Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard Univ. / by Jing Cao http://tinyurl.com/2bppg4m Time to respond to the severe threat posed by global climate change is running short. Though the most recent international climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) achieved some consensus in the form of the Copenhagen Accord, they failed … Continue reading »
Posted on October 14, 2010 …
Post-Partisan Power: How a Limited and Direct Approach to Energy Innovation Can Deliver Cheap, Clean Energy Can Deliver Economic Prosperity and National Prosperity
American Enterprise Institute, Breakthrough Institute / by By Steven F. Hayward, Mark Muro, Ted Nordhaus, Michael Shellenberger http://www.aei.org/paper/100149 [From a Climate Wire article by Saqib Rahim, subscription required] A paper out today says energy innovation is the way to bridge the partisan divide. The report presents a $25 billion package of energy research, education and … Continue reading »
EPA FY 2011-2015 Strategic Plan
US EPA http://www.epa.gov/ocfo/plan/plan.htm [From press release] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued its fiscal year (FY) 2011 to 2015 strategic plan, which provides a blueprint for advancing EPA’s mission and Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s priorities. This plan presents five strategic goals for advancing the agency’s environmental and human-health mission, accompanied by five cross-cutting … Continue reading »
The Problem of the Commons: Still Unsettled After 100 Years
Belfer Center, Kennedy School, Harvard Univ. / by Robert N. Stavins http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/files/StavinsDP43-2.pdf The problem of the commons is more important to our lives and thus more central to economics than a century ago when Katharine Coman led off the first issue of the American Economic Review. As the U.S. and other economies have grown, the … Continue reading »
Avoiding the Glorious Mess: A Sensible Approach to Climate Change and the Clean Air Act
Duke University, Nicholas Institute / by Jonas Monast, Tim Profeta, and David Cooley http://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/climate/policydesign/avoiding-the-glorious-mess [From a Greenwire article by Gabriel Nelson, subscription required] Though the Obama administration will be challenged no matter how it chooses to regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act, the statute’s New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) would be a more … Continue reading »
Global Demographic Trends and Future Carbon Emissions
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (October 12, 2010) v107 n41 p17521–17526 / by Brian C. O’Neilla, Michael Dalton, Regina Fuchs, Leiwen Jianga, Shonali Pachauric, and Katarina Zigovad http://tinyurl.com/23g2rvo Substantial changes in population size, age structure, and urbanization are expected in many parts of the world this century. Although such changes can affect energy … Continue reading »
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP): Status and Issues
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R40197/ The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program that provides farmers with financial and technical assistance to plan and implement soil and water conservation practices. EQIP is the largest agriculture conservation financial assistance program for working lands. EQIP was first authorized in 1996 and was most recently revised by … Continue reading »
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster: Risk, Recovery, and Insurance Implications
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R41320/ …The United States has an explicit oil spill liability and insurance mechanism to address the Deepwater Horizon incident. In 1990, Congress enacted the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) to strengthen the safety and environmental practices in the offshore energy exploration and production business, to create a system of so-called “financial responsibility laws” … Continue reading »
Rare Earth Elements: The Global Supply Chain
Congressional Research Service http://opencrs.com/document/R41347/ The concentration of production of rare earth elements (REEs) outside the United States raises the important issue of supply vulnerability. REEs are used for new energy technologies and national security applications. Is the United States vulnerable to supply disruptions of REEs? Are these elements essential to U.S. national security and economic … Continue reading »
The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Coastal Wetland and Wildlife Impacts and Response
Congressional Research Service http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R41311/ The organizational structure for deciding how to respond to oil spills is specified in the National Contingency Plan (NCP), which was created administratively and has been broadened by the Clean Water Act, the Superfund law, and the Oil Pollution Act. Under the NCP structure, the Coast Guard is the lead federal … Continue reading »
