The Role of Canadian Oil Sands in U.S. Oil Supply

IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates http://press.ihs.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=4242 The Canadian oil sands have increasingly become an important source of global oil supply growth and are now poised to become the number one source of U.S. crude oil imports in 2010, according to new research from the IHS CERA. Oil sands imports could ultimately increase to a range … Continue reading »

Burning Coal, Burning Cash : Ranking The States that Import the Most Coal

Union of Concerned Scientists / by Jeff Deyette and Barbara Freese http://tinyurl.com/2556chp [From executive summary] The cost of importing coal is a major drain on the economies of many states that rely heavily on coal-fired power. Thirty-eight states were net importers of coal in 2008—from other states and, increasingly, other nations. Eleven of those states … Continue reading »

Assessing the American Power Act : the Economic, Employment, Energy Security and Environmental Impact of Senator Kerry and Senator Lieberman’s Discussion Draft

Peterson Institute for International Economics / by Trevor Houser, Shashank Mohan and Ian Hoffman (Policy Brief 1012) http://piie.com/publications/interstitial.cfm?ResearchID=1574 [Michael Levi's take] Kerry-Lieberman is Looking Like a Nuclear Energy Jobs Bill: Trevor Houser and his colleagues at the Peterson Institute have a sharp economic analysis of the Kerry-Lieberman energy and climate bill out this morning. Take … Continue reading »

Hydro-Economic Modeling of Climate Change Impacts in Ethiopia

International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) / by Gene Jiing-Yun You and Claudia Ringler http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ifpridp00960.pdf [Abstract] Ethiopia is susceptible to frequent climate extremes such as disastrous droughts and floods. These disastrous climatic events, which have caused significant adverse effects on the country’s economy and society, are expected to become more pronounced in the future under … Continue reading »

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry : Policies and Procedures for Preparing Public Health Products Should Be Strengthened

US Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/pdfs/GAO-10-449?source=ra [From summary] The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has faced concerns related to the quality of some of the public health products it publishes…ATSDR publishes many types of products, including public health assessments, health consultations, exposure investigations, and health study reports. GAO was asked to examine the … Continue reading »

Environmental Trends and Perspectives in the Western Balkans: future Production and Consumption Patterns

European Environment Agency http://tinyurl.com/39djeh5 This report looks at the forces shaping the future of the environment in the Western Balkans, in particular at the role of consumption and production patterns. It begins with a review of key recent environmental trends in the region, then analyses the global, European, regional and national drivers — such as … Continue reading »

Brookings Conference : Energy and Climate Change 2010: US Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern : Keynote Address as Prepared

Brookings Conference : Energy and Climate Change 2010 : Back to the Future http://tinyurl.com/29vx7wn [Dot Earth] At a Brookings Institution  conference on climate and energy policy, President Obama’s lead climate diplomat, Todd D. Stern, gave the keynote talk, restating the administration’s unbending demand that any legally binding provisions emerging in treaty talks must apply to … Continue reading »

Pew Survey Finds 32% of US Public Views Climate Change as Important Priority for Congress

Pew Research Center for People and the Press http://people-press.org/report/615/ [Green Car Congress] While majorities of the US public view taking action on jobs (81%) and energy policy (67%) as important priorities for Congress, only 32% say it is very important for Congress to address climate change in the coming months, according to the Pew Research/National … Continue reading »

Calculating the Benefits of Climate Policy : Examining the Assumptions of Integrated Assessment Models

Pew Center on Global Climate Change / by Michael D. Mastrandrea http://tinyurl.com/2ag95l9 Policy-relevant results of Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs) are sensitive to a number of uncertain assumptions that govern model simulation of the climate, society, and the policy response to climate change. Uncertainties remain in understanding of the rate and magnitude of climate change, the … Continue reading »

America’s Hidden Power Bill : Examining Federal Energy Tax Expenditures

Center for American Progress / by Richard W. Caperton and Sima J. Gandhi http://tinyurl.com/2d7yaof [From executive summary] Tax expenditures—government spending programs that deliver subsidies through the tax code via special tax credits, deductions, exclusions, exemptions, and preferential rates—are the dominant type of federal support for the U.S. energy industry. Altogether, these spending programs amount to … Continue reading »