Congressional Research Service report comparing the House and Senate cap-and-trade portions for the Waxman-Markey and Kerry-Boxer bills. http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40896_20091105.pdf [From summary] “Although there are significant differences in some portions of the House and Senate bills, both bills would require major reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from entities comprising roughly 85% of current U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. … Continue reading »
Posted on November 11, 2009 …
High-Speed Passenger Rail: Developing Viable High Speed Rail Projects under the Recovery Act and Beyond
Government Accountability Office. Testimony to House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure by Susan A. Fleming, Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10162t.pdf [From testimony] “I am pleased to be here today to discuss funding for high speed and other intercity passenger rail projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act … Continue reading »
Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help Officials Make More Informed Decisions
Government Accountability Office. Congressional Testimony of John B. Stephenson (Director, Natural Resources and Environment Division, USDA) to the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10175t.pdf [From testimony] “In recent years, climate change adaptation—adjustments to natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change—has begun to receive more attention because … Continue reading »
Subsidizing Infrastructure Investment with Tax-Preferred Bonds
Congressional Budget Office http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=398 [From the CBO Director's Blog] “The public and private sectors in the United States together spend over $500 billion a year on infrastructure projects, including highways and airports, water and energy utilities, dams, waste disposal sites and other environmental facilities, schools, and hospitals. The federal government makes a significant contribution to … Continue reading »
The National Flood Insurance Program: Factors Affecting Actuarial Soundness
Congressional Budget Office http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/106xx/doc10620/11-04-FloodInsurance.pdf [From the Director's Blog] “In 2005, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), experienced an unprecedented volume of claims resulting from hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma. Total payments on those claims were greater than the total for all of the program’s previous years combined … Continue reading »
The Senate’s Climate Change Bill and the Outlook for Copenhagen
Brookings Institution, Adele Morris http://www.brookings.edu/multimedia/video/2009/1106_climate_morris.aspx?rssid=LatestFromBrookings [RSS feed] The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved a climate change bill last week despite a boycott from Republican committee members. Fellow Adele Morris examines the legislation and what policymakers will be able to offer at the climate change talks in Copenhagen next month.
Climate Finance
Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard University / by the The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/19676/climate_finance.html [RSS feed] The finance of climate mitigation and adaptation in developing countries represents a key challenge in the negotiations on a post-2012 international climate agreement. Finance mechanisms are important because stabilizing the climate will require significant emissions reductions … Continue reading »
