August 1, 2014
-
Public Comments on Offshore Leasing and Methane from Mines
Policy Integrity recently submitted comments to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) on their offshore oil and gas leasing program for 2017-2022. We recommend that BOEM account for “option value” so it can choose to delay leasing decisions until more environmental information is available. We also submitted comments to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on its proposed program to capture or destroy methane released through underground mining on federal lands. We suggest that BLM grant coal lessees the right to capture and use or sell methane, and adjust its royalty rates to reflect the social costs and unrealized commercial value of vented methane.
-
Revesz Named to EDF’s Economic Advisory Council
Policy Integrity’s director, Richard Revesz, was recently appointed to the Economic Advisory Council of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). As a member of this 10-person council, Revesz will advise EDF leaders on economic issues relevant to the organization’s major projects. EDF, one of the country’s most influential environmental organizations, has more than 750,000 members.
-
In the News: Revesz on Fracking Regulation
In a recent article in The Hill, Richard Revesz argues that federal regulations are necessary to control methane emissions from fracking. He writes: “Methane’s interstate — and, indeed, international — impacts make it particularly well-suited to federal regulation. If lawmakers are serious about reducing risks from climate change, they will need to regulate fugitive methane emissions from “upstream” sources — the wells, pipelines and storage tanks used for gas extraction, processing and delivery.”
-
On the Docket: Livermore to Argue in DC Circuit Court
Policy Integrity co-founder Michael Livermore will give an oral argument in D.C. Circuit Court in September. Policy Integrity is serving as co-counsel representing the Center for Sustainable Economy in litigation challenging the Department of the Interior’s leasing program for offshore oil and gas resources. Livermore will focus in part on the importance of accounting for the time-value of uncertainty in irreversible natural resource development decisions.
-
Staff Spotlight: New Policy Director Jayni Hein
Jayni Hein joined Policy Integrity in July as our policy director. From 2011 to 2014, she served as executive director of UC Berkeley School of Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment. Previously, as an associate with Latham & Watkins LLP, she counseled clients on regulatory matters and handled trial and appellate litigation involving environmental law and federal preemption. She also served as managing attorney at San Francisco Baykeeper. At Policy Integrity, she’ll focus primarily on climate change, energy, and transportation issues.