US Energy and Climate Change Policy – Obama’s Second Term

There is a potential opening for federal climate change legislation in the US, but the political reality is against its passage in this Congress. This comment reviews President Obama’s plans to address climate change, as expressed in his recent State of the Union Address. It concludes that, if climate change legislation cannot be passed, the federal government will adopt a series of regulatory measures (e.g. through the EPA), with uncertain implications for overall emissions, and that the US will not be in a strong position to convince other countries to act decisively to combat climate change. It also identifies the conditions that might eventually allow federal legislation to be passed.

By: David Robinson