New York State is indefinitely delaying implementation of the All Electric Buildings Act. I spoke to @nysfocus.bsky.social about how the state used a court case to "make it seem like their hands were tied.” nysfocus.com/2025/11/26/a...

Crazy look at the interplay of local harms & global climate change. "A judge ruled in 2018 that Oakland officials didn’t have sufficient proof that coal shipments would harm residents, and instead had canceled the contract over broader concerns about global warming.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/u...

Great news from Allegheny County Council -- who have moved to match Air Quality Permitting fees to the impact of air pollution on residents. Additional funding goes directly to the County Health Department. triblive.com/local/valley...

Chattanooga’s small municipal utility is doing big things with batteries.

Any chance to hear what's happening in Advait's brain is a treat!

"The transit system is one of the greatest tools communities have to combat climate change and reduce emissions. “You can make a pretty immediate impact.” www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/c...

As I told @politico.com about yesterday's extremely disappointing move to delay implementation of NYS's All-Electric Buildings Act: "This is not a legal decision. This is a political decision." subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

Dealt with a decade+ of imposter syndrome and it turns out I could have just been yelling DO NOT REPEAT THIS INSIGHT the whole time.

As I told @politico.com about yesterday's extremely disappointing move to delay implementation of NYS's All-Electric Buildings Act: "This is not a legal decision. This is a political decision." subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

📣📥 NEW TEMPLATE COMMENT LETTER 📣📥 Local govs are critical in the Endangerment Finding rulemaking: they can put into the record the harms they'll endure from climate change. My blog post explains what’s at stake and provides a template comment letter. blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechang...

I spoke to Smart Cities Dive about yesterday's Endangerment Finding announcement, and how it fits within the broader climate landscape cities currently find themselves in. www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/epa-gut...

Join the Local Infrastructure Hub (and me!) for a post-OBBBA no-cost virtual session on: 📑✏️ Grant application strategy 💪⚙️ Project implementation ☀️🍃 Clean energy investments usmayors.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The OBBB Act was signed into law on July 4th. It nearly eliminates or renders unworkable many critical Inflation Reduction Act programs, especially the clean energy and clean vehicle tax credits. More on the @sabincenter.bsky.social blog. blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechang...

🏛️💸 Last week, the Supreme Court closed its term with a decision in Trump v. CASA, a/k/a the birthright citizenship case. The decision says little about citizenship, but has huge implications for cities & community groups fighting unlawful grant terminations. blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechang...

For those doubting the project of originalism, the Birthright opinion is heavy on it. Heavy as in "Neither the universal injunction nor any analogous form of relief was available in the High Court of Chancery in England at the time of the founding." Expect to see FedSoc at Butterworth's tonight.

This morning, the Supreme Court significantly impaired the ability of federal judges to use nationwide or "universal" injunctions. The case at issue relates to birthright citizenship, but the implications run far broader, including for climate/federal funding cases. 🧵 www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06...

The New York State Court of Appeals - the state's highest court - has UPHELD Local Law 97! The Court has ruled that the NYS CLCPA does not field preempt local law. This is a huge win for the City and for local building performance standards everywhere. www.nycourts.gov/ctapps/Decis...

🏙️ The latest installment of @sabincenter.bsky.social's 100 Days of Trump 2.0 series: a post for cities, community groups, and other subnationals summarizing key federal developments. It's been fun to work across the Center on this wide-ranging series. blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechang...

This is the first in a series of 100 days blog posts from the Sabin Center. Bookmark for much more in the coming days!

“'There is no bat phone anymore,' Dr. Michael Totoraitis, the Milwaukee health commissioner, said in an interview. 'I can’t pick up and call my colleagues at the C.D.C. about lead poisoning anymore.'" www.nytimes.com/2025/04/18/u...

Panel 2 kept the party going with our very own Brennon Mendez moderating an interesting discussion on Indirect Source Rules and ZEV-only zones with Earthjustice’s @lasmogguy.bsky.social, CARB’s Jessi Hafer, and Columbia Law’s Amy Turner!

Yesterday President Trump signed an EO threatening to go after state and climate laws, a complete and total perversion of the principles of federalism. What does the order actually mean? I wrote about it for the @sabincenter.bsky.social blog. blogs.law.columbia.edu/climatechang...

Beautiful morning in Wisconsin - thunderstorms (which I love) and a Crawford/Underly victory (which I love even more).

I was so honored to join @c40cities.bsky.social superstars David Miller and my longtime collaborator @kljohnson7.bsky.social to discuss WTF is happening with for climate-ambitious cities in Washington. Please listen if you're interested - it's on the major podcast platforms! lnk.to/Cities1.5_S5E4

“It’s a clear win in that regard, because the 9th Circuit decision has had a chilling effect on local governments. Now there’s a good reason for hope for local governments to bring bldg elec’n to the forefront again.”https://grist.org/buildings/natural-gas-in-new-buildings-nyc-berkeley-lawsuits/

Second piece of good news coming from the courts this week on building electrification!

Some good news out of Washington state — the misleading ballot initiative I-2066, which would protect access to natural gas and weaken state building codes and that squeaked by last November — has been ruled unconstitutional! 🔌💡 www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news...

Earlier this week, the SDNY upheld NYC's Local Law 154, which prevents new buildings from using natural gas. I spoke to EnergyWire about the win, which “bolsters the case that these policies are legally defensible." subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...

BREAKING: Federal judge blocks Trump EPA move to claw back $20B in climate grants. www.politico.com/news/2025/03...

New day, new preliminary injunction. What I will note is that this PI applies only to "categorical pause[s]" on funding to the plaintiff states. If I were the admin, I'd walk away pretty happy with this. They won't, of course, but it's not a hugely broad stroke. thehill.com/regulation/c...

Wisconsin friends (and those who can beam into Wisconsin): I'll be talking about the federal funding freeze and all sorts of other climate and environmental justice developments coming out of Washington TODAY at 2:30 CT. Register here. zoom.us/meeting/regi...

JUST IN: The 1st Circuit Court of appeals has *denied* the Trump administration's emergency motion to block a court order that ordered agencies to lift their spending freeze.

Yes to Elective Pay and to every single one of these Climate Mayors! @climatemayors.bsky.social www.climatemayors.org/post/electiv...

Happy weekend to OMB's legal team.

TIL that "I hate it here" is a Taylor Swift reference. www.wired.com/story/feds-h...

How have your most used emojis changed over these past two weeks? 🫠

Let 2025 go down in history as the year we all stopped enjoying being right. www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/c...

Join #AmericaIsAllIn this Thursday at 4 PM ET for a webinar on the impacts of recent actions from the new administration and the role of U.S. subnational climate leaders, featuring our director of the Cities Climate Law Initiative, Amy Turner (@amyturner.bsky.social) : https://buff.ly/3Err8oF

Scene at Treasury

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I'm so looking forward to this America Is All In webinar on Thursday. It's an honor to join not only Gina McCarthy & Mayor Bibb, but also the many climate champions in govts, businesses & orgs across the country that will do the work over these next four years. www.americaisallin.com/webinar-goin...

Over 1,000 EPA employees receive this email: "As a probationary/trial period employee, the agency has the right to immediately terminate you."

DC federal judge *did* extend ban on Trump OMB funding freeze. TRO granted. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

A morning walk down 17th St NW sure hits different today.

I spoke w/ @insideclimatenews.org about the lawlessness of the Solar for All freeze. "The president is not entitled to cut off agencies’ contractual obligations. Those contracts list only very specific circumstances in which EPA can withhold or cut off funding.” insideclimatenews.org/news/3101202...

Up to $50 billion in EPA funds are currently frozen across programs including: +Brownfields +Clean School Bus +Clean Water and Drinking Water SRFs +Climate Pollution Reduction Grants +EJ Community Change +Solar4All +Superfund I.e., every program in this report: www.epa.gov/system/files... 🔌💡 10/X

I ran $100 billion in Infrastructure and IRA programs at EPA. We obligated over $70 billion onto signed awards and contracts to protect public health and the environment. All that funding is currently frozen. Here are the facts… 🔌💡 1/X

In the National Council of Nonprofits case, OMB has filed a motion to dismiss. As expected, they're trying to use their "to the extent permissible by law" language even while agencies continue to impound funds in excess of what the law permits. www.courtlistener.com/docket/69583...

The federal funds are NOT unfrozen, despite the D.C. court's administrative stay.