Clean Air Issues in the 112th Congress

Congressional Research Service / by James E. McCarthy http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R41563_20110104.pdf [Summary] Although air quality has improved substantially in the United States in the 40 years of EPA’s Clean Air Act regulation, many issues remain unresolved, and, in recent months, members of Congress from both parties have raised questions regarding the cost-effectiveness of, and authority for, EPA [...]

Quantifying Vulnerability to Climate Change: Implications for Adaptation Assistance

Center for Global Development / by David Wheeler http://www.cgdev.org/files/1424759_file_Wheeler_Quantifying_Vulnerability_FINAL.pdf [From report website] The effects of climate change have been and will be worse in poor countries and small-island states, those least able to adapt to the climate-related disasters. In this paper, senior fellow David Wheeler quantifies and makes available in an accompanying database the vulnerability [...]

Ocean Fertilization: A Scientific Summary for Policy Makers

UNESCO, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001906/190674e.pdf [From Introduction] Concern over human-driven climate change and the lack of success in constraining greenhouse gas emissions have increased scientific and policy interest in geoengineering − deliberate interventions in the Earth’s climate system that might moderate global warming. Proposed approaches involve either removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere by [...]

Letter Report Assessing the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program’s Science Plan

National Academies Press http://download.nap.edu/cart/deliver.cgi?record_id=13094 (free PDF with registration) [From publication website] In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey requested that the National Research Council (NRC) review and provide guidance on the direction and priorities of the National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. This review would include perspective on past accomplishments and the current and future design [...]

The Economic Impact of the Natural Gas Industry and the Marcellus Shale Development in West Virginia in 2009

Bureau of Business and Economic Research, West Virginia University / by Amy Higginbotham, Adam Pellillo, Tami Gurley-Calvez, and Tom S. Witt http://www.be.wvu.edu/bber/pdfs/BBER-2010-22.pdf [From Introduction] Natural gas is developed from either conventional or unconventional reservoirs, with the most recently developed unconventional natural gas reservoir being the Marcellus Shale play. The Marcellus Shale play stretches across an [...]

Cuba’s Offshore Oil Development: Background and U.S. Policy Considerations

Congressional Research Service / by Neelesh Nerurkar and Mark P. Sullivan http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R41522_20101129.pdf [Summary] Cuba is moving toward development of its offshore oil resources. While the country has proven oil reserves of just 0.1 billion barrels, the U.S. Geological Survey estimates that offshore reserves in the North Cuba Basin could contain an additional 4.6 billion barrels [...]

Asian Carp and the Great Lakes Region Updated Report

Congressional Research Service / by Eugene Buck, Harold Upton, Charles Stern, and James Nichols http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R41082_20101130.pdf Update of earlier post. [From summary] Four species of non-indigenous Asian carp are expanding their range in U.S. waterways, resulting in a variety of concerns and problems. Three species—bighead, silver, and black carp—are of particular note, based on the perceived [...]

U.S. Fossil Fuel Resources: Terminology, Reporting, and Summary

Congressional Research Service / by Gene Whitney, Carl E. Behrens, and Carol Glover http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40872_20101130.pdf [Summary] Discussions of U.S. and global energy supply refer to oil, natural gas, and coal using several terms that may be unfamiliar to some. The terms used to describe different types of fossil fuels have technically precise definitions, and misunderstanding or [...]

Cooperative R&D: Federal Efforts to Promote Industrial Competitiveness

Congressional Research Service / by Wendy H. Schacht http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33526_20101207.pdf [From Summary] In response to the foreign challenge in the global marketplace, the United States Congress has explored ways to stimulate technological advancement in the private sector. The government has supported various efforts to promote cooperative research and development activities among industry, universities, and the federal [...]

Technology Transfer: Use of Federally Funded Research and Development

Congressional Research Service / by Wendy H. Schacht http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33527_20101207.pdf [From Summary] The federal government spends approximately one third of its annual research and development (R&D) budget for intramural work to meet mission requirements in over 700 government laboratories (including Federally Funded Research and Development Centers). The technology and expertise generated by this endeavor may have [...]