Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 12h

Renewable power has lowered electricity prices for customers in Texas, a state where wind and solar produce more than 30 percent of the state’s mix. Texas’ power cost an average of 10.24 cents per kilowatt-hour in June of this year.

UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 12h

This Politico analysis by @zcolman.bsky.social of the federal government’s own data rebuts Trump’s and Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s false claims about renewables. Trump administration officials should be asked to respond to this reporting.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Graphs showing the energy savings of states embracing renewables

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Alex Wang @greenlawchina.bsky.social · 17h

I have an op-ed in the LA Times today criticizing Trump's war on renewable energy. The US is shooting itself in the foot and ceding the next generation of key technologies to other countries like China. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Contributor: Even Saudi Arabia is focused on solar energy. Will the U.S. be left behind?

The rise of China as the world's clean-energy superpower and the ambitions of oil-rich Middle East countries show that the U.S. is thinking small.

www.latimes.com

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 17h

Gov. Newsom should sign AB 1167 to keep costs down for utility ratepayers by ensuring they are not forced to subsidize utilities’ political lobbying and PR, our @denisegrab.bsky.social writes at @legal-planet.org.

legal-planet.org/2025/10/08/s...

Signing AB 1167 Would be a Win for Energy Affordability - Legal Planet

AB 1167, which seeks to protect ratepayers from subsidizing utility lobbying, still awaits Governor Newsom’s signature.

legal-planet.org

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 1d

New solar and wind installations outpaced global electricity demand growth in the first half of the year. And for the first time ever it beat out coal over that period. ember-energy.org/latest-insig...

Global Electricity Mid-Year Insights 2025 | Ember

Solar and wind outpaced demand growth in the first half of 2025, as renewables overtook coal’s share in the global electricity mix.

ember-energy.org

Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 1d

The bad explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo was a good reminder about the costs of oil & gas products. For months, the conversation in California has been dominated by breathless coverage of gas prices. Will this be a reset? 🧵 legal-planet.org/2025/10/07/s...

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Legal Planet @legal-planet.org · 5d

The recent collapse of international plastics negotiations demands a new, non-UN framework. @uclalawemmett.bsky.social legal-planet.org/2025/10/03/g...

Garbage In, Garbage Out, Garbage Everywhere - Legal Planet

Given all the garbage that we have to deal with nowadays, you might have missed the prospect of actual, non-metaphorical garbage this week: to virtually no one’s surprise, UN negotiations over an inte...

legal-planet.org

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 5d

“I thought we got nuked or something,” one person playing soccer nearby the Chevron refinery told the LA Times. Good notes from @jklyou.bsky.social about air quality below. ⬇️ www.latimes.com/california/s...

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

The New York Times @nytimes.com · 5d

A fireball lit up the sky across the Los Angeles area on Thursday night after an explosion at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, alarming nearby residents who said it felt like an earthquake. The cause of the explosion was not clear. No injuries were reported. nyti.ms/42pPCaW

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Jean Chemnick @chemnick.bsky.social · 7d

Have any EPA staff NOT been notified they're exempted or excluded from furlough? I'd love to hear from you! on Signal at jchemnick.01.

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 8d

The effort to revoke the endangerment finding underlines “an extraordinarily dark time in U.S. environmental politics,” our Ann Carlson said during the webinar. “But all is not lost.” WATCH for more on the future of federal and state climate policy.
www.youtube.com/watch?si=X1X...

Up in the Air: Climate Policy Without the Endangerment Finding

YouTube video by UCLA Emmett Institute

www.youtube.com

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 8d

ICYMI: Here's a recording of our endangerment finding webinar from this week! legal-planet.org/2025/09/30/e...

Webinar: Climate Policy without the Endangerment Finding - Legal Planet

UCLA Law's "Up in the Air" webinar explores the future of U.S. climate policy if the endangerment finding is repealed.

legal-planet.org

UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

Join us today at 12:15 pm PT to find out: ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Up in the Air: Climate Policy Without the Endangerment Finding . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

In late July, the Trump administration proposed to revoke the “endangerment finding” — a determination by the Environmental Protection Agency that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse endanger public h...

ucla.zoom.us

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

Would this change the state law preemption analysis (recognizing that SCOTUS has not yet completely closed the door to state common law suits with endangerment finding still in place)

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

What would such a repeal mean for common law suits (e.g. by states, municipalities, or harmed private persons or groups) seeking damages or equitable relief for injury/harm caused by GHG emissions?

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

If the EPA Administrator finalizes the proposal w/out wading through public comments or following normal procedure - could this lead to invalidating the revocation through legal challenges?

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

Can states establish their own GHG emission standards for vehicles, including for out-of-state vehicles passing through?

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

We've fielded some interesting audience questions about the endangerment finding ahead of time that we'll seek to answer during today's webinar. 🧵1) how would the changes to the federal endangerment finding affect states', especially Californian's environmental laws?

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 9d

LAST CALL: Join us today at 12:15 pm PT for a webinar on what's next for the endangerment finding as EPA looks to scrap the foundational finding.

ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Legal Planet @legal-planet.org · 12d

For just the second time in half a century, India’s power generation CO2 emissions have dropped. It shows the rest of the world is moving on from the US. @uclalawemmett.bsky.social

legal-planet.org/2025/09/26/a...

A Breakthrough From India? - Legal Planet

Good news is very hard to come by nowadays, so this recent analysis from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, a Finnish think tank, is particularly welcome: India’s carbon dioxide (CO2) em...

legal-planet.org

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Alex Wang @greenlawchina.bsky.social · 12d

This Li Shuo op-ed is terrific. I agree. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/26/o...

Opinion | China Is the Adult in the Room on Climate Now

www.nytimes.com

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 13d

The new MOU between California and Brazil highlights the growing power of governors and states on climate – the mission of our Governors’ Climate and Forests Task Force. Our Project Director Jason Gray says its critical now more than ever.

legal-planet.org/2025/09/25/p...

California and Brazil Advance Joint Climate Action - Legal Planet

This week, California Governor Gavin Newsom led a high-level meeting with Brazil’s Environment Secretary Marina Silva to expand the long-running partnerships that exist between the Golden State and th...

legal-planet.org

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 13d

EPA is going to extraordinary lengths to rush its revocation of the endangerment finding - a foundation for climate policy. Join us Monday 9/29 for a webinar about what happens next.

ucla.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Up in the Air: Climate Policy Without the Endangerment Finding . After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

In late July, the Trump administration proposed to revoke the “endangerment finding” — a determination by the Environmental Protection Agency that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse endanger public h...

ucla.zoom.us

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UCLA Emmett Institute @uclalawemmett.bsky.social · 14d

The National Institutes of Health has officially reinstated grants to UCLA that were suspended on July 31, 2025.

Alex Wang @greenlawchina.bsky.social · 15d

It pays to fight back. www.latimes.com/california/s...

Federal judge orders Trump to restore $500 million in frozen UCLA medical research grants

A San Francisco-based federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to restore all National Institutes of Health grants to UCLA, roughly $500 million, that the government suspended in July.

www.latimes.com

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Reposted by UCLA Emmett Institute

Evan George @evanlgeorge.bsky.social · 14d

The U.S. Energy Secretary just said on stage at @nytimes.com Climate Forward event that “there are not oil and gas subsidies" in response to a good question from David Gelles. “It’s not a subsidized industry.” Uh. @oilchange.bsky.social @oilchangeus.bsky.social

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