Much-Debated Climate Metric Gets Immediate Use Under Biden (1)

The Biden administration isn’t awaiting a final price tag on a final greenhouse gas assessment metric before it starts working on new regulations—even though the final number could support even tougher regulation.

The implications are far-reaching for the administration’s efforts to address climate change, affecting everything from vehicle emission standards to permits for oil, coal, and gas projects.

Administration officials—in a move that 12 states swiftly challenged in court—raised the social cost of carbon to $51 per ton in late February, replacing a Trump-era method that was as low as $1. The new figure will be used on ...