The 26th annual summit of the UN's climate change arm just wrapped up in Glasgow, Scotland, but it's unclear whether what came out of the event will be nearly enough to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. Bobby Magill was in Glasgow covering COP26 for Bloomberg Law and he joins our podcast, Parts Per Billion, to walk us through how to interpret the pact that was reached last week. He also talks about how covering this year's COP was unique—not only because it was the first to tak...
Nov 17, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Biden Administration just released a road map for how it's going to deal with the problem of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." The plan calls for establishing new standards for these chemicals in water and soil, but it's less clear on where the money will come from to achieve these standards. On today's episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Pat Rizzuto talks about what's in the PFAS road map and why federal officials are still struggling to ge...
Oct 27, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Later this month we'll see the kickoff of COP26, the 26th meeting of the UN's main climate change arm. Not only is this the first of these annual meetings to take place during the Biden administration, but it's also one in which the nations of the world are expected to lay out exactly how committed they are to achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. On this week's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg News' Jess Shankleman, who'll be attending t...
Oct 13, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Attorneys and environmental activists have been trying for years to prove that Exxon Mobil Corp. and other fossil fuel companies knew about—and covered up—the fact that their products cause climate change. Now, it appears that members of Congress are joining the effort. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Bloomberg Law reporter Jennifer Hijazi talks about the documents top Democrats in Congress are demanding from the fossil fuel industry ahead of an important ...
Sep 29, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast New York's new governor, Kathy Hochul (D), just took a major step toward an all-electric future by signing a bill that would ban the sale of gas-powered cars in her state by 2035. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk with Bloomberg Law's New York correspondent, Keshia Clukey, about why Hochul signed this bill so quickly after taking office. Keshia also talks about how lawmakers are hoping their neighbors enact similar laws so that New Yorkers aren't tem...
Sep 15, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Gulf Coast region is crucial for the energy industry, with a huge portion of the country's oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing clustered there. And now it's reeling after a direct hit from Hurricane Ida. On this episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk to two Bloomberg News energy reporters about how the region is handling this. Kevin Crowley talks about the risks now faced by the Gulf Coast's petroleum industry, while Josh Saul fills us in on the slow and pa...
Sep 01, 2021•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Senate-passed infrastructure bill aims to revive nineties-era taxes on chemical companies and importers to pay for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites. While the bill still needs to clear the House , the chemicals industry claims the Superfund tax provisions are unfair because they impact a small subset of the industrial sectors that contributed to pollution. But advocates say the return of the “polluters pay” doctrine is a step in the right direction to clean up toxic s...
Aug 25, 2021•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast ESG investing has quickly grown into an important institution on Wall Street. But what types of rules govern whether an investment can tout itself as good for the environment, social justice, or corporate governance? It may surprise you, but there aren't that many. On today's episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law reporter Andrew Ramonas about why this is the case and about the efforts underway in both the public and private sectors to establish a stronger s...
Jul 28, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Extreme heat waves are breaking out all across the country, and some environmental activists are questioning whether this unprecedented summer is making the EPA's air pollution regulations obsolete. On today's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi explains how high heat can both trigger more pollutant emissions and also intensify the pollution already in the air. And she explains why the EPA's cap-and-trade system for managing these pollutants i...
Jul 14, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden gave his federal agencies numerous climate-related tasks to complete within the first few months of his presidency—like making a plan to buy more electric vehicles or stand up a youth-led climate corps. By and large, the agencies have accomplished few if any of these tasks so far. On today's episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law White House reporter Courtney Rozen talks about why the executive branch is missing all of the...
Jun 30, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's no secret that the coal industry is struggling, with renewable energy continuing to get cheaper and a glut of natural gas flooding the market. The governors of some coal-producing states are now trying to halt this downward spiral by taking their neighbors to court. On this episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law correspondent Tripp Baltz outlines the arguments these states are making. He says these Republican-led states are blaming the potential shuttering of...
Jun 16, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Electric vehicles have slowly been gaining market share over the past few decades. But Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) says car buyer tax credits that recently expired must be reinstated to accelerate this trend. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Kildee speaks with Bloomberg Tax's Kaustuv Basu about how Democrats in the House, Senate, and White House are crafting a bill that would not only bring back these tax credits but also change who can take advantage of them...
Jun 02, 2021•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast The average road and bridge in the U.S. is in poor shape, and has been for some time. That could pose a serious obstacle for the makers of electric heavy-duty trucks—and for the states that have laws mandating their adoption in the coming decades. Currently, a battery that can power one of these trucks would add more than two tons to the weight the vehicle. And data about how much damage this could do to the country's highway infrastructure is spotty at best. On this week's episode, Bloomberg La...
May 19, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's almost impossible for Democrats to pass any legislation through Congress without all 50 Democratic Senators signing on. That means Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), arguably the most conservative Democrat in the chamber, is very, very powerful. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk to Bloomberg Government's Kellie Lunney, who recently traveled to the Mountain State to learn about what Manchin's constituents want him to do to on fossil fuels and other cli...
May 05, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Endangered Species Act typically wasn't used to go after people who run wild animal petting zoos. But that was before "Tiger King." Today on our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Maya Earls talks about how the Netflix show has led activist groups, and even some federal agencies, to think differently about how to use decades-old environmental statutes in new ways. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listene...
Apr 21, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Michael Regan is the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Bloomberg Law's Stephen Lee had an exclusive interview with him this week. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, Stephen tells us what he learned from speaking with Regan and about the background of this not very well known cabinet official. Stephen also talks about why Regan is prioritizing tighter limits on auto emissions, an about face from the policies of his predecessor. Learn more about your ad-cho...
Apr 07, 2021•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Record-low prices gave the fossil fuel industry a horrible year financially in 2020. But Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm that handled a huge percentage of the industry's bankruptcy filings, made money hand over fist. On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law reporter Roy Strom, who analyzed a database of large bankruptcy filings and found that this firm soared above its rivals in 2020 thanks to the energy industry's slump. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://...
Mar 24, 2021•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Industrial sites in Texas spewed much more air pollution than normal as a result of the frigid temperatures there last month and the ensuing infrastructure failures. What kind of liability will these sites face from these emissions? Probably not much, according to Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi. The environmental reporter joins our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, to talk about the "act of God" provisions in state and federal air pollution regulations that shield emitters from penalties and f...
Mar 10, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast To an outsider, it seems like the state of Texas now has no choice but to make huge changes to its energy policies, with last week's freeze-induced power outages and utility failures becoming nothing short of catastrophic. But Rachel Adams-Heard isn't too sure about that. The Bloomberg News energy reporter and Texas native says, after the state finishes cleaning up from this disaster, it may very well decide the costs of bolstering its power grid against another deep freeze are simply too high. ...
Feb 24, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast The first argument on the Supreme Court's docket when it returns Feb. 22 from its winter break Feb. 22 is a fight over water rights between Florida and Georgia. Bloomberg Law Florida correspondent Jennifer Kay says the dispute is so contentious that, if the states were sovereign countries, warfare might be the only way to resolve it. The heart of the conflict is a watershed that spans across both states. Florida says Georgia is using so much freshwater that it's making a famous oyster habitat to...
Feb 17, 2021•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast President Biden's nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission hasn't even been confirmed by the Senate yet. But Bloomberg Law's Andrew Ramonas says the agency may not wait for a permanent leader to begin pushing companies to disclose more climate change information to their investors. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Andrew about climate disclosure actions the SEC can take in the coming days and weeks. And Andrew also talks about how...
Feb 10, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast A group of big cities are seeking damages from the fossil fuel industry over the costs of climate change. These suits against some of the biggest names in the energy world are taking a very old legal idea—the tort—and trying to adapt it to a new environmental problem. On this week's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from two lawyers involved in this litigation, one representing the plaintiffs and the other with the defendants. Plaintiffs' attorney Katie Jones, with...
Feb 03, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast A little-known environmental official from the Trump administration made big headlines when it was reported he worked with the President in a failed attempt to oust the acting Attorney General earlier this month in order to bolster baseless claims of election fraud. The official, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, denied taking any actions against then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen. But Bloomberg Law's Ellen Gilmer says these reports have seriously damaged Clark's career moving forward. For this ...
Jan 27, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The former governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder (R), was hit with criminal charges last week over his role in the drinking water contamination crisis in the town of Flint. He is fighting the case and his attorneys say the charges are "wholly without merit." Will this usher in a new era where elected officials could be thrown in prison if an environmental catastrophe occurs on their watch? Not likely, says Bob Percival, a law professor at the University of Maryland who leads the school's environment...
Jan 20, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Supreme Court has not been shy about wading into some pretty thorny environmental disputes. Including the two cases it took up last week, the justices now have six environmental cases outstanding on their docket. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law's Ellen M. Gilmer, who summarized all of these cases and broke down their individual story lines. She also talks about arguments in a climate change case that the Supreme Court will hear one day bef...
Jan 13, 2021•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tucked away in the stimulus bill that the President just signed was nearly half a billion dollars for research into carbon capture technology. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law's Bobby Magill about why this money was added into to the bill, where it will go, and why it probably won't make a significant dent in our climate change problem. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/lis...
Jan 06, 2021•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Invasive Burmese pythons are becoming a real problem in Florida’s everglades, where they have no natural predators and are causing plummeting populations of native species like foxes and rabbits. State wildlife officials have encouraged the hunting of these massive snakes, but the problem still persists. Now, according to Bloomberg Law correspondent Jennifer Kay, officials are trying a different tack: convincing Sunshine Staters to start eating python meat. On the latest episode of our weekly en...
Dec 23, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast The Biden administration is staffing up quickly and it seems like there's a new headline almost every day about the President-elect's choice for one cabinet position or another. But less attention is being paid to the lower-level attorneys, even though the new administration's entire environmental agenda largely depends on them. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk to Bloomberg Law's Ellen M. Gilmer about how these regulatory attorneys will be trying to...
Dec 16, 2020•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Teslas and other electric vehicles may be helping to solve the problem of climate change, but they're also creating a new problem for state and federal transportation budgets. That's because these budgets are funded largely from revenue generated by taxes on gasoline. But if gas-fueled cars are being phased out, where will funding come from build new roads or even just to maintain existing ones? We posed this question to Sahas Katta, the CEO of an automobile tech startup who is working with seve...
Dec 09, 2020•18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Much of the litigation over toxic PFAS chemicals, at least thus far, has focused on the spraying of PFAS-laden firefighting foam. But now, a new avenue of lawsuits has opened up over the use of PFAS-coated firefighting gear. Bloomberg Law reporters Andrew Wallender and Fatima Hussein join our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, to talk about suits over these jackets, gloves, and other protective equipment. And they also explain why some of the firefighters filing the suits are now a...
Dec 02, 2020•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
