New CRS Report Analyzes Climate Litigation

Robert Meltz, legislative attorney for the Congressional Research Service, has released his latest report for Congress summarizing the state of climate litigation at (mostly) the federal level. Regular readers will appreciate its depth and thorough objectivity on such issues as standing doctrine in wake of Mass. v. EPA; the common-law nuisance suits that several states (and local governments) have filed against major emitters of CO2; the federal judiciary's trend toward recognizing warming-related claims under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); and the possible implications of covering polar bears and other animals under the Endangered Species Act due to climate-change impacts.

Highly recommended reading, particularly in wake of some of the hyperbole being cast about with regards to some of these exact issues...