Publication Date
2006
Abstract
After United States withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol, state and local governments began seeking regional solutions to address the mounting problem of climate change. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the most recent and ambitious of these cooperative efforts, is a voluntary interstate agreement dedicated to the establishment of carbon dioxide limits through a market based mechanisms. The proposed agreement, however, will likely encounter challenges under the Compacts Clause of the Constitution. While mere agreements between states do not require congressional consent, this Note argues that a plan or compact regulating emission controls in the absence of federal approval will likely be found an interstate compact. Current heightened attention to interstate compacts and the reluctance of the current political majority to adopt binding emissions limits suggest Congress will not approve the compact. Despite the RGGrs likelihood of failure, its use of the interstate compact represents an important,if not ideal, step towards achieving a national response to climate change.
Recommended Citation
Carothers, Claire
(2006)
"United We Stand: The Interstate Compact as a Tool for Effecting Climate Change,"
Georgia Law Review: Vol. 41:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.law.uga.edu/glr/vol41/iss1/8