca Brenia, Hartford Office, McCarter & English A new report from Ceres and the Pacific Institute clarifies for the rest of us what farmers in Southeastern Australia and India have known for some time now-- climate change is contributing to water scarcity, and water scarcity threatens the bottom line for business in many industry sectors.  The report, Water Scarcity & Climate Change:  Growing Risks for Businesses and Investors echoes the warnings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which has written that “climate change will challenge the traditional a...

Congressional action on climate change and energy policy accelerated this week with the release by two influential committee chairmen of a bill that would establish a national renewable energy standard and target greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions while enhancing energy efficiency and attempting to promote so-called green jobs. Chairman Henry A. Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee announced the release of their “discussion draft” Tuesday, claiming the bill would “create jobs, help end our dangerous dependence on for...