16 September 2009

Joe Romm Flip Flops Again

Not long ago Joe Romm criticized an analysis by The Breakthrough Institute which argued that the number of offsets (and other allowances) were over-allocated in the Waxman-Markey Bill, allowing business-as-usual emissions to continue for an extended period:
It is clear that the offset provisions in Waxman-Markey do not vitiate the targets.
Romm has apparently changed his mind and now joins those who say that allowances are over-allocated in the bill:
Since EIA will keep overestimating CO2 emissions, too many allowances are still likely to be issued.
Joe also recognizes the problem of "double-counting" that I pointed out last spring when he writes:
It is important to note that the EIA is likely to keep overestimating CO2 emissions, since they simply will not model any national or state policies that have not been enacted into law.
Its nice to see Joe is catching up on his analyses. Better late than never!