Table of Contents: Federal and State Roles in U.S. Climate Change Policy

Contents

Executive Summary 1

I. Introduction 3

II. Background 5

A. State Actions to Address Climate Change: A Brief Overview 5
B. State Action, Federal Action, or Federal and State Action? 10
C. Exploring Areas of Federal, State and Shared Authority 13

III. Federal Preemption 18

IV. The U.S. Clean Air Act Example: An Evolving Federal-State Partnership 20

A. The Role of the Federal Government under the Clean Air Act 20
B. The Role of the States in U.S. Clean Air Policy 21
C. Limitation on State Authority under the Clean Air Act 21

V. Future U.S. Climate Policies: Settling on Federal and State Roles 24

A. Mandatory National Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets 25
B. Exploring the Benefits and Challenges Presented in Three Possible Approaches 26

VI. Conclusion 31

Endnotes 33