A Bill to Amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to Authorize Advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

US Congress http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:SN03473:|TOM:/bss/d111query.html S.3473 : A bill to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to authorize advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Sponsor: Sen Reid, Harry [NV] (introduced 6/9/2010) Cosponsors (None) Latest Major Action: Became Public Law No: 111-191 [H/T: PEN-e]

IER Testimony for the Hearing on the Global Clean Energy Race

Institute for Energy Research testimony (no person named) before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming — Hearing on the Global Clean Energy Race, September 22, 2010 http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Green-Energy-Competition.pdf [From press release] …In an effort to garner support for implementing policies to advance renewable generation in lieu of traditional sources, the Administration and others [...]

Disaster Response: Criteria for Developing and Validating Effective Response Plans

US Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-969T Among the lessons learned from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina was that effective disaster response requires planning followed by the execution of training and exercises to validate those plans. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is responsible for disaster response planning. This testimony focuses on (1) criteria for effective disaster [...]

National Flood Insurance Program: Continued Actions Needed to Address Financial and Operational Issues

US Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-1063T The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), established in 1968, provides policyholders with insurance coverage for flood damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for managing NFIP. Unprecedented losses from the 2005 hurricane season and NFIP’s periodic need to borrow from the U.S. [...]

Shockproofing Society: How California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32) Reduces the Economic Pain of Energy Price Shocks

Center for Resource Solutions / by James Fine, Chris Busch, and Remy Garderet http://www.resource-solutions.org/publications.php [From press release] California’s clean energy and clean air standards could save the average household up to $670 in 2020 if oil and natural gas prices spike, according to a new study by three economists…. The study, Shockproofing Society: How California’s [...]

Aviation and the Environment: Systematically Addressing Environmental Impacts and Community Concerns Can Help Airports Reduce Project Delays

US Government Accountability Office http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-50?source=ra The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) estimates that the number of flights in the United States will increase 20 percent by 2024. It also has identified numerous airports that will need to expand to handle more flights. However, increasing airport capacity and operations poses potentially significant impacts on the environment and [...]

Estimating the Economic Effects of the Deepwater Drilling Moratorium on the Gulf Coast Economy

Interagency Economic Report, RestoreTheGulf.gov http://tinyurl.com/2wjk6ye [Executive Summary] The BP Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, situated about 50 miles off the coast of southern Louisiana, exploded on April 20, 2010, resulting in 11 deaths, 17 injuries, and one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history. In response, the Secretary of the Interior exercised his authority to [...]

Nutrient Trading in S. 1816: Chesapeake Clean Water and Ecosystem Restoration Act of 2009

U.S. Senate http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=s111-1816 [From Tim Haab at Env-Econ.net] Did you know that Benjamin Cardin of the Sen. Environment and Public Works Committee introduced an amendment to put nutrient trading in the Chesapeake Bay Program? The way I understand it S. 1816, “To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to improve and reauthorize the Chesapeake [...]

Efficiency Works: Creating Good Jobs and New Markets Through Energy Efficiency

Center for American Progress and Energy Resource Management / by Bracken Hendricks, Bill Campbell and Pen Goodale http://tinyurl.com/3736k3c [This new report] outlines the top-ranking states for policy leadership on energy efficiency. These leading states support innovative businesses using clean energy as a tool for economic development, job creation, and capital investment. This analysis responds to [...]

The Obama Approach to Public Protection: Rulemaking

OMB Watch http://www.ombwatch.org/files/regs/obamamidtermrulemakingreport.pdf [H/T: E&E News PM subscription required] While it has moved quickly with tougher air pollution standards, new chemicals policies and the agency’s first-ever regulations on greenhouse gases, U.S. EPA has done little to improve water quality under the Obama administration, according to a report released today by advocacy group OMB Watch. The [...]