PODCAST · science
Parts Per Billion
by Bloomberg
Parts Per Billion is Bloomberg Law's environmental policy podcast. We cover everything from air pollution, to toxic chemicals, to corporate sustainability, and climate change. The reporters from our environment desk offer an inside look at what's happening at Congress, in the courts, and at the federal agencies, and help explain the scientific and policy debates shaping environmental laws and regulations. Host: David Schultz
Episodes
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Firefighters Will Be Suing, Getting Sued Over PFAS
It's well known that using PFAS-laden firefighting foam caused big problems for the military, but it's sometimes overlooked that civilian firefighting agencies are facing many of these same problems. Bloomberg Law reporters Pat Rizzuto and Andrew Wallender are finding more instances of litigation...
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States Scramble on Water Rights Pact as Deadline Nears
As a multidecade megadrought continues in the West, the Colorado River Basin is drying up. Today we’ll talk about what that means for the millions of people who depend on that water. And we’ll look at what states and regulators are doing to ensure that communities get the water they need to...
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An Energy Regulator Crossed Manchin, Now He's Gone
About a year ago, Richard Glick was chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and was poised to get renominated to a new term. Today, he's out of the job. Glick's plans to more closely scrutinize gas pipeline projects ran afoul of the powerful chairman of the Senate Energy Committee,...
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Fusion Is Promising, but Isn't a Near-Term Solution
News of the world's first nuclear fusion reaction with a net energy gain created a lot of excitement, and justifiably so—fusion could one day be an infinitely renewable, carbon-free energy source. Policy makers, including President Joe Biden, said they want to see a fusion reactor providing...
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Big Tech Is Now a Big Player in US Energy Markets
Companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta are now some of the country's largest consumers of electric power. And as Bloomberg Law's Daniel Moore reports, they're starting to wield their strong purchasing power. Big Tech companies are pushing the energy industry to bring more renewable...
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Manchin Still a Huge Factor on Energy in New Congress
The 117th Congress is coming to a close at the end of this year and, now that most of the midterm races have been called and partisan control of both chambers decided, we have a pretty good idea of what the dynamics will be in the new 118th. Bloomberg Government energy reporter Kellie Lunney…
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EV Mineral Demand May End Alaska Natives' Way of Life
The Biden administration has made it crystal clear that, to solve climate change, we need to source more of the critical minerals that go into electric batteries--and we need to source them domestically. One potentially huge source of these minerals is in northern Alaska. But what will that mean...
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A New Low-Key Climate Czar for a New Climate Policy Era
Ali Zaidi, the White House's new climate czar, doesn't have the name recognition of his predecessor, Gina McCarthy. But maybe that's the point. McCarthy was instrumental in getting the Inflation Reduction Act, and its billions of dollars for climate projects, through Congress and to President Joe...
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'Forever Chemicals' Here to Stay, Despite Alternatives
Because it's so effective, PFAS-laden firefighting foam isn't easy to replace. However, there are indications that PFAS alternatives might finally be ready for prime time. The Department of Defense is expected to change its policies early next year to allow for the use of non-PFAS foams, while…
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RGGI Still Thriving Despite Revolving Door Membership
It's been nearly 20 years since a handful of northeastern states got together to start a cap-and-trade program for their power sector's greenhouse gas emissions. Since then, the membership of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, has been anything but static. New Jersey left under…
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Nevada Lithium Mine a Boon for EVs, But at What Cost?
Electric vehicles are seen as one of humanity's best hopes at fighting climate change, and that means humanity will need to build a whole lot of lithium ion batteries. Unsurprisingly, the price of lithium is skyrocketing and the Biden administration is eager to develop domestic sources of the...
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New Climate Dollars Get Cheers, Shrugs From States
The Inflation Reduction Act contains billions of dollars to help states fight climate change and achieve other environmental goals, but only some state lawmakers have plans to spend this money. Bloomberg Law reporter Zach Bright spoke with three Democratic state legislators in…
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What Manchin Got for Backing Democrats' Climate Bill
Joe Manchin, the West Virginian who represents the crucial 50th Democratic vote in the Senate, surprised Washington last week with a dramatic about-face. Just weeks after rejecting his party's climate legislation, he reversed course and announced he'd reached a deal with Democratic leaders to…
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Manchin Likely Just Put an End to Big Climate Bills
It's still technically possible for Congress to pass President Joe Biden's climate policy agenda sometime this year. But most people on Capitol Hill, including some Democrats, say Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) just essentially delivered a death blow to this agenda last week. Though Democratic...
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Can the Pentagon be Ready, Lethal, and Also Green?
A group of 12 Republican senators criticized the Pentagon's Climate Adaptation Plan last year, saying its focus in that area distracts from its mission of fielding a "ready and lethal force." But the Defense Department, and its commander in chief, counter that the exact opposite is true. They...
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With PFAS Science, the More We Know, the Worse It Gets
Scientists and environmental regulators have been studying PFAS for years now, but new details are still coming out that make these so-called "forever chemicals" seem even more hazardous than previously thought. Earlier this month, the EPA said it's unsafe to be exposed to essentially any amount…
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ESG Funds Are Finding It's Not Easy Being Green
If it was ever easy to be the manager of an ESG fund, it certainly isn't any more. Demand for these environmentally friendly investment options is skyrocketing, but scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission is increasing along with it. Late last month, BNY Mellon paid the agency $1.5...
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PFAS Litigation May Bring Down More Companies
DuPont, a company founded shortly after the turn of the 19th century, has gone through a merger and several spinoffs in recent years, still existing more or less in name only. And while there were many reasons for these moves, the weight of liability from the chemicals collectively known as PFAS...
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Rural Utilities Can't Get EPA Funds. Can They Survive?
Last year's infrastructure bill gave the EPA a deluge of cash to hand out to water utilities for infrastructure upgrades. But some of the smallest and neediest water utilities in the country may not see much, if any, of it. There are thousands of struggling water systems, many in remote, rural...
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Energy Infrastructure Now More Impervious to Activists
It's never easy for environmental activists—whether global, national, or local—to stop the construction of a big energy infrastructure project. But now, it may be nearly impossible. For an example, look to southwestern Louisiana. Fossil fuel companies are building new liquefied natural gas...
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Democrats Torn Over Pursuing Low-Carbon Fuel Policies
Here's yet another complicated and confusing question about the transition to a post-greenhouse gas world: Is what's billed as low-carbon gasoline good or bad for the environment? That's the question lawmakers in several Democratic-led states are asking themselves, and no easy answers are...
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ESG Investors Get Big Win With New SEC Climate Rule
Some good news for ESG investors, and even better news for accountants: the Securities and Exchange Commission just unveiled a new proposal that would force public companies to disclose mountains of climate change information. The proposal goes far beyond requiring disclosure of the fossil fuels…
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Ukraine Invasion Hurts U.S. Nuclear Power in a Big Way
If you thought Russia's invasion of Ukraine hurt the oil market, wait until you hear what it's doing to uranium. Before last month's invasion, Russia and its allies supplied nuclear power plants in the U.S. with half of their uranium, and 100% of a special type of uranium needed for smaller, next...
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Justices Give EPA Glimmer of Hope in Climate Case
The Supreme Court heard oral argument in West Virginia v. EPA on Monday, a case that could result in the narrowing of the agency's authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. But, to some surprise, a few of the court's conservative justices posed tough questions to the attorney arguing…
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Charging Station Locations a Big Obstacle to EVs
Electric vehicles, or EVs, represent one of the most promising climate change solutions. But is America ready? To get the country ready, President Biden and Democrats in Congress gave states more than $7 billion to install electric vehicle charging stations across the country. But, as Bloomberg...
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Climate Regulation Hinges on Case at Supreme Court
The Supreme Court said 15 years ago that the EPA has not only the authority but also the obligation to regulate greenhouse gasses. Now, in a case coming before the court later this month, that landmark ruling may get overturned. On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental...
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Lead Pipe Money to Ooze, Not Flow, Out of EPA
Last year's infrastructure bill made a landmark $15 billion investment in lead pipe removal, and even more funding may be on the way to get this toxic metal out of the country's drinking water system. But, according to two Bloomberg Law reporters, this money may be much slower than expected in...
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Competing Climate Rules Worry Federal Contractors
Federal contractors are going to have to share more information about their greenhouse gas emissions with the public, under new General Services Administration reporting requirements the White House introduced earlier this month. However, this isn’t the only climate reporting rule these…
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Air Polluters Can't Ignore Citizen Science Anymore
It used to be that taking an air quality sample required expensive, bulky equipment and teams of people to operate. Now devices that monitor air quality can be bought on Amazon and worn on your wrist. This is a gamechanger for so-called "fenceline communities," or areas that abut factories and...
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Can Taxes and the Free Market Solve Climate Change?
Time is running out to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, and activists and scientists say global efforts like those seen at the recent COP26 meeting aren't moving nearly fast enough. Can a carbon tax or some other type of carbon pricing scheme use the power of market forces to speed...
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Talking COP26: Major Breakthrough or All for Naught?
The 26th annual summit of the UN's climate change arm just wrapped up in Glasgow, Scotland, but it's unclear whether what came out of the event will be nearly enough to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. Bobby Magill was in Glasgow covering COP26 for Bloomberg Law and he joins…
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Biden's PFAS Cleanup Plan: Who Will Pay For It All?
The Biden Administration just released a road map for how it's going to deal with the problem of PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals." The plan calls for establishing new standards for these chemicals in water and soil, but it's less clear on where the money will come from to achieve these...
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UN Climate Conference: Everything You Need to Know
Later this month we'll see the kickoff of COP26, the 26th meeting of the UN's main climate change arm. Not only is this the first of these annual meetings to take place during the Biden administration, but it's also one in which the nations of the world are expected to lay out exactly how…
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'Exxon Knew' Movement Arrives on Capitol Hill
Attorneys and environmental activists have been trying for years to prove that Exxon Mobil Corp. and other fossil fuel companies knew about—and covered up—the fact that their products cause climate change. Now, it appears that members of Congress are joining the effort. On this episode of Parts…
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The Politics of New York's Ban on Gas-Powered Cars
New York's new governor, Kathy Hochul (D), just took a major step toward an all-electric future by signing a bill that would ban the sale of gas-powered cars in her state by 2035. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk with Bloomberg Law's New York...
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Hurricane Ida Walloped Gulf's Energy Infrastructure
The Gulf Coast region is crucial for the energy industry, with a huge portion of the country's oil refining and petrochemical manufacturing clustered there. And now it's reeling after a direct hit from Hurricane Ida. On this episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, we talk to two...
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Infrastructure Bill Reignites Superfund Tax Debate
The Senate-passed infrastructure bill aims to revive nineties-era taxes on chemical companies and importers to pay for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated sites. While the bill still needs to clear the House, the chemicals industry claims the Superfund tax provisions are unfair...
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Reining in the Wild, Wild West of ESG Investing
ESG investing has quickly grown into an important institution on Wall Street. But what types of rules govern whether an investment can tout itself as good for the environment, social justice, or corporate governance? It may surprise you, but there aren't that many. On today's episode of our…
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Air Pollution Rules Buckle Under Brutal Heat Waves
Extreme heat waves are breaking out all across the country, and some environmental activists are questioning whether this unprecedented summer is making the EPA's air pollution regulations obsolete. On today's episode of our environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Jennifer…
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Biden Climate Deadlines Come and Go With No Action
Shortly after taking office, President Joe Biden gave his federal agencies numerous climate-related tasks to complete within the first few months of his presidency—like making a plan to buy more electric vehicles or stand up a youth-led climate corps. By and large, the agencies have accomplished...
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Struggling Coal States Take 'Woke' Neighbors to Court
It's no secret that the coal industry is struggling, with renewable energy continuing to get cheaper and a glut of natural gas flooding the market. The governors of some coal-producing states are now trying to halt this downward spiral by taking their neighbors to court. On this episode of our...
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EV Tax Breaks Can Save Carmakers, Mich. Lawmaker Says
Electric vehicles have slowly been gaining market share over the past few decades. But Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) says car buyer tax credits that recently expired must be reinstated to accelerate this trend. On this episode of Parts Per Billion, our weekly environmental podcast, Kildee speaks with...
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Electric Truck Batteries Too Heavy for Rickety Roads
The average road and bridge in the U.S. is in poor shape, and has been for some time. That could pose a serious obstacle for the makers of electric heavy-duty trucks—and for the states that have laws mandating their adoption in the coming decades. Currently, a battery that can power one of these...
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The Other Powerful Joe—Manchin—Rules on Climate Change
It's almost impossible for Democrats to pass any legislation through Congress without all 50 Democratic Senators signing on. That means Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.), arguably the most conservative Democrat in the chamber, is very, very powerful. On this episode of our weekly environmental podcast,...
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'Tiger King' Suits: New Spin on Old Environmental Laws
The Endangered Species Act typically wasn't used to go after people who run wild animal petting zoos. But that was before "Tiger King." Today on our weekly environmental podcast, Parts Per Billion, Bloomberg Law's Maya Earls talks about how the Netflix show has led activist groups, and even some...
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What's Regan Going to Do and How Is He Going to Do It?
Michael Regan is the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency and Bloomberg Law's Stephen Lee had an exclusive interview with him this week. On this episode of our weekly podcast, Parts Per Billion, Stephen tells us what he learned from speaking with Regan and about the background of this...
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The Law Firm That Cashed in on Fossil Fuel Failures
Record-low prices gave the fossil fuel industry a horrible year financially in 2020. But Kirkland & Ellis, the law firm that handled a huge percentage of the industry's bankruptcy filings, made money hand over fist. On today's episode of Parts Per Billion, we hear from Bloomberg Law reporter Roy...
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Texas Freeze Led to Pollution, But Likely No Fines
Industrial sites in Texas spewed much more air pollution than normal as a result of the frigid temperatures there last month and the ensuing infrastructure failures. What kind of liability will these sites face from these emissions? Probably not much, according to Bloomberg Law's Jennifer Hijazi....
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Texas Energy May Stay the Course Even After Freeze
To an outsider, it seems like the state of Texas now has no choice but to make huge changes to its energy policies, with last week's freeze-induced power outages and utility failures becoming nothing short of catastrophic. But Rachel Adams-Heard isn't too sure about that. The Bloomberg News…
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Florida and Georgia Fight Winner-Take-All Water War
The first argument on the Supreme Court's docket when it returns Feb. 22 from its winter break Feb. 22 is a fight over water rights between Florida and Georgia. Bloomberg Law Florida correspondent Jennifer Kay says the dispute is so contentious that, if the states were sovereign countries…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Parts Per Billion is Bloomberg Law's environmental policy podcast. We cover everything from air pollution, to toxic chemicals, to corporate sustainability, and climate change. The reporters from our environment desk offer an inside look at what's happening at Congress, in the courts, and at the federal agencies, and help explain the scientific and policy debates shaping environmental laws and regulations. Host: David Schultz
HOSTED BY
Bloomberg
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How many episodes does Parts Per Billion have?
Parts Per Billion currently has 188 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Parts Per Billion about?
Parts Per Billion is Bloomberg Law's environmental policy podcast. We cover everything from air pollution, to toxic chemicals, to corporate sustainability, and climate change. The reporters from our environment desk offer an inside look at what's happening at Congress, in the courts, and at the...
How often does Parts Per Billion release new episodes?
Parts Per Billion publishes regularly with 188 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Parts Per Billion on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Parts Per Billion?
Parts Per Billion is created and hosted by Bloomberg.
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