US Climate Change Policy Efforts

Centre For European Policy Studies, Policy Briefs

8 Pages Posted: 18 Oct 2011

Date Written: September 21, 2011

Abstract

This Policy Brief summarizes the emerging regulations at the national level in the US, and offers an assessment of potential emissions reductions under the Clean Air Act. It also describes the efforts at the sub-national level, and the interaction of these policies with the Clean Air Act under the particular structure of so-called ‘environmental federalism’. This structure places central responsibility for implementation of regulations at the state level, making the architecture of existing state-level policies increasingly relevant and influential. Finally, it compares the Act with comprehensive cap and trade legislation that was proposed in the previous Congress, and argues that comparable emissions mitigation may be achieved in the domestic economy by 2020. The author finds that the big difference likely to emerge in the short run is the ability of the US to meet its financing obligations under the Copenhagen agreement. And, in the long run, he finds that mitigation with a regulatory approach is likely to become increasingly expensive.

Keywords: emission, clean air, emissions reductions, US, environment, climate

Suggested Citation

Burtraw, Dallas, US Climate Change Policy Efforts (September 21, 2011). Centre For European Policy Studies, Policy Briefs, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1945782

Dallas Burtraw (Contact Author)

Resources for the Future ( email )

1616 P Street, NW
Washington, DC 20036
United States
202-328-5087 (Phone)