An Assessment of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Performance Track Program

Rand Corp. / by Scott Hassell, Noreen Clancy, Nicholas Burger, Christopher Nelson, Rena Rudavsky, Sarah Olmstead http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR732/index.html This report addresses the conceptual basis of the National Environmental Performance Track program, a voluntary program run by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency between 2000 and 2009; its program design; and its implementation. Performance Track sought to improve [...]

Eliminating Electricity Deficit through Energy Efficiency in India: An Evaluation of Aggregate Economic and Carbon Benefits

US DOE. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory  / by Jayant Sathaye and Arjun Gupta http://ies.lbl.gov/node/429 [Press release] Electricity in India can be a dicey proposition. Half the population lacks access or is too poor to afford it. The other half is using so much that demand far outstrips supply, resulting in daily power outages. And with [...]

U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Resources: Prospects and Processes

Congressional Research Service (April 26, 2010) http://opencrs.com/document/R40645/2010-04-26/?24856 [From summary] Access to potential oil and gas resources under the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) continues to be controversial. Moratoria on leasing and development in certain areas were established by Congress (beginning in 1981) and by the President (beginning in 1990). These moratoria were largely eliminated in [...]

Climate Change : EU and Proposed U.S. Approaches to Carbon Leakage and WTO Implications

Congressional Research Service assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40914_20091104.pdf [Summary] Both the United States and the European Union (EU) have proposed policies to mitigate the potential economic and environmental (i.e., “carbon leakage”) impacts of carbon policies on energy- or greenhouse gas- intensive, trade-exposed industries. While studies have found little effect of carbon policies on EU competitiveness in the present, the [...]

The Role of Federal Gasoline Excise Taxes in Public Policy

Congressional Research Service http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40808_20090911.pdf [From summary] American drivers, compared to those in other industrial- ized nations in Europe, pay relatively low federal, state, and local gasoline and diesel excise taxes. The Federal taxes are used specifically to fund annual highway construction, maintenance, and mass transit. Over the years, proposals have come forth to raise the [...]

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) : Selected Regulatory and Legislative Issues

Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RL34201/ [Summary] Much progress has been made in assuring the quality of public water supplies since the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was first enacted in 1974. Public water systems must meet extensive regulations, and water utility management has become a much more complex and professional endeavor. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [...]

Earthquakes : Risk, Detection, Warning, and Research

Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RL33861/ [Summary] …An ongoing issue for Congress is whether the federally supported programs aimed at reducing U.S. vulnerability to earthquakes are an adequate response to the earthquake hazard. Under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), four federal agencies have responsibility for long-term earthquake risk reduction: the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the [...]

Agricultural Disaster Assistance

Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/RS21212/ [Summary] The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers several permanently authorized programs to help farmers recover financially from a natural disaster, including federal crop insurance, the noninsured assistance program and emergency disaster loans. Since 1988, Congress regularly has made supplemental financial assistance available to farmers and ranchers on an ad-hoc basis, [...]

The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation

American Public Health Association http://tinyurl.com/2adatmz [Press release] The American Public Health Association (APHA) today released “The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation,” a new publication that addresses how our nation’s current transportation system contributes to today’s soaring health costs and impedes progress toward improving public health. Chief among those costs are U.S. traffic fatalities and injuries, [...]

Business Support for Energy and Climate Change Legislation by the Numbers

American Businesses for Clean Energy http://tinyurl.com/2arjs5d [ClimateBiz.com] In its analysis, ABCE found that the 6,000 business supporters of climate change legislation employ an estimated 3.5 million workers, represent more than $2.6 trillion in market capitalization, and totaled $3.5 trillion in estimated revenue in 2009. Twenty-one Fortune 100 companies and 49 Fortune 500 companies are represented [...]