Constructing climate change legislation : background and issues / Gerald P. Overhauser, editor.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Overhauser, Gerald P.

United States. Congress. House. Committee on Energy and Commerce. Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality.

Series:

Climate change and its causes, effects, and prediction series.

Climate change and its causes, effects and prediction series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Climatic changes--Law and legislation--United States.

Climatic changes.

Greenhouse gases--Law and legislation--United States.

Greenhouse gases.

Emissions trading--Law and legislation--United States.

Emissions trading.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (159 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New York : Nova Science Publishers, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Sorting out the appropriate roles of each level of government in addressing climate change is far more complicated than the specific question of whether State climate change programs should be preempted. This Paper raises more comprehensive and complex questions that the Committee must consider: what roles are best played by each level of government as we marshal our country's resources to address climate change and how should these roles be reflected in Federal legislation. Many State and local governments have begun to address climate change, as the Subcommittee heard last year in testimony from State and local witnesses.2 Activity by State and local governments has helped reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has helped build a consensus that we need to address climate change nationally, and is helping to develop and test different policies. The country is now at the difficult and familiar stage of transitioning from multiple, often unconnected, State and local climate change programs to a comprehensive, national approach to addressing the global problem of climate change. For a variety of reasons, State and local environmental programs have often led to enactment of Federal environmental legislation.

Contents:

Intro

CONSTRUCTING CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION: BACKGROUND AND ISSUES

CONTENTS

PREFACE

Chapter 1 CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION DESIGN WHITE PAPER GETTING THE MOST GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTIONS FOR OUR MONEY∗

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

BACKGROUND

Program Costs

Costs of Inaction

CAPTURING ECONOMICALLY BENEFICIAL AND LOW-COST REDUCTIONS

CAP-AND-TRADE REGULATORY PROGRAM - CORNERSTONE OF A LOW COST PROGRAM

Flexibility

Incentives for Low-Cost Reductions

Incentives for Technology Advances

Principles for Smart Program Design and Implementation

Market Mechanisms to Manage Risk

OPTIONAL CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM FEATURES TO CONTROL COSTS

Banking

Offsets and International Trading

Firm-Level Borrowing from the Future

Questions:

Multi-Year Compliance Periods

SPECIAL COST CONTAINMENT MECHANISMS: SAFETY VALVE, CIRCUIT BREAKER, INDEPENDENT AGENCY, AND STRATEGIC RESERVE

Safety Valve And Unlimited Allowances

Independent Agency with Broad Discretion to Release Allowances

STRATEGIC ALLOWANCE RESERVE AND AN AGENCY WITH LIMITED DISCRETION TO INTERVENE IN THE MARKET

Variations

A Price Floor for Allowances

Complementary Measures

DISTRIBUTION OF ALLOWANCES OR PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF ALLOWANCES

BIG AND SMALL PLAYERS IN THE SAME MARKET

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Chapter 2 CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION DESIGN WHITE PAPER APPROPRIATE ROLES FOR DIFFERENT LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT∗

State and Local Climate Change Programs

RATIONALIZING GOVERNMENTAL ROLES

The Global Effect of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Effect on the Level and Cost of National Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Efficient Use of Government and Societal Resources.

The Benefit of States, Tribes, and Localities as Laboratories

Differing Local Circumstances

Burden on Interstate Commerce

The Imposition of Burdens on other States

Stakeholder Needs

Balancing These Factors

Chapter 3 CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION DESIGN WHITE PAPER COMPETITIVENESS CONCERNS/ENGAGING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES∗

RATE OF GROWTH IN CARBON EMISSIONS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

U.N. FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE, KYOTO PROTOCOL, RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

POLICY OPTIONS FOR ENCOURAGING DEVELOPING NATIONS TO LIMIT THEIR CARBON EMISSIONS

THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION - PROCESS FOR RESOLUTION OF TRADE DISPUTES

POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS OF WTO RULES/PROCESS FOR U.S. CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION

Questions for Further Discussion

APPENDIX A: COMPARISON OF COUNTRIES' GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Chapter 4 CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION DESIGN WHITE PAPER SCOPE OF A CAP-AND-TRADE PROGRAM∗

KEY DESIGN PRINCIPLES

COVERAGE

GREENHOUSE GASES

Economic Sectors

SUMMARY

Chapter 5 MEMORANDUM

INDEX

Blank Page.

Notes:

Includes documents prepared by the staff of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-61728-200-6

OCLC:

923662719