2023: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

This is What Happened in the World of Energy and the Environment.

A lot has happened this year, with political upheaval in the House of Representatives, accusations against Donald Trump and his associates, and a close brush with national debt default. In the world of energy and the environment, the landscape has also been mixed, but with more good things than bad.

The Good.

• California enacted two important laws requiring corporations to disclose their carbon emissions and financial risks related to climate change. The SEC is considering similar regulations.
• The Inflation Reduction Act was launched with billions of dollars for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and hydrogen energy.
• The EPA issued ambitious regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks, while giving California authority to act even more quickly with emissions cuts.
• The Supreme Court allowed lawsuits against major oil companies to return to state courts, where they are more likely to receive a fair hearing. The lawsuits claim that oil companies misled consumers, investors, and the public about the risks of climate change.
• The Supreme Court also lifted a judicial restraint against state regulations preventing harmful conduct outside their borders. This removes a potential threat to state laws on climate and renewable energy.
• The Biden Administration continued its campaign to undo over 100 environmental rollbacks from the Trump years.

The Bad.

• In one of the most anti-environmental rulings in history, the Supreme Court removed federal protection for wetlands.
• 2023 was the hottest year on record, with extreme weather events shaking the world.
• Republican states continued their campaign to punish banks and investment funds that consider a company’s climate-related risks.
• After three weeks of turmoil, the Republicans elected a climate denier as speaker in October.

The Ugly.

• The Republican House of Representatives brought the nation to the brink of default, seeking draconian budget cuts and revocations of environmental laws, but only achieving minor adjustments related to environmental impact statements.
• Donald Trump, a climate denier and accused criminal, maintained a strong lead in the Republican presidential nomination.

Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy & the Environment (CLEE) seeks pragmatic solutions to urgent environmental problems in California and worldwide. You can help support our efforts here.