Brookings Institution / by Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney http://bit.ly/jccivC [Abstract] Energy consumption is critical to economic growth and our quality of life. America’s energy system, however, is malfunctioning. The status quo is characterized by a tilted playing field, where our energy choices are based on the visible costs that appear on utility bills and … Continue reading »
Posted on May 18, 2011 …
A Better Approach to Environmental Regulation: Getting the Costs and Benefits Right
Brookings Institution / by Ted Gayer http://bit.ly/mgYuGJ [Abstract] Cost-benefit analysis of environmental regulation plays a key role in determining how to achieve our environmental goals without imposing unnecessary costs on the economy. This paper proposes three reforms that address several problems that undermine the role played by cost-benefit analysis in environmental regulation. First, agencies should … Continue reading »
The Fix We’re In For: The State of the Nation’s Bridges
Transportation for America http://t4america.org/resources/bridges [From Website] One in nine of the bridges and overpasses American drivers cross each day is rated in poor enough condition that they could become dangerous or be closed without near-term repair, according to a report released today by Transportation for America. Nearly 70,000 bridges nationwide are rated “structurally deficient” and are … Continue reading »
Giving Credit Where Credit is Due: Increasing Landowner Compensation for Ecosystem Services
US Forest Service / by Gina L LaRocco and Robert L. Deal http://www.treesearch.fs.fed.us/pubs/37552 Conservation of biodiversity serves a number of human needs, including maintenance of ecosystem services that are critical to the sustainability of all life. Effective biodiversity conservation will require better landowner incentives for restoration and protection of ecosystems. Many services produced from healthy, … Continue reading »
Moving Toward Vehicle Miles of Travel Fees to Replace Fuel Taxes: Assessing the Path Forward
Rand Corp. /by Liisa Ecola, Paul Sorensen, Martin Wachs, Max Donath, Lee Munnich and Betty Serian http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9576.html Assesses alternate mechanisms for implementing fees to fund the nation’s road network based on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and outlines a plan for large-scale system trials to further evaluate the most promising concepts. [H/T: Full Text Reports]
Gasoline Prices and Traffic Safety in Mississippi
Journal of Safety Research v41 p493–500 (2010) http://nexus.umn.edu/Papers/GasPricesAndTrafficSafety.pdf [Abstract] Limited literature suggests that gasoline prices have substantial effects on reducing fatal crashes. However, the literature focuses only on fatal crashes and does not examine the effects on all traffic crashes. Methods: Mississippi traffic crash data from April 2004–December 2008 from the Mississippi Highway Patrol and … Continue reading »
Hearing: Oil and Gas Tax Incentives and Rising Energy Prices
U.S. Senate Committee on Finance http://finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=974701fa-5056-a032-5227-d055ec6b20d1 Thursday, May 12, 2011, 9:00 AM 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building Archived webcast and transcripts (PDFs). Member Statements + Max Baucus (D-MT) + Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) Witness Testimony + Mr. John Watson, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Chevron Corporation, San Ramon, CA + Mr. Marvin … Continue reading »
EPA Database of Coal Ash Impoundment Safety Survey Responses
US EPA, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/surveys/index.htm#databaseresults [From Announcement] The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing action plans developed by 20 electric utility facilities with 70 coal ash impoundments, describing the measures the facilities are taking to make their impoundments safer. The action plans are a response to EPA’s final assessment … Continue reading »
The Future of Federal Household Surveys: A Workshop Summary
National Research Council (download pre-pub version with free registration) http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13174 [Summary] Federal household surveys today face several significant challenges including: increasing costs of data collection, declining response rates, perceptions of increasing response burden, inadequate timeliness of estimates, discrepant estimates of key indicators, inefficient and considerable duplication of some survey content, and instances of gaps in … Continue reading »
CBO Director Testimony: The Highway Trust Fund and Paying for Highways
Congressional Budget Office http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=12173 [The Director's Blog] This morning Joseph Kile, CBO’s Assistant Director for Microeconomic Studies, testified before the Senate Finance Committee to discuss the federal role in paying for highways. The testimony draws on several recent CBO publications on highways and other infrastructure. Status of the Highway Trust Fund The United States spends about … Continue reading »
