Climate and Environment

It’s time for another edition of an RDP Work Round-up to keep our loyal newsletter readers up-to-date with our blog posts. With the election less than a month away, now is the perfect time to look back at the polls, punditry, and policy debates that have dominated our news feeds lately. But first, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about the devastating hurricanes affecting the south east. 

In an election year in which one presidential candidate cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of the largest piece of clean energy legislation in U.S. history, and another has pledged to “tell the frackers” to “drill, baby, drill” on Day 1 and repeatedly lied about the impacts of wind turbines, you would be forgiven for assuming that a political action committee (PAC) which claims to represent the interests of the renewable energy industry would be more aligned with the former candidate’s party than the latter. 

You’d be forgiven for missing some terrible neoliberal commentary with all that going on. That’s why we’ve been monitoring the ponderous pundits, neoliberal know-nothings, and kooks of the commentariat for you! Here’s what you might’ve missed last week from our Hack friends

Matthew Yglesias wants the government to get cozier with Big Oil. Here’s three quick reasons why he’s got it backwards:

The Clean Air Act (CAA) has been fiercely opposed by polluters and their allies since its passage in 1970. Industry has never quite stopped fighting to prevent the government from protecting American lives and communities at the expense of even a bit of their profits. But over the past few years, opposition to the law has reached new feverish heights. Multiple cases seeking to gut the CAA have been filed by (or with the support of) oil and gas organizations, their dark-money front groups, and their political allies since 2022. 

The Revolving Door Project has previously proposed that the Biden administration pass an executive order enshrining a strongest-ever ethics commitment for executive branch political appointees. Among other things, this commitment would include a pledge not to own individual stocks while in public office. A new Inspector General report on the ethical minefield of a high-level EPA appointee who owns dozens of individual companies’ stocks demonstrates why this sort of simple, clear ethics rule is essential for increasing trust in government.

If Shondaland is ever looking to do a “How To Get Away With Murder” spin-off, we would humbly propose a remake about the lobbyists pushing to preserve lead pipes and forever chemicals in our water, to keep fracking near homes and schools, to keep power plants burning coal and gas, to keep car tailpipes polluting, and so on.

Labor Day is just around the corner, marking the unofficial end to an incredibly eventful summer in politics. It’s basically the last chance for a little reprieve before we’re inundated with the endless punditry and forecasting that accompanies the lead-up to a presidential election. So, before looking forward to November, let’s take a look back at some great research and writing that my RDP colleagues produced throughout the summer. You’ll be forgiven if some of this slipped past you in the chaos of the past two months. Luckily, in true summer reading fashion, you still have one week to cram before summer ends on Labor Day. Enjoy!