Posts tagged regulation
Policymakers Need to Consider Impacts of Excessive Regulation on Rail
Policymakers Need to Consider Impacts of Excessive Regulation on Rail

The derailment of a freight train in East Palestine, Ohio, was a stark reminder that, while essential to our economy, moving hazardous materials across the country comes with risks. 

Most Americans would agree that Congress has a responsibility to exercise its oversight responsibility and look into how the accident happened and take steps to reduce not only the likelihood of future derailments but also the environmental impact of accidents when they do happen.

Congress must also ensure that its actions are rooted in science and data and do everything it can to avoid unintended consequences that could have long-term environmental impacts. 

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BlogMeredith Kennyrail, railroad, regulation, policy
Report: Clean Energy Transition Must Address Domestic Critical Minerals Challenges
Report: Clean Energy Transition Must Address Domestic Critical Minerals Challenges

Last year, President Joe Biden pledged that the U.S. would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent in ten years. As evidenced by the current situation in Ukraine, this policy emphasizes the urgent need to increase the development of safe, reliable, affordable, and clean energy supplies domestically. With this in mind, ConservAmerica today released a new white paper, "Strengthening America’s Mineral Security: Net Import Dependence, Supply Chain Vulnerability, and the Case for Critical Minerals." This white paper examines U.S. federal policy and critical minerals supply, proposing a series of steps the government should take to reverse one of the nation's most persistent and pervasive national security and economic challenges.

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Press Release, PublicationsRobert Dillonregulation, critical minerals
EPA Should Pause WOTUS Rulemaking Until Supreme Court Hears Sackett v. EPA
EPA Should Pause WOTUS Rulemaking Until Supreme Court Hears Sackett v. EPA

In 2004, Chantell and Michael Sackett of Idaho did what many families do. They bought a piece of land near a lake and obtained local permits to build a home. In 2007, shortly after the construction process started, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) served the family with an Administrative Compliance Order, alleging their plans violated the Clean Water Act (CWA) under the expanded definition of regulated waters in the Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

The Sacketts took the EPA to court in 2008, claiming the EPA’s decision was arbitrary. Despite being separated from the nearby lake by a row of houses and a road, the EPA said that part of the residential property qualified as “navigable waters” under the CWA and demanded the property be restored to its former state. Failure to obtain a permit and comply with the order would cost the Sacketts upwards of $40,000 a day, an amount that would undoubtedly crush any family.

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BlogRobert DillonWOTUS, regulation
Report Highlights Importance of Policy Neutrality in Decarbonizing Transportation Sector
Report Highlights Importance of Policy Neutrality in Decarbonizing Transportation Sector

WASHINGTON, DC – A new ConservAmerica review of existing scientific research of the various options available for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the transportation sector urges policymakers to take into account the full emissions lifecycle of those technologies before setting policy in a rapidly developing market.

The report, Slow Down: The Case for Technology Neutral Transportation Policy, looks at a cross-section of credible studies, including ones from MIT and the International Energy Agency, on the environmental impacts of different low-carbon vehicle technologies over their entire lifecycle  a perspective often overlooked by policymakers. While each study is unique, they collectively demonstrate the importance of taking a technology-neutral approach in setting transportation policies to obtain the most efficient reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

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Press Release, PublicationsRobert DillonEVs, regulation