35 Years of Water Policy : The 1973 National Water Commission and Present Challenges

Congressional Research Service
http://opencrs.com/document/R40573/
[Summary] Concern about the availability and use of water to support the nations people, economy, and environment has bolstered interest in establishing a national water commission. The commission structure proposed in recent legislation (e.g., H.R. 135) is similar to that of the 1968-1973 National Water Commission (NWC or Commission). As proposed in H.R. [...]

From Conflict to Peacebuilding – the Role of Natural Resources and the Environment

United Nations Environment Program
http://www.unep.org/publications/search/pub_details_s.asp?ID=3998
…the United Nations Environment Program, asserts that persistent conflicts within states most often relapse when the root cause is scarce natural resources and environmental issues are not incorporated into efforts to forge peace.
The human population is heading toward more or less 9 billion (the latest bidding by population experts is on the [...]

Reforming the U.S. Hardrock Mining Law of 1872 : The Price of Inaction

The Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining
http://www.pewminingreform.org/pdf/cost_of_inaction.pdf
The Treasury would miss as much as $1.6 billion — in lost royalties and reclamation fees and in tax cuts — over a decade if Congress fails to update the 1872 hardrock mining law, according to a report released today by an advocacy group.
The government does not collect the same [...]

Integrated Water Quality Assessment for Florida : 2008 305(b) Report and 303(d) List Update

Florida Department of Environmental Protection
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/docs/2008_Integrated_Report.pdf
EPA press release]  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) are taking actions to protect and restore both recreational uses and aquatic life in Florida waters. These actions include EPA issuing a formal determination under the Clean Water Act that “numeric” nutrient water quality criteria [...]

An Overview of the OECD ENV-Linkages Model

OECD / by Jean-Marc Burniaux and Jean Chateau
http://www.sourceoecd.org/rpsv/cgi-bin/wppdf?file=5kz7wcbr7l9n.pdf
[Abstract]  This Working Paper presents a summary description of the OECD ENV-Linkages General Equilibrium model. This model has been developed by the Environment Directorate of the OECD Secretariat in order to assess the economic impact of abating Greenhouse Gases using several different economic instruments.The paper is divided into 2 [...]

Economic Oasis : Revealing the True Value of the Mojave Desert

Defenders of Wildlife
http://www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/science_and_economics/conservation_economics/valuation/economic_value_of_the_mojave_desert.php
[Website]  The Mojave Desert provides more than $1 billion annually in economic benefits to the counties of Inyo, Kern, Riverside and San Bernardino, and the Lancaster-Palmdale area of Los Angeles County. This 32-page report is based on a comprehensive 2007 study by Defenders’ Conservation Economics Program entitled, Economic Benefits of the Mojave Desert. [...]

Rowing Against the Current : The Diversification Challenge in Africa’s Resource-Rich Economies

Brookings Institution / by John Page
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2008/12_africa_resources_page.aspx?rssid=LatestFromBrookings
[Press release]  Africa’s resource boom offers the hope of economic growth to many countries on the continent but how can governments ensure that natural resources fuel long-term growth rather than become a curse? In a new working paper, John Page discusses how natural resource wealth can be an effective driver [...]

Federal And State Endangered And Threatened Species Expenditures Fiscal Years 2005-2006

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/pdfs/expenditures/Expenditures_Report_FY05-06.pdf
[From Press release and executive summary] Section 18 of the Endangered Species Act requires the Fish and Wildlife Service to submit to the Secretary of the Interior and Congress, an annual accounting of expenditures made for the conservation of threatened and endangered species. The reports includes what Federal and State governments [...]

In Search of the Missing Resource Curse

World Bank / by Daniel Lederman and William F. Maloney
http://econ.worldbank.org/external/default/main?pagePK=64165259&theSitePK=469372&piPK=64165421&menuPK=64166093&entityID=000158349_20081104085814&cid=decresearch
[Abstract] The debate over the curse of natural resources has haunted developing countries for decades if not centuries. A review of existing empirical evidence suggests that the curse remains elusive. The fragile negative effect of natural resources on economic growth might be due to international heterogeneity [...]

The Endangered Species Act and the Conflict Between Science and Policy

The Inspector General of the Department of the Interior
http://www.doioig.gov/upload/Endangered%20Species%20FINAL%20REDACTED5%20w_TOC_encryption.pdf
This report finds that actions of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks in circumventing the scientific analysis of Endangered Species Act decisions jeopardised the entire decision-making process by making it appear arbitrary and capricious. [PEN-e posting]