Parts Per Billion

The 26th annual summit of the UN's climate change arm just wrapped up in Glasgow, Scotland, but it's unclear whether what came out of the event will be nearly enough to stave off the worst consequences of climate change.

Bobby Magill was in Glasgow covering COP26 for Bloomberg Law and he joins our podcast, Parts Per Billion, to walk us through how to interpret the pact that was reached last week. He also talks about how covering this year's COP was unique—not only because it was the first to take place during the Biden administration, but also because pandemic restrictions made it tricky for some developing countries to participate.

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The Biden Administration just released a road map for how it's going to deal with the problem of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." The plan calls for establishing new standards for these chemicals in water and soil, but it's less clear on where the money will come from to achieve these standards.

On today's episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Pat Rizzuto talks about what's in the PFAS road map and why federal officials are still struggling to get a handle on how much it will cost to solve this emerging environmental problem.

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Later this month we'll see the kickoff of COP26, the 26th meeting of the UN's main climate change arm. Not only is this the first of these annual meetings to take place during the Biden administration, but it's also one in which the nations of the world are expected to lay out exactly how committed they are to achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement.

On this week's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg News' Jess Shankleman, who'll be attending the conference in Glasgow, Scotland. She'll go over the stakes for this year's conference, who's expected to be attending, and whether this UN process is moving too slowly to have a meaningful effect on climate change.

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Attorneys and environmental activists have been trying for years to prove that Exxon Mobil Corp. and other fossil fuel companies knew about—and covered up—the fact that their products cause climate change. Now, it appears that members of Congress are joining the effort.

On this episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Bloomberg Law reporter Jennifer Hijazi talks about the documents top Democrats in Congress are demanding from the fossil fuel industry ahead of an important hearing next month and about where this all could eventually lead.

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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New York's new governor, Kathy Hochul (D), just took a major step toward an all-electric future by signing a bill that would ban the sale of gas-powered cars in her state by 2035.

On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk with Bloomberg Law's New York correspondent, Keshia Clukey, about why Hochul signed this bill so quickly after taking office. Keshia also talks about how lawmakers are hoping their neighbors enact similar laws so that New Yorkers aren't tempted to shop for cars across state lines.

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The Gulf Coast region is crucial for the energy industry, with a huge portion of the country's oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing clustered there. And now it's reeling after a direct hit from Hurricane Ida.

On this episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk to two Bloomberg News energy reporters about how the region is handling this. Kevin Crowley talks about the risks now faced by the Gulf Coast's petroleum industry, while Josh Saul fills us in on the slow and painstaking effort to bring the region's power grid back online.

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The Senate-passed infrastructure bill aims to revive nineties-era taxes on chemical companies and importers to pay for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites.

While the bill still needs to clear the House, the chemicals industry claims the Superfund tax provisions are unfair because they impact a small subset of the industrial sectors that contributed to pollution. But advocates say the return of the “polluters pay” doctrine is a step in the right direction to clean up toxic sites.

On this week’s episode of Parts Per Billion, corporate tax reporter David Hood talks to Steve Jawetz, a principal at the environmental law firm Beveridge and Diamond PC, who argues the tax is unfairly targeted. David also talks to Danielle Melgar, an advocate with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group’s “Zero Out Toxics” program, about how this tax is a victory for environmental groups.

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ESG investing has quickly grown into an important institution on Wall Street. But what types of rules govern whether an investment can tout itself as good for the environment, social justice, or corporate governance?

It may surprise you, but there aren't that many.

On today's episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law reporter Andrew Ramonas about why this is the case and about the efforts underway in both the public and private sectors to establish a stronger set of rules over who gets to don the ESG halo.

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Extreme heat waves are breaking out all across the country, and some environmental activists are questioning whether this unprecedented summer is making the EPA's air pollution regulations obsolete.

On today's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi explains how high heat can both trigger more pollutant emissions and also intensify the pollution already in the air. And she explains why the EPA's cap-and-trade system for managing these pollutants is having trouble keeping up.

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Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden gave his federal agencies numerous climate-related tasks to complete within the first few months of his presidency—like making a plan to buy more electric vehicles or stand up a youth-led climate corps.

By and large, the agencies have accomplished few if any of these tasks so far.

On today's episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law White House reporter Courtney Rozen talks about why the executive branch is missing all of these climate deadlines and about why this does not necessarily spell doom for Biden's larger, long-term climate goals.

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