August Environment & Climate News:

Senate Reconsiders Bills  to Reclaim Regulatory Authority

The August issue of Environment & Climate News reports the U.S. Senate is taking new steps to reassert its constitutional responsibility for federal rulemaking. Earlier this year, the Senate
successfully deployed the Congressional Review Act to reverse 14 Obama administration regulations.

It is very important Congress reassert its authority and say, "The executive branch cannot go at it alone," said Jeff Stier, a senior fellow with the National Center for Public Policy Research.
Also in this issue:

• Stymied by a state legislature that rejects his climate change agenda and other policy goals, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe has claimed executive authority to impose regulations he wants.

• In a victory for grassroots property rights advocates, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed a law barring the use of eminent domain to build high-voltage transmission lines that would carry wind energy into Illinois.

• U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton introduced the Water Rights Protection Act. The bill would prohibit federal agencies from requiring the transfer of privately held water rights to the federal government in exchange for granting or renewing a permit for the use of federal land.

• Gov. Chris Sununu announced New Hampshire will not join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group of 12 states and Puerto Rico that have pledged to reduce their greenhouse-gas emissions 26 to 28 percent below 2005 levels.

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The full text of the issue is available online in Adobe Acrobat’s PDF format: August 2017 Environment & Climate News.

All issues of Environment & Climate News are archived here: Environment & Climate News Issue Archive.
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