In the summer of 2018, Sean Murray dialed his local news channel after seeing a segment on voter restoration efforts in Tennessee. “I said, ‘no way they are going to let a felon vote—and if so, you know what, I’m gonna fight for this.'” Up to that point, the 57-year old had served two jail sentences, and hadn’t been aware that he could...
Michael Lissner April 13, 2017 Today, the PACER system contains millions of court filings for the federal district, circuit, and bankruptcy courts, most of which are sold at a dime per page with a three dollar cap per document. But content in PACER was not always priced this way, and indeed the PACER system goes back all the way to the early 1990’s, before...
Donny Morrison September 11, 2020 When he’s not researching Islamist extremism or uncovering potential terror plots in the United States, Seamus Hughes is using documents available to anyone to break potential news stories, often beating journalists at their own game. He’s become adept at navigating the Public Access to Court Electronic Records, or as...
Trade is a mass disseminator of resources, technology, and best practices. And yet, it is the most underdeveloped tool in the climate playbook. Increasingly, policymakers are considering trade policies to harness global market forces that promote climate, economic, and geopolitical objectives. International conversations about implementing shared climate and trade...
Carbon import fees—a price imposed on imported goods based on their carbon intensity, largely targeting energy-intensive and trade-exposed products—are gaining traction as an important element in addressing global climate goals. At least 9 countries—including the European Union (EU) and the United States—have started formal policy processes toward imposing such fees...
Popular Climate and Trade Policy Proposals Expected to Comply with International Agreements WASHINGTON, DC – A first-of-its kind legal analysis released today by the Climate Leadership Council finds that carbon import fees, including proposals currently being explored in the U.S. Congress, are permissible under the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The...
While World Trade Organization rules do not provide explicitly for carbon-related border fee arrangements such as a carbon border adjustment mechanism, various provisions in those rules should provide enough flexibility to allow for them, analysts argued on Wednesday. During an event hosted by the Climate Leadership Council, two former WTO Appellate Body members...
In September, we released the report Carbon Import Fees and the WTO, a first-of-its-kind legal analysis of how different climate and trade policy proposals might fare if challenged by member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO). These policy mechanisms are being increasingly looked at as a way to address the carbon loophole—the 20-25 percent of global...
This blog post will be updated as more details emerge. Climate and trade policies are gaining momentum across the world, partly due to an increasing awareness of the “carbon loophole” and a growing appreciation for the competitive pressures facing businesses that enjoy a “carbon advantage” over international rivals. One set of tools under consideration would impose a...
Momentum continues to build worldwide for the use of carbon import fees, policies that charge importers for the emissions embedded in traded goods. The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body has yet to definitively interpret provisions that could determine the legality of carbon import fee approaches. In the absence of guidance, some have voiced reservations...