New Episode of Resources Radio: "2019 Year in Review: Energy and Environmental Policy, with Susan Tierney and Sarah Ladislaw"
WASHINGTON, DC—Resources for the Future (RFF) today released a new installment of Resources Radio: “2019 Year in Review: Energy and Environmental Policy, with Susan Tierney and Sarah Ladislaw.”
In this episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Susan Tierney, senior advisor at the Analysis Group and chair of the board of directors at RFF, and Sarah Ladislaw, senior vice president, director, and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Energy and National Security Program. Tierney and Ladislaw recount major news and discern key trends from the past year in the environmental policymaking world. They see the Green New Deal, the California waiver, and ongoing disparities between federal and state-level regulations on energy issues as topics with continuing relevance, looking forward to 2020.
Notable quotes from the podcast:
- The Green New Deal: “I mention [the Green New Deal] not because I think that that proposal is realistic or practical or likely to be enacted. I think it is aspirational. I just don't think that many of the outcomes that are outlined in that proposal are doable on the timeframes that the Green New Deal aspires to. But I think it's been incredibly important from an agenda-setting point of view, from moving climate to a conversation that happens in lots of different settings and venues.”―Susan Tierney (8:44)
- Legal battles between California and the federal government: “I think what's really been interesting in this [legal battle between California and the federal government] is that it is showing a really core question in our system of energy federalism, which is: Are the states pushing the federal government, and does the federal government learn from innovation at the state level? Or are the states finally starting to move so much faster than the federal government is able to [enact changes] through its own regulatory structures?"―Sarah Ladislaw (11:54)
- States leading on energy policy: “The good news is that states are taking the reins, deciding their own destiny as best they can with the tools that they have available to them. But there's often this inattention to the next-door state’s design of its policies … The potential thing that people need to be really concerned about is, once these state-by-state different policy designs are adopted in the states, it becomes harder sometimes to find a harmonized federal solution because people get really attached to their way of doing things.” ―Susan Tierney (27:24)
Resources Radio is a weekly podcast series exploring timely environmental, energy, and natural resources topics. Episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Soundcloud, Spotify, and Stitcher.
Resources for the Future (RFF) is an independent, nonprofit research institution in Washington, DC. Its mission is to improve environmental, energy, and natural resource decisions through impartial economic research and policy engagement. RFF is committed to being the most widely trusted source of research insights and policy solutions leading to a healthy environment and a thriving economy.
Unless otherwise stated, the views expressed here are those of the individual authors and may differ from those of other RFF experts, its officers, or its directors. RFF does not take positions on specific legislative proposals.
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