Parts Per Billion

Here's yet another complicated and confusing question about the transition to a post-greenhouse gas world: Is what's billed as low-carbon gasoline good or bad for the environment?

That's the question lawmakers in several Democratic-led states are asking themselves, and no easy answers are appearing.

New Mexico, New York, and Minnesota, to name a few, have debated new standards that would encourage the adoption of more climate-friendly auto fuels, either through blending with ethanol or with another type of biofuel. But in all of these states, these measures failed amid opposition from environmentalists, who say a new fuel standard would simply delay the abandonment of fossil fuels altogether.

On today's Parts Per Billion, our biweekly environmental law podcast, we hear from reporter Zach Bright about why low-carbon fuel standards are struggling to gain traction at the state level, despite support from high-level Democrats. Bright also talks about the states that have managed to adopt their own standard, and how they did it.

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Some good news for ESG investors, and even better news for accountants: the Securities and Exchange Commission just unveiled a new proposal that would force public companies to disclose mountains of climate change information.

The proposal goes far beyond requiring disclosure of the fossil fuels a company itself uses: It would also have companies report out the carbon footprint of their supply chains and even, in some cases, of the customers who use their products.

On today’s On The Merits, our weekly legal news podcast, we hear from Bloomberg News sustainability editor Eric Roston about what’s in this SEC proposal and why, for so-called “green investors,” this has been a long time coming. We also hear from Bloomberg Tax’s Amanda Iacone about why these disclosure rules could be a boon for accountants. After all, someone has to audit all of those new corporate climate statements.

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If you thought Russia's invasion of Ukraine hurt the oil market, wait until you hear what it's doing to uranium.

Before last month's invasion, Russia and its allies supplied nuclear power plants in the U.S. with half of their uranium, and 100% of a special type of uranium needed for smaller, next generation power plants.

That entire supply chain has obviously been thrown into question since then, and that has huge implications for not only the future of nuclear power but also for climate change.

On today's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law reporter Daniel Moore about the Biden administration's attempts to find a new source of uranium for the country's nuclear reactors and about whether a decline in nuclear power would mean a rise in fossil fuels.

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The Supreme Court heard oral argument in West Virginia v. EPA on Monday, a case that could result in the narrowing of the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

But, to some surprise, a few of the court's conservative justices posed tough questions to the attorney arguing against the EPA, which may indicate they're open to siding with the agency in this case.

On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, we're joined by Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi to break down what happened at the high court on Monday. Jennifer explains why, even if the court doesn't end up siding with the EPA, the agency has likely avoided the potential worst-case scenario some had feared going into the argument.

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Electric vehicles, or EVs, represent one of the most promising climate change solutions. But is America ready?

To get the country ready, President Biden and Democrats in Congress gave states more than $7 billion to install electric vehicle charging stations across the country. But, as Bloomberg Government’s Lillianna Byington found, an Eisenhower-era law means these charging stations can’t be built on highways, as many EV advocates had hoped.

On today’s episode of our Parts Per Billion podcast, Lillianna explains why road-tripping EV drivers will have to get off of the highway to charge up. She also talks about some of the other obstacles EVs must overcome before overtaking their gas-powered predecessors.

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The Supreme Court said 15 years ago that the EPA has not only the authority but also the obligation to regulate greenhouse gasses. Now, in a case coming before the court later this month, that landmark ruling may get overturned.

On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi explains the stakes of West Virginia v. EPA, which the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear Feb. 28. She talks about the circuitous route the case took to get to the highest court in the land, and how it may end up overturning, or at least gutting, the famous Massachusetts v. EPA opinion from 2007.

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Last year's infrastructure bill made a landmark $15 billion investment in lead pipe removal, and even more funding may be on the way to get this toxic metal out of the country's drinking water system.

But, according to two Bloomberg Law reporters, this money may be much slower than expected in getting to the communities that need it.

On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Bobby Magill and Paige Smith explain why Congress' funding allocation is a pivotal—but definitely not final—moment in the EPA's war on lead. For one, drinking water systems don't have a comprehensive inventory of where lead is still in use. And for another, it's far from clear whether the country has enough plumbers and pipefitters to actually achieve the goal of total lead pipe eradication.

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Federal contractors are going to have to share more information about their greenhouse gas emissions with the public, under new General Services Administration reporting requirements the White House introduced earlier this month.

However, this isn’t the only climate reporting rule these contractors will have to mind. The Securities and Exchange Commission is about to release its own reporting rules early next year, and no one seems to be sure where or whether the two rules will overlap.

On today’s episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental news podcast, Bloomberg Law’s Andrew Ramonas explains how these dueling climate rules could open federal contractors up to serious legal liability—especially if these firms provide conflicting data to different federal agencies.

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It used to be that taking an air quality sample required expensive, bulky equipment and teams of people to operate. Now devices that monitor air quality can be bought on Amazon and worn on your wrist.

This is a gamechanger for so-called "fenceline communities," or areas that abut factories and other heavy emitters of air pollutants because it allows area residents to collect their own data. It's also a gamechanger for the companies responsible for those emissions, as this data could be admissible in court.

On today's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law reporter Jennifer Hijazi talks about how fenceline communities are collecting air quality data and how this data could change the way the Clean Air Act functions.

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Time is running out to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, and activists and scientists say global efforts like those seen at the recent COP26 meeting aren't moving nearly fast enough.

Can a carbon tax or some other type of carbon pricing scheme use the power of market forces to speed up this process? And if so, are these options even politically or logistically viable?

Those are the questions we ponder on today's episode of our podcast, Parts Per Billion. Sanjay Patnaik, director of the Brookings Institution’s Center on Regulations and Markets, speaks to Bloomberg Tax reporter David Hood about how a carbon tax might work in the U.S. And Frank Eich, an economist with U.K. consultancy CRU, speaks to reporter Michael Rapoport about whether carbon pricing could function across international borders.

Have feedback on this episode of Parts Per Billion? Give us a call and leave a voicemail at 703-341-3690.

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