I’m in The Big Easy today to engage in a national dialog on redeveloping  brownfields for renewable energy. (Brownfields are parcels of land that have been previously used for industrial purposes). The Environmental Protection Agency, under the leadership of Assistant Administrator Mathy Stanislaus, is doing some exciting things to capitalize on this remarkable opportunity.

After eight years of denial and delay under the Bush Administration, the U.S. government is beginning to engage in international climate talks and staking out a leadership role - something many believe is essential to reaching a global accord on combating global warming.

At a gathering of United Nations delegates in Bonn, Germany on March 29, Todd Stern, the State Department’s new climate policy envoy signaled a strong shift toward action and leadership by pledging to move forward on U.S. initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a danger to public health. With a new administration in the White House, there’s a good chance that EPA may actually have a chance to exercise this legal authority. Should they? Or should they wait for a climate bill regulating CO2 to come out of Congress?