Heat Expands All Things: The Proliferation of Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under the Obama Administration‪.‬

During his campaign for the White House, Barack Obama called for decisive action to address the threat of global climate change. Specifically, then-Senator Obama called for reducing, by 2050, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States by 80% through the imposition of a "cap-and-trade" regime. (1) He pledged that, as President, legislation to achieve this goal would be among his top priorities. (2) Congressional leaders also endorsed decisive action on climate change. In 2009, the House of Representatives enacted a far-reaching climate bill that included a cap-and-trade system and endorsed the 80% reduction goal. (3) The Senate refused to follow suit, however, and it appears unlikely that a cap-and-trade bill or other meaningful climate legislation will pass Congress in the next two years. (4) But the death of cap-and-trade does not mean the death of greenhouse gas regulation.