Homeowners and Gas Drilling Leases: Boon or Bust?

New York State Bar Journal (Nov/Dec 2011) / by Elisabeth N. Radow http://bit.ly/t9HJM6 [From the Public Citizen Consumer Law and Policy Blog] Homeowners who sign gas leases to permit hydraulic fracturing for shale gas in Maryland, New York, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and other states may be defaulting on their mortgages, risking loss of title insurance [...]

The Inclusion of Aviation in the EU Emissions Trading System: An Economic and Environmental Assessment

International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development / by Jasper Faber and Linda Brinke http://ictsd.org/downloads/2011/09/faber_web2gp2.pdf [Abstract]  The paper scrutinizes the upcoming climate regulation of aviation transport from an environmental and economic perspective. In addition to shedding light on issues relating to emissions and to demand, competitiveness and trade in the aviation sector, the paper also serves to [...]

Managing the Growing Impacts of Development on Fragile Coastal and Marine Ecosystems: Lessons from the Gulf

United Nations Univ., Institute for Water, Environment and Health / by Hanneke Van Lavieren, John Burt, David A. Feary, Geórgenes Cavalcante, Elise Marquis, Lisa Benedetti, Charles Trick, Björn Kjerfve and Peter F. Sale http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3960397/UNU-INWEH%20Policy%20Report.pdf [From an article in Nature] Untrammelled development, weak regulatory oversight and a lack of scientific monitoring are seriously threatening ecosystems along [...]

America’s Biggest Mercury Polluters: How Cleaning up the Dirtiest Power Plants will Protect Public Health

Environment America http://bit.ly/t9jFOw [From an E&E Daily article by Jeremy Jacobs, sub. req'd]   Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania release the most mercury air emissions in the country, and just five companies account for more than one-third of all mercury emissions in the United States, according to an environmental group report released today. “America’s Biggest Mercury Polluters,” [...]

Governing Clean Development: What Have We Learnt?

University of East Anglia | University of Sussex / by Peter Newell and Jon Phillips www.uea.ac.uk/dev/gcd/PolicyBriefing003 [From Press Release] Environmental, economic and development experts will debate whether the commitment to carbon markets is the right approach to tackle climate change at the public event ‘Carbon Markets for the Poor – A Contradiction in Terms?’ on [...]

Responding to Climate Change in New York State: Technical Report

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority http://bit.ly/tglsgc (full report) http://bit.ly/rH4EbR (summary) [Environmental News Network article] …New York released its own climate study this week, predicting that with expected sea level rise and stronger storms, future hurricanes could flood the tunnels into Manhattan within an hour and put one-third of the city underwater, with [...]

Considering Shale Gas Extraction in North Carolina: Lessons from Other States

Duke University, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions | Nicholas School / by Sarah Plikunas, Brooks Rainey Pearson and Jonas Monast, Rob Jackson and Avner Vengosh http://nicholasinstitute.duke.edu/nc-hydraulic-fracturing/paper [From Oil and Gas Online]   A new report by Duke University researchers offers several health and environmental measures for North Carolina lawmakers to consider as they debate legalizing [...]

No More Drilling in the Dark: Exposing the Hazards of Natural Gas Production and Protecting America’s Drinking Water and Wildlife Habitats

National Wildlife Federation / by Richard Forrest http://bit.ly/ujEmvJ [From Website] In recent years, there has been explosive growth in industry activities to extract natural gas from shale formations located throughout America. While the growth of the natural gas industry has provided some economic benefits to local economies, it has also been accompanied by growing public [...]

Clean Energy Standards: State and Federal Policy Options and Implications

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions http://bit.ly/vYvBFt [From Website] …Several of the paper’s key points are summarized below. Absent significant new policies to promote clean energy, the share of total U.S. electricity generation obtained from clean energy sources will likely not increase by more than a few percentage points over the next 25 years. Substantial [...]

Fracking for Natural Gas: Public Opinion on State Policy Options

Muhlenberg Institute of Public Opinion | University of Michigan Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy / by Barry G. Rabe and Christopher Borick http://bit.ly/upD7ps [Abstract] This report presents the views of Pennsylvania citizens on a range of issues related to extraction of natural gas through “fracking” procedures. The report responds to a discovery of [...]