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California may be only one state, but are its climate regulations effectively becoming national policy?
In Episode #212 of The Climate Realism Show, host Andy Singer is joined by Linnea Lueken, Anthony Watts, and H. Sterling Burnett to break down how California’s climate and environmental regulations can affect consumers, businesses, and supply chains far beyond the state’s borders.
The main story examines California rules targeting ships docked at the state’s massive ports, along with vehicle and equipment regulations that critics argue function as a “hidden climate tax” on Americans nationwide. With California ports handling a huge share of U.S. imports and the state’s enormous market influencing what manufacturers produce, how much power should one state have to shape the national economy?
The panel also digs into several other major climate and energy stories:
🍔 Drive-Thru Climate Ban: Culver City is considering restrictions on new drive-through restaurants, with greenhouse-gas emissions, vehicle idling, air quality, and pedestrian-oriented development among the reasons cited. Is blocking new drive-throughs meaningful climate policy, or regulatory overreach?
⚖️ Climate Chapter Pulled: The National Academies of Sciences temporarily removed a climate-science chapter from the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence while reviewing concerns about how the chapter was developed and potential conflicts involving people connected to climate litigation.
🔥 Solar Fire Surge: UK fire-service data show incidents involving solar-panel systems increased sharply between 2022 and 2025, significantly faster than the growth in installations. Are subsidies and aggressive deployment targets outpacing installation quality, inspections, and fire-safety standards?
🚢 California’s National Reach: From cargo ships and port infrastructure to cars, engines, and equipment, the panel examines whether California is simply exercising authority granted under federal law or using its economic power to impose de facto national regulations without a national vote.
In Episode #212 of The Climate Realism Show, host Andy Singer is joined by Linnea Lueken, Anthony Watts, and H. Sterling Burnett to break down how California’s climate and environmental regulations can affect consumers, businesses, and supply chains far beyond the state’s borders.
The main story examines California rules targeting ships docked at the state’s massive ports, along with vehicle and equipment regulations that critics argue function as a “hidden climate tax” on Americans nationwide. With California ports handling a huge share of U.S. imports and the state’s enormous market influencing what manufacturers produce, how much power should one state have to shape the national economy?
The panel also digs into several other major climate and energy stories:
🍔 Drive-Thru Climate Ban: Culver City is considering restrictions on new drive-through restaurants, with greenhouse-gas emissions, vehicle idling, air quality, and pedestrian-oriented development among the reasons cited. Is blocking new drive-throughs meaningful climate policy, or regulatory overreach?
⚖️ Climate Chapter Pulled: The National Academies of Sciences temporarily removed a climate-science chapter from the Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence while reviewing concerns about how the chapter was developed and potential conflicts involving people connected to climate litigation.
🔥 Solar Fire Surge: UK fire-service data show incidents involving solar-panel systems increased sharply between 2022 and 2025, significantly faster than the growth in installations. Are subsidies and aggressive deployment targets outpacing installation quality, inspections, and fire-safety standards?
🚢 California’s National Reach: From cargo ships and port infrastructure to cars, engines, and equipment, the panel examines whether California is simply exercising authority granted under federal law or using its economic power to impose de facto national regulations without a national vote.
In The Tank broadcasts LIVE every Thursday at 12pm CT on on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Tune in to have your comments addressed live by the In The Tank Crew. Be sure to subscribe and never miss an episode. See you there!
Climate Change Roundtable is LIVE every Friday at 12pm CT on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Have a topic you want addressed? Join the live show and leave a comment for our panelists and we'll cover it during the live show!
Climate Change Roundtable is LIVE every Friday at 12pm CT on The Heartland Institute YouTube channel. Have a topic you want addressed? Join the live show and leave a comment for our panelists and we'll cover it during the live show!
Creators and Guests
Host
H. Sterling Burnett
H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., hosts The Heartland Institute’s Environment and Climate News podcast. Burnett also is the director of Heartland’s Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy, is the editor of Heartland's Climate Change Weekly email, and oversees the production of the monthly newspaper Environment & Climate News. Prior to joining The Heartland Institute in 2014, Burnett worked at the National Center for Policy Analysis for 18 years, ending his tenure there as senior fellow in charge of environmental policy. He has held various positions in professional and public policy organizations within the field. Burnett is a member of the Environment and Natural Resources Task Force in the Texas Comptroller’s e-Texas commission, served as chairman of the board for the Dallas Woods and Water Conservation Club, is a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, works as an academic advisor for Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow, is an advisory board member to the Cornwall Alliance, and is an advisor for the Energy, Natural Resources and Agricultural Task Force at the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Guest
Anthony Watts
Anthony Watts has been in the weather business both in front of, and behind the camera as an on-air television meteorologist since 1978, and currently does daily radio forecasts. He has created weather graphics presentation systems for television, specialized weather instrumentation, as well as co-authored peer-reviewed papers on climate issues.
What is Heartland Daily Podcast?
The “fire hose” of all podcasts produced by The Heartland Institute, a national free-market think tank.