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Environmental, Energy and Climate Change Law & Regulation Reporter

July 2010

Volume 3, Number 3 July 2010

FEATURE ARTICLE

The San Francisco Bay Area Air Quality Management District Adopts

Stringent CEQA Thresholds of Significance for Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Tiffany Wright, Remy, Thomas, Moose and Manley, Sacramento,

California63

CLIMATE CHANGE NEWS

Electric Vehicles Reaching Highway Speeds Thanks to Federal Incent-

ives69

LEGISLATIVE DEVELOPMENTS

Climate Change Accountability Act Passes the Canadian House of

Commons71

China Enacts Amendments to Its Renewable Energy Law, which Focuses on Increased Efficiencies and Incentives to Reduce Waste72

U.S. Senate Votes Down Murkowski Resolution Seeking to Strip EPA of Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gases under the Clean Air Act74

U.S. Senate Democrats Weigh American Power Act against Other Climate Proposals76

California Legislature Considers Expanding Eligible Recipients of Sustainable Communities Funding to Special Districts, JPAs and Other Land Use Authorities78

Maine Enacts Package of Energy Bills, Including Enabling Legislation for PACE Financing79

Oklahoma Legislature Passes Wind Energy Development Act81

CLIMATE CHANGE SCIENCE

Recent Scientific Studies of Climate Change83

REGULATORY DEVELOPMENTS

EPA Issues Final ‘Tailoring Rule’ Establishing

Permitting Requirements for Greenhouse Gas Emissions86

EPA’s Final Greenhouse Gas Rule Requires Biomass Facilities to Obtain Permits for Their CO2 Emiss-

ions88

JUDICIAL DEVELOPMENTS

Virginia State Court of Appeals Upholds Decision to Issue Permit for Coal-Fired Power Plant90

Appalachian Voices, et al. v. Virginia State Air Pollution Control Board, et al., Case No. 2199-09-2, 2010 (Va.App. May 25, 2010).