Over the past several decades, there have been various legislative attempts to combat climate change at the federal level, with varying degrees of success. Here is an excellent summary [1] (required reading!) from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. You'll see on that summary that several attempts at carbon pricing (mostly through cap and trade) emerged with bipartisan support.
The list stops short of the Clean Power Plan (also 2015), which in many ways was a turning point in US federal climate policy as the first ever energy policy designed specifically to reduce carbon emissions and was done so to position the US for the then-upcoming Paris climate negotiation talks. While we could devote an entire semester (or doctoral dissertation! or career!) to an analysis and discussion of the merits, drawbacks, and politics of climate legislation in the United States, we need to condense it into part of just one lesson in our course. If you find yourself really interested in this material and would like to know more, feel free to explore the links on your own and/or post to the class discussion board.
The Paris Agreement [2] reached in December 2015 built upon the existing momentum that finally, the US is taking climate change more seriously. But what took so long?
Read "Federal Government Activity on Climate Change [3]" from Ballotpedia (you can start at "Policy History (1992 - 2009). This is a few years old now, but provides a valuable perspective on the then-current state of affairs related to attempts to institute federal action on climate change, including bonus coverage of Massachusetts v. EPA, a landmark Supreme Court ruling in 2007 that gave the EPA the power to regulate carbon dioxide. And remember, to understand the future of climate policy, we need to know how we got to where we are now.
The Economy....from late 2007 through mid 2009, the United States experienced an economic downturn and recession unparalleled in scope and severity since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Triggered largely by risky lending and the securitization of mortgages, coupled by increases in commodity prices like food and oil, thes "Great Recession" and substantial job loss made it quite a difficult proposition for elected officials to support climate policies perceived (to some extent, correctly so) to increase energy prices.
The Politics...every facet of tackling climate change is politically charged. As we saw last lesson, many people question the validity of the science that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are influencing our climate system. Others worry that climate policy will affect end users of energy more than energy producers. Still others are concerned that until the fast-growing, developing countries of China and India commit to reducing their unchecked emissions, the United States will put itself at a global competitive disadvantage for manufacturing goods (conveniently ignoring that the U.S. emitted GHGs unchecked for hundreds of years to establish itself as a global superpower). Climate policy is an issue with so much at stake - for everyone - that tensions run high and fears are plentiful. It isn't the goal of this class to draw political lines in the sand - instead, you need to understand the motivations of all sides and how the vested interest of various parties influences the decisions that are made about this issue.
This is a list (certainly not exhaustive) of some of the major attempts at climate legislation in the House and Senate over the past several years. While somewhat redundant with the C2ES list linked above, I include it here mostly for the summaries of these various pieces of legislation. I encourage you, as you're working on your research projects, to seek out summaries from credible, non-partisan think tanks. They can be quite helpful!
The Process...In case you are not familiar with how a bill becomes law, here [4]is a good summary from USA.gov, and here [5]is a more detailed explanation - including videos that provide a step-by-step explanation of the process - from the U.S. Congress.
Of course, the process is almost never this straightforward, as things such as "horse trading" (I'll support your bill if you support mine, I'll support your bill if you publicly state this or that, etc.) and political posturing have resulted in this process often being referred to as "sausage making" after the famous quote: "Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made." Whether Otto von Bismarck said it or not [6], the quote and characterization are still used to this day.
Components |
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Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (2010) [7]
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Lugar Practical Energy and Climate Plan (S.3464) (2010) [9]
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Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act (S.1733) (2009) [7]
Pew Center Summary of the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act [11] |
American Climate and Energy Security Act of 2009 (ACES) [12]
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The American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 (S.1462) [14]
Pew Center Summary of American Clean Energy Leadership Act of 2009 [15] |
The Clean Power Plan (2015) [16]
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Climate Equity Act of 2020 (H.R. 8019) [18]
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H.Res.319 - Recognizing the duty of the Federal Government to create a Green New Deal [20]
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Links
[1] https://www.c2es.org/content/congress-climate-history/
[2] http://www.c2es.org/international/paris-agreement
[3] https://ballotpedia.org/Federal_government_activity_on_climate_change
[4] https://www.usa.gov/how-laws-are-made
[5] https://www.congress.gov/legislative-process
[6] https://ccbjournal.com/articles/making-law-sausage-and-legal-bills
[7] https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/1733
[8] http://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/111/kerry-lieberman-american-power-act
[9] https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/3464
[10] http://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/111/lugar-practical-energy-climate-plan
[11] https://research.fit.edu/media/site-specific/researchfitedu/coast-climate-adaptation-library/united-states/national/us---pew-climate-center---c2es-reports/Pew-Center.-2010.-CEJAP-Act-vs-Clear-Act.pdf
[12] https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-bill/2454
[13] http://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/111/acesa
[14] https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/senate-bill/1462
[15] http://www.c2es.org/federal/congress/111/summary-american-clean-energy-leadership-act
[16] https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/10/23/2015-22842/carbon-pollution-emission-guidelines-for-existing-stationary-sources-electric-utility-generating
[17] https://www.vox.com/2019/6/19/18684054/climate-change-clean-power-plan-repeal-affordable-emissions
[18] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8019
[19] https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8019/all-info
[20] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/319
[21] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hres109/text
[22] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/319/committees