When Cities Make Environmental Policy

When President Obama recently approved Shell’s request to drill in the Arctic, anti-fossil-fuel activists lobbied the Port of Seattle to deny docking rights to the oil giant’s Alaska-bound drilling fleet. That effort failed, but the activists persuaded King County todeny the company a wastewater-discharge permit. The Shell battle highlights a new tactic among environmental activists: unhappy with policies being made in Washington and state capitals, they’re increasingly trying to use local regulations—especially at ports—to set national policy. Pressuring cities and other local entities that control many of the nation’s ports, the greens hope to prevent fossil-fuel industries from obtaining permits and thus keep such energy from coming to market. And they’re having some success.

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