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Category Archives: Energy

Climate-Smart Development: Adding Up the Benefits of Actions that Help Build Prosperity

“This report describes efforts by the ClimateWorks Foundation and the World Bank to quantify the multiple economic, social, and environmental benefits associated with policies and projects to reduce emissions in select sectors and regions. The report has three objectives: 1) to develop a holistic, adaptable framework to capture and measure the multiple benefits of reducing… Continue Reading

The Renewable Fuel Standard: Issues for 2014 and Beyond

“The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) establishes minimum volumes of various types of renewable fuels that must be included in the United States’ supply of fuel for transportation. Those volumes—as defined by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA)—are intended to grow each year through 2022 (see the figure below). In recent years, the… Continue Reading

Americans Purchasing More Efficient Vehicles

“The nation’s passenger vehicle marketplace is in the midst of a major transformation according to new research undertaken by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). More than ever before consumers are purchasing, and planning to purchase, vehicles with increased fuel economy. Car manufacturers, in the meantime, are making improvements both to meet this demand and to… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Advanced Reactor Research, Debt Management, DOD Financial Management, Maritime Security, Medicaid, Telecommunications, Spina Bifida

ADVANCED REACTOR RESEARCH: DOE Supports Multiple Technologies, but Actions Needed to Ensure a Prototype Is Built, GAO-14-545: Published: Jun 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 23, 2014. DEBT MANAGEMENT: Floating Rate Notes Can Help Treasury Meet Borrowing Goals, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Help Manage Risk, GAO-14-535: Published: Jun 16, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 23, 2014. DEBT MANAGEMENT: Survey of Investors in… Continue Reading

State & Trends Report Charts Global Growth of Carbon Pricing

“Globally, 39 national and 23 sub-national jurisdictions have implemented or are scheduled to implement carbon pricing instruments, including emissions trading systems and taxes. The world’s emissions trading schemes are valued at about $30 billion, with China now housing the world’s second largest carbon market, covering the equivalent of 1,115 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions.… Continue Reading

Assumptions to the Annual Energy Outlook 2014

“Projections in AEO2014 are generated using the NEMS, developed and maintained by the Office of Energy Analysis of the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In addition to its use in developing the Annual Energy Outlook (AEO) projections, NEMS is used to complete analytical studies for the U.S. Congress, the Executive Office of the President, other… Continue Reading

Energy sector faces increasing pressures from climate change – new report

World Energy Council – “The energy sector is facing increasing pressures from climate change. All segments of the industry will be affected by the changing global climate and the policy responses to it.  So says a briefing published jointly by the World Energy Council (WEC), the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), the… Continue Reading

2012 Economic Census Industry Series Reports – Pipeline Transportation

“Today the U.S. Census Bureau released additional data from the 2012 Economic Census Industry Series reports, including new data for the transportation sector on pipeline transportation. This data series publishes national statistics for detailed industries as well as information on the product lines sold by or services provided by businesses. The economic census is conducted every five… Continue Reading

U.S. Chemical Safety Board Releases Final Investigative Report on 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

‘The Deepwater Horizon spill that took place on April 20, 2010 in the Macondo Prospect oil field has been described as “one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.” The explosion and subsequent spill took the lives of 11 workers, seriously injured 17, and leaked a reported 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf… Continue Reading

New Mapping Tool from EPA

Via e360Digest: “The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently launched a mapping system that allows users to explore the landscape of energy sources and power plant distribution across the nation. Among the most striking visualizations is this map showing the widespread distribution of natural gas power plants, marking the fossil fuel’s growing use as an energy source.… Continue Reading

U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress

CRS – U.S. Rail Transportation of Crude Oil: Background and Issues for Congress, May 5, 2014 “North America is experiencing a boom in crude oil supply, primarily due to the growth of heavy crude production in the Canadian oil sands1and the recent expansion of shale oil production in North Dakota, Montana, and Texas. North American production… Continue Reading