In the News

Greenhouse gas emissions are financially relevant to investors because they affect the company's ability to transition to a new economy, and could add compliance costs, Lienke said. “If we know that an increasing number of states and countries are making legally binding requirements," he said, "that is going to have a financial impact on those companies in those jurisdictions that emit a lot."

Leading farm groups are calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission to exempt agriculture from proposed requirements that corporations start disclosing the greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chains. But supporters of the rule argue the ag sector’s concerns are overblown and that industry emissions estimates will be sufficient to comply with the disclosure rules. “Some small farmers and businesses have submitted comments indicating their concern that the compliance costs of the rule would reach them. However, large public companies regularly comply with voluntary emissions reporting standards through estimated, rather than measured, supply chain emissions,” according to comments provided by the Environmental Defense Fund and the Institute for Policy Integrity at the New York University School of Law.

“Those who think ESG investing is all surface and no substance should welcome the Commission’s effort to provide investors in ‘green’ or ‘socially responsible’ funds with clear and comparable information about where their dollars are going and why,” Jack Lienke, who directs regulatory policy at New York University’s Institute for Policy Integrity, said in a statement. “And those who think ESG investing is a reliable means of maximizing long-term returns,” he added, “should welcome this effort to expose greenwashing and increase investor confidence in legitimate ESG claims and products.”

Environmental lawyers are urging federal officials to do more to protect the public from gas stoves' emissions, saying the pollution is dangerous and not adequately regulated. In a new report, researchers at the Institute for Policy Integrity said the stoves should be sold with warning labels similar to those on portable generators warning of carbon monoxide poisoning, the authors said. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) should also start public education campaigns about the dangers of stove emissions, they added. "Something needs to be done. We know that [gas stoves] are dangerous. You can't just ignore it," said Laura Figueroa, a co-author of the report and a legal fellow at the institute. "The CPSC ... is in a position to address these dangers, and we think they should take action," she added.

An academic center that supports tough environmental rules is pressing the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to address risks gas cooking stoves pose to public health, opening another front against the fossil fuel’s use as various state and local governments seek to limit gas-fired appliances over climate change concerns.

You may have noticed quite a few headlines recently about EPA, NHTSA, cars, trucks, waivers, model years, and lawsuits. It’s worth breaking down this flurry of activity, all of which seeks to address vehicle emissions. Here, I’ll clarify the current status of the five separate proceedings happening right now, and offer a preview of what’s to come.

Incandescent bulbs offer basically no advantages to consumers, and their high electricity demands make them worse for the climate and environment as well. The Biden administration's proposed lightbulb efficiency standards would create enormous value for society, including consumer cost savings and reduced climate pollution.

Investors focused on environmental, social and governance issues and progressives have urged the SEC to make companies report that information, while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business groups have raised concerns about compliance costs. However, courts have recognized the SEC's authority to conduct such cost-benefit analysis, according to Jack Lienke, regulatory policy director at NYU's Institute for Policy Integrity, and legal fellow Alexander Song in a legal analysis released last week on a potential climate disclosure rule.

A group of watchdogs recently asked the FTC to issue new rules that would ban drip pricing. You can let the FTC what you’d like to see them do with this request by sending them a message here.

The new methane rule goes beyond merely undoing the damage of the Trump years. The proposal is broader than its Obama-era predecessors, and once finalized, will apply to hundreds of thousands of previously unregulated emission sources, like wells, storage tanks, and compressor station. That is because unlike the prior standards, Biden’s rule will cover equipment of all ages.