The Center for Energy Science & Policy (CESP)

Category: Blog

“The Only Safe Nuclear” is Nuclear: Reimagining The China Syndrome

By: Rachel Hobbs, GMU Student Contributor

The China Syndrome is a 1979 Shakespearean-style tragedy written and directed by James Bridges that explores a deep suspicion of the systems designed to mitigate the risk of a nuclear reactor meltdown and ensure public safety.

West Virginia v. EPA: The Supreme Court Weighs EPA’s Ability to Write Major Rules on Climate Change

By: Paul Bubbosh, CESP Faculty Associate

On February 28, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency. This case involves whether the EPA can issue a regulation that reduces greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants in the way that the Obama Administration attempted with its Clean Power Plan (CPP).

A Just Transition for Coal Communities: Use of Financial Mechanisms

By: Charlotte Joannidis, GMU Student Contributor

Of all fossil fuels, coal generates the most carbon dioxide emissions and contributes to air, water, and land pollution, while being a human health risk especially for coal miners and communities living near coal power plants (EIA, 2021, Raimi et al., 2021).

Biden Climate Change Rules at Risk for Undercounting Impacts

By: Paul Bubbosh, CESP Faculty Associate

In February 2022, a federal district court judge in Louisiana slammed the door on the Biden Administration’s ability to incorporate the full costs of climate change in economic analyses of Federal regulations and actions.

ENERGY: The Case for an Academic Curriculum

By: Paul Bubbosh, CESP Faculty Associate

In Richard Andrews’ seminal work on the history of U.S. environmental policy, he states that “no sector of human activity impacts the environment more pervasively than the production and use of energy.”1 I would venture a step further.

United Nations COP26: Challenges and Advantages of Leapfrogging in Africa

By: Joshua Hurlburt, Center for Energy Science and Policy Graduate Student Fellow

My time in Glasgow attending the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP26) was an eye-opening experience.