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Panelists evaluated the effects of a recent environmental policy in the United States in an event Tuesday through the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs’ Center for Policy Research.

The United States Supreme Court reduced the power of the EPA to regulate carbon emissions in June. Along with the decision’s implications, the panel covered the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which increased credits for renewable energy sources and allocated funding toward electric transportation.

David Driesen, a College of Law professor at Syracuse University, said the court stopped the EPA from enforcing regulations on coal-fired power plants. The agency initially attempted to reduce the industry’s emissions by 11 percent.

Now, Driesen said he’s unsure if the court will stop at the EPA’s original goal.

“(The decision) might even be saying that there’s some number before that,” Driesen said.

Both houses of Congress passed the IRA in August, just two months after the court released its decision. Sarah Pralle, a professor in the Maxwell School, said the IRA was an outcome of over a decade of work following the failure of a 2009 bill, nicknamed the Cap and Trade bill, with similar provisions.

“(The IRA’s passage was) the long-term effort and work of scientists, experts, the environmental movement, participants, and democratic elites,” Pralle said. “It’s a big deal.”

The panelists agreed that the IRA will move the U.S. toward new developments in green technology.

“Where we’ve been so far is looking at the low-hanging fruit; things that are relatively low costs should be developed fairly easily,” Driesen said. “The remaining challenges would be things that are either big technical challenges… and things where the market might be smaller.”

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Brandon Charles, a doctoral student in Maxwell, said transportation emissions are quickly exceeding electricity, which creates new opportunities for technological development.

“These two sectors are, of course, intertwined to the extent that the U.S. reduces transportation emissions by electrifying transportation,” Charles said.

The U.S. must reduce transportation and energy emissions at the same time, Charles said, especially since transportation is such a large contributor. The IRA includes tax credits to support wind and solar energy improvements along with expanding electric vehicle usage.

Driesen also said he believes sweeping federal legislation like the IRA will work in tandem with state policies to move the country forward. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced in late September that all new vehicles sold in the state will need to be zero-emissions by 2035.

“The (federal) subsidies will make it easier to meet the ambitious goals for cleaner processes in programs like New York’s,” he said.

Each panelist also offered their outlook on the future of the nation’s climate policy. Driesen and Pralle agreed that the IRA will help the U.S. move in a positive direction.

“I’m going to be an optimist this time, which is rare for me when it comes to climate,” Pralle said.

Published on November 2, 2022 at 12:20 am

Contact Claire: charri39@syr.edu