Change and Continuity in the Role of State Attorneys General in the Obama and Trump Administrations

During the Trump Administration, state attorneys general (AGs) have become entrenched as integral policymaking actors in the United States. Their expanding policymaking role fits broader patterns of polarized politics, as partisan coalitions of AGs are increasingly willing to sue the federal government, a trend that gathered steam in the Obama Administration and has reached a crescendo in Trump’s first year. However, state AGs do cooperate, particularly in corporate litigation to address allegedly widespread, illegal behavior. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset of multi-state lawsuits and Supreme Court amicus briefs, we identify continuity and change in how AGs have employed their powers, by examining their activities during the first year of the Trump presidency and placing these activities in the context of previous administrations. This analysis is accompanied by a pair of case studies, one on conflictual AG environmental litigation and another on bipartisan efforts to address the opioid epidemic. Both demonstrate AG’s prominent policymaking power, a power unlikely to abate anytime soon

Heterogeneity of State Shale Gas Regulations

The rapid rise in shale gas production has affected the role and importance of regulatory policy at all levels of government. As the primary regulator in this area, state level regulatory changes are particularly significant. As shale gas production increases, some states are updating their regulations, while others maintain dated rules, put in place prior to hydraulic fracturing that may or may not address environmental issues specific to modern shale gas development or recent concerns about environmental impacts. Our research finds that state regulation is remarkably heterogeneous. Regulatory heterogeneity includes heterogeneity in the stringency of state regulations. Though heterogeneity in state regulation is not inherently good or bad, our limited data suggests that the heterogeneity is neither explained by differences in state conditions, nor does it necessarily reflect indicators of regulatory capture. The paper also compares the use of regulations to use of liability law, voluntary practices, and information provision. In addition, it identifies new activities being regulated and areas where additional regulation may be needed

Economic Shock in a Climate Scenario and Its Impact on Surface Temperatures

Abstract A socio‐economic crisis was added to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5) scenario. This idealized climate scenario was simulated using the Community Earth System Model version 1.2.2 to determine the transient climate response to a two‐year reduction of anthropogenic emissions. Global and regional (Asian, North American and European) mean surface temperatures (MSTs) were significantly warmer than baseline for 5 years. This was followed by cooler‐than‐baseline MSTs lasting for about two decades until the end of the simulation. Emission reduction of only carbon dioxide (CO2) resulted in multi‐decadal cooler‐than‐baseline MSTs. Emission reduction of aerosols and aerosol precursors resulted in strong short‐term warmer‐than‐baseline MSTs for the first five years after the start of the crisis. This was followed by weaker multi‐decadal warmer‐than‐baseline MSTs. The greatest warming occurred over Europe. This could be explained by the inter‐scenario differences in the state of the North Atlantic Oscillation. However, global, Asian and North American MSTs were all warmer than baseline