RFF Energy and Climate

California?s New Gold: A Primer on the Use of Allowance Value Created under the CO2 Cap-and-Trade Program

For the Benefit of California Electricity Ratepayers: Electricity Sector Options for the Use of Allowance Value Created under California?s Cap-and-Trade Program

Reliability in the Electricity Industry under New Environmental Regulations

Analysis of the Bingaman Clean Energy Standard Proposal

The Variability of Potential Revenue from a Tax on Carbon

Alternative Climate Policies and Intertemporal Emissions Leakage: Quantifying the Green Paradox

Climate Policy, Uncertainty, and the Role of Technological Innovation

Improving Fuel Economy in Heavy-Duty Vehicles

Unnatural Disasters?

Resources Magazine: Sheila Olmstead and Carolyn Kousky explain why Mother Nature isn?t the sole cause of 2011?s billion-dollar string of disasters.

New Vehicle Characteristics and the Cost of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard

Flexible Mandates for Investment in New Technology

Secular Trends, Environmental Regulations, and Electricity Markets

How Should Support for Climate-Friendly Technologies Be Designed?

Emissions Targets and the Real Business Cycle

Putting a Floor on Energy Savings: Comparing State Energy Efficiency Resource Standards

Energy Efficiency Resource Standards: Economics and Policy

Short-Run Allocation of Emissions Allowances and Long-Term Goals for Climate Policy

Retail Electricity Price Savings from Compliance Flexibility in GHG Standards for Stationary Sources

Social Safety Nets and US Climate Policy Costs

Soft and Hard Price Collars in a Cap-and-Trade System: A Comparative Analysis

Rethinking Environmental Federalism in a Warming World

Tradable Standards for Clean Air Act Carbon Policy

Climate Policy Design with Correlated Uncertainties in Offset Supply and Abatement Cost

Testing for Avoidance of Environmental Obligations

Potential Biodiversity Benefits from International Programs to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Deforestation

Tradable Standards for Clean Air Act Carbon Policy

Rethinking Environmental Federalism in a Warming World

In a new discussion paper, William Shobe and RFF Senior Fellow Dallas Burtraw highlight the importance of accounting for the federal relationship between national and subnational levels of government.

Dissecting Obama?s Energy Proposals

Rethinking Environmental Federalism in a Warming World

A Preliminary Review of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act?s Clean Energy Package

Regulating Greenhouse Gases from Coal Power Plants under the Clean Air Act

Health Impacts of Power-Exporting Plants in Northern Mexico

World Oil: Market or Mayhem?

China?s ecological rehabilitation: unprecedented efforts, dramatic impacts, and requisite policies

Joint Bidding, Information Pooling, and the Performance of Petroleum Lease Auctions

Option Valuation of Claims on Real Assets: The Case of Offshore Petroleum Leases

Equilibrium in Auctions with Entry

On the Cost of Lost Production from Russian Oil Fields

The Economic Evolution of Petroleum Property Rights in the United States

Inscrutable OPEC: Behavioral Tests of the Cartel Hypothesis

World Oil: Market or Mayhem?

Risk Premia and the Social Cost of Carbon: A Review

Playing Without Aces: Offsets and the Limits of Flexibility Under Clean Air Act Climate Policy

An Expanded Three-Part Architecture for Post-2012 International Climate Policy

Can Durban Talks Succeed?

Evaluating ?Cash-for-Clunkers": Program Effects on Auto Sales and the Environment

Using the Market to Address Climate Change: Insights from Theory and Experience

Assessing the Energy Efficiency Information Gap

New research from RFF scholars highlights the role information plays in the adoption of energy efficiency technologies.

Assessing the Energy Efficiency Information Gap: Results from a Survey of Home Energy Auditors

Cost-Effectiveness of Electricity Energy Efficiency Programs

Climate Policy Design with Correlated Uncertainties in Offset Supply and Abatement Cost

Federal Policies for Renewable Electricity: Impacts and Interactions

Setting the Carbon Bar: Measurement, Reporting, and Verification in Bilateral Forestry Agreements

Importing Climate Mitigation: The Potential and Challenges of International Forest Offsets in California Climate Policy

Investing in Information to Respond to a Changing Climate

Resources Magazine: The quantity and quality of information about climate change will play a critical role in determining the effectiveness of public and private responses. However, as RFF?s Molly Macauley explains, collecting that data comes at a cost.

Energy Efficiency Policy: Surveying the Puzzles

Energy efficiency policies are favored by many to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve energy security, and reduce consumer costs. In a new RFF Discussion Paper, Senior Fellow Tim Brennan examines presumptions about such policies, noting that they often don?t hold true and are easily complicated.

Understanding Important Elements of a Clean Energy Standard

Policy design, electricity price implications, and regional impacts were among the topics discussed at a recent RFF/EPA workshop on clean energy standards. Event summary and presentations are now available.

Flip switch on electric co-op?

Federal Committee: Shale Gas Needs More Openness, Better Data

Parsing the Flexibility of EPA?s Greenhouse Gas Rules

Clean Air Act experts recently gathered at RFF to discuss the way forward for EPA in regulating greenhouse gases. Key insights are now available online.

No new climate law means clean coal is on the back burner

An Opportunity for Smart Regulation on Climate

EPA has the option to use flexible compliance mechanisms that could reduce the cost of greenhouse gas regulation by over two-thirds, according to a pair of analyses released by RFF.

U.S. Policy Options for Reducing Tropical Deforestation: What Can be Done?

In a new Discussion Paper, RFF scholars propose a ?whole-of-government? approach for slowing and reversing tropical forest loss to engage the full suite of policy levers in the federal government.

Market Responses and the Effectiveness of Energy Policies

On June 21 and 22, Resources for the Future hosted the second annual joint Energy Policy Symposium with the University of Chicago. Presentations from the event are now available online.

Renewable Energy in Antarctica and the Power of Being Bold

On June 15, RFF hosted polar explorer and environmental leader Robert Swan (OBE) at a Policy Leadership Forum, where he spoke on energy resources and strategies for sustainable global economic growth.

Shale Gas and Groundwater Contamination: Thoughts on a Recent Study

A recent article by Duke University researchers on methane contamination in drinking water wells in northeastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York has brought further attention to the risks to groundwater in areas exploited for shale gas.

Coordinating Global Economic Development Strategies to Combat Climate Change

A new RFF Discussion Paper says that the creation of a semiformal international coordinating entity could enrich country-specific low emissions development activities by building knowledge and capacity as well as enhancing the scale and predictability of funds.

Natural Resource Scarcity and the Fear of ?Resource Wars?

As Congress continues to debate the causes and effects of higher oil prices, RFF Senior Fellow Joel Darmstadter reviews lessons learned about how the perceived scarcity of natural resources?for example, oil, copper, and rare earths?may cloud some countries? hope for a robust economic future.

Congressional Perspectives on Tropical Forest Conservation

A new Issue Brief by researchers from RFF and Climate Advisers details the results of a February 2011 survey of key congressional staff, examining attitudes and perspectives about tropical forest conservation.

Will Natural Gas Vehicles Be in Our Future?

A new RFF Issue Brief explains that heavy-duty trucks running on liquefied natural gas can reduce oil consumption and carbon dioxide emissions with reasonably competitive cost-effectiveness.

U.S. Policy Options for Adapting to Climate Change: Event Video Now Available

At the June First Wednesday seminar, RFF experts presented results from a major study detailing how the federal government can effectively address climate impacts.

Californian CO2 Market Delay Seen Up to 12 Months

Major Report On U.S. Climate Change Adaptation

The United States is ill-prepared to manage the impacts of climate change, says a new RFF study. The report provides concrete steps the federal government can take to improve the institutions, incentives, and information needed to respond to climate impacts.

America?s Nuclear Future: Q&A with RFF President Phil Sharp

RFF President Phil Sharp discusses how recent events in Japan might affect the development of nuclear energy in the United States.

Natural Gas Is Not a "Bridge" to a Clean Energy Future

Nuclear Nations Turn to Natural Gas and Renewables

Programs for Electricity Energy Efficiency: Are They Cost-Effective?

An updated study by RFF researchers takes a closer look at the cost-effectiveness of programs designed to reduce consumer electricity consumption.

New Containment Technologies Jump-Start Offshore Drilling but Fail to Quell Oil Spill Concerns

Oil Forever

RFF Analyzes CES in Response to Senate White Paper Questions

RFF experts submitted key findings from their research and modeling in response to Senate questions on a Clean Energy Standard (CES).

Natural Gas Greenhouse Emissions Study Draws Fire

Industry Challenges Study that Natural Gas 'Fracking' Adds Excessively to Greenhouse Effect

Obama Backing Key to Nuclear Power

The Climate Has Changed?So Must Policy

A new RFF Issue Brief explores how a successful global climate policy must recognize the economic and political forces shaping each individual nation.

Deepwater Drilling: Event Slides, Audio and Video Now Available

At a recent RFF First Wednesday event, experts discussed the recommendations resulting from RFF?s research on the risks of deepwater drilling.

Raising Oil Spill Liability Limits is Hot Topic at House Hearing

Republicans Weigh a Federal ?Reverse Auction? to Push Clean Energy

Coal Quandary as State Plans to Send Dirty Fuel Overseas

An Economic Case for a Carbon Tax Policy

Taking a step back and looking broadly at climate policy, a new RFF Discussion Paper reevaluates the three main options for moving climate legislation forward: cap-and-trade, a carbon tax, and regulatory alternatives.

$4.55 Per Gallon

Water Conflicts and Resolution: Event Slides and Streaming Video Now Available

At a recent RFF First Wednesday event, researchers and policymakers discussed how reforms to water management could benefit both the economy and the environment.

Greenhouse Gas Regulation under the Clean Air Act: A Guide for Economists

In a new Discussion Paper, RFF researchers explore the regulatory tools and options provided by the Clean Air Act for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as the potential legislative challenges and economic opportunities.

Climate Strife and Political Life

Tracking Trees and Change

Reducing deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) ? a critical step toward halting climate change ? requires multiple tools to track changes in the forest, the land, and the global marketplace. Panelists at a recent RFF seminar highlighted innovative forest carbon supply tools that are now available and defined the role for such tools in the international REDD process.

U.S. Pushes, but Reactors Are Lagging

The Porter Hypothesis, 20 Years Later

In a seminal article written 20 years ago, Michael Porter put forth his hypothesis, that environmental regulations can encourage innovation, increase efficiency, and enhance business performance. At a recent speech at RFF, Porter reasserted his belief that companies can incorporate innovative approaches to improve their environmental footprint while creating shared value and increasing their competitiveness.

New RFF Studies Released on Oil Spill Investigation

In a special series, RFF examines a variety of issues related to the aftermath of the BP oil spill, ranging from risk assessment to safety procedures, and from costs to containment. Seven papers, prepared for the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, are now available here.

In The Medium Run, CAFE Costs Decrease

With Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards expected to increase, a new RFF Discussion Paper assesses the medium-run costs associated with the increase, how they compare to the short-run and long-run adjustments, and how consumers will react to the increase in fuel economy.

Are Energy Efficiency Standards Economically Efficient?

With a portfolio of emissions reductions options available, pulling the proper policy lever can be tricky. New analysis suggests that energy efficiency standards don?t look that promising on economic grounds, either on their own or in combination with pricing instruments.

REDD+ Credits: Feasible Supply Less Than Expected

With expectations high over the prospect of REDD+ in the next few years, a new RFF Issue Brief finds the feasible potential of these credits is actually much lower than some models predict.

New Look, Same Magazine!

The fundamentals haven?t changed: you?ll find short, accessible stories by RFF scholars, written without partisan bias or technical jargon. The purpose of the new design is to make it easier to find what you?re looking for as well as easier to read?the type is bigger!

Embracing Green-Growth Diplomacy

With the world gearing up for another round of international climate negotiations, RFF Visiting Scholar Nigel Purvis says it is time to jumpstart the transition to low emissions development by reinventing global climate diplomacy.

Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options

The Full Report of this multi-year study ? including technical papers and modeling methodologies ? is now available online. The documents evaluate a wide range of policy alternatives to help decisionmakers develop a coherent U.S. energy strategy.

The Future of Fresh Water

Climate, Trade, and International Interconnectivity

A new RFF Discussion Paper takes a closer look at the intersection of domestic climate change policies and international trade.

Satellite neglect means a dimmer view of Earth

Saving America?s Land and Ecosystems

Some 30 million acres in the United States comprise the federal land preservation effort known as the Conservation Reserve Program. An RFF First Wednesday seminar panel discusses the impact of this policy on ecosystem services, agriculture, land use, and more.

The Clean Air Act has been cheaper and more effective than industry predicts, again and again

Banking Emissions Allowances: A Checkered Legacy

The treatment of banked emissions allowances under a series of cap-and-trade systems to curb major air pollutants has produced mixed results.

Regional cap and trade is working - and maligned

Revisiting the Commons?and Climate Change

A new paper by RFF University Fellow Robert Stavins asserts that economics is poised to help resolve concerns about the carrying capacity of Earth?s environment, especially regarding climate.

China: A Resource War Resurgence?

In the latest issue of Resources, Senior Fellow Joel Darmstadter divines facts and fears about China?s energy strategy, including its ongoing, global shopping spree for oil.

CAA@40: Phil Sharp on Anniversary of Clean Air Act

At a conference commemorating the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Clean Air Act, Phil Sharp reflects on the impact of the law on U.S. climate and energy policy.

California Initiative Lets Low-Income Homes Bask in Solar Power

The Effects of Transport Regulations on the Oil Market: Does Market Power Matter?

Market power can influence the outcome of transport regulations, according to the authors of a new RFF discussion paper.

How Do You Put a Price on Ecological Damage from Marine Oil Pollution?

In the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill, attempts will be made to put an economic value on the ecological damage caused. How will this be done, and can we do a better job than in the past?

Young Lawyers Turn to Public Service

Who Bears the Long-Term Costs of Stricter Anti-Spill Policy?

It's not who you think, according to RFF Senior Fellow Timothy Brennan. In a new policy brief, he explains that the long-term costs of ratcheting up liability for oil spills like the recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico will be borne not primarily by companies involved in oil exploration.

How the GOP and a Slumping Economy Killed a 'Republican Instrument'

How Oil Price Shocks Influence America?s Economy

A new RFF analysis finds global influences, such as oil price shocks, may be secondary to domestic influences when it comes to understanding the causes of U.S. economic fluctuation.

Cutting Plastic Pollution with a Levy on Bags

In a new paper from the Environment for Development initiative, authors Johane Dikgang and Martine Visser look at plastic bag regulation in Botswana ? and whether or not it is working.

RFF Awarded International Prize in Environmental Economics

A top European research institution honors RFF, citing it as a ?key driver of market-based environmental policy.?

What Would Tighter Regulation on Deepwater Drilling Mean for Gas Prices?

Tightening U.S. safety standards would raise the price of a gallon of gas by less than a penny, while a total ban on deep sea drilling could raise prices by around 7 cents, according to a new RFF analysis by Stephen Brown.

RFF Policy Leadership Forum: Roger W. Ferguson, Jr.

The TIAA-CREF president discussed the company's commitment to energy conservation as well as other socially responsible investing practices.

Event: The Economics of Clean Water

At the June First Wednesday Seminar, expert panelists shared their perspectives on U.S. water quality regulation and the role of cost-benfit and risk analysis. Video and slides available.

U.S., China Step Forward In Climate Debate

Don't Hold the U.S. to Climate Standards it Cannot Achieve

Europe is inadvertently undermining President Obama on global warming, with potentially damaging consequences for climate co-operation and transatlantic relations...

Cap-and-Cashback: Regional fairness

Climate policy can be fair to families all across the...

Greenhouse Plan Spurs Lobbying

U.S. President Barack Obama's support for limiting greenhouse gas emissions has spurred a lobbying blitz in Congress, officials said...

Push to Reduce Greenhouse Gases Would Put a Price on Emitting Pollution

President Obama's endorsement of climate legislation to clamp down on greenhouse gases has set off a lobbying rush in Congress and made the air thick with rival proposals.

Carbon Footprints Are Tricky to Track

The truth is that while there is some variation in the carbon intensity of consumption across states, it is orders of magnitude smaller than what the editorial claims, thus severely overstating the degree to which cap and trade will burden some states and benefit others.

Climate Change Takes Center Stage in Congress

With climate change legislation a top U.S. priority for Democrats this year, lawmakers began zeroing in on Thursday on ways to ease the financial burden it could impose on the poor, especially in the midst of a deep economic recession.

Quick Hits From Copenhagen

Overheard here as the climate conference wraps up...

Obama Cuts Funds To Nuclear Waste Repository

President Obama has lived up to a campaign promise by cutting off most funds to develop Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as a nuclear waste repository. That leaves the fate of nuclear waste, currently stored at sites throughout the United States, in limbo.

Carbon Trading to Raise Consumer Energy Prices

Dallas Burtraw?is quoted on?how the decision about distributing revenue from a national cap and trade system could "change the distribution of wealth potentially for a century."

Budget Expects Revenue from Limits on Emissions

Dallas Burtraw's observation that "emission allowances could be the greatest creation of property rights since the 19th-century settlement of the West" is cited.?

Obama Stresses Energy Investment but Policy Battles Loom

Tim Brennan comments that President Obama's emphasis on climate legislation and renewable energy in a prime time?address indicates the importance his administration?places on the issues.?

Case for Climate Protection Authority

RFF?s Nigel Purvis makes the case for the Obama Administration to create a Climate Protection Authority and explains the potential benefits for domestic and international climate action.

Scientific Climate is Changing as Obama Takes Office

A recent RFF study that explores how a cap-and-trade plan would affect household energy costs is cited.

Russia and Ukraine's Gas Dispute

In this letter to the editor, Joel Darmstadter responds to an opinion piece regarding energy options for Europe.

Hank Paulson: Use Free Trade to Fight Climate Change

Keith Johnson summarizes Treasury Secretary Paulson's discussion about curbing greenhouse gasses at RFF's recent Policy Leadership Forum.

Making a Treaty: The Senate?s Role

In this letter to the editor, Nigel Purvis explores the benefits of forging bipartisan climate policy through Congressional-executive agreements rather than treaties.

McConnell on Marketplace

In a commentary aired December 15 on American Public Media?s Marketplace Radio, Senior Fellow Virginia McConnell?

suggests that raising taxes on gasoline would spur automakers to build greener cars ? and motivate potential buyers. ?Recently passed fuel economy standards are a step in the right direction, but high gas prices are essential. They provide incentives to manufacturers to produce the new generation of vehicles, and for consumers to buy them,? she said. ?The recent run-up in oil prices showed us what a powerful force the market can be in influencing purchase decisions and spurring innovation.?

Get Tough on Emissions Without Hurting Economy

Richard Morgenstern advocates for the Obama administration to announce a detailed plan for carbon pricing in this opinion piece.

Cap-and-Trade in the Current Economic Climate

On NPR?s All Things Considered, RFF Senior Fellow Dallas Burtraw discussed the implications of the current economic difficulties for passage of domestic climate legislation.? He said government could ease some of the pain by rebating revenues.

Sharp on Impact of Oil Price Drop

RFF President Phil Sharp was among several experts in a November 17 Wall Street Journal roundup addressing options for reducing demand for oil in the wake of falling petroleum prices. He suggested using market incentives, coupled with close government oversight, to encourage efficiency gains, establish a price on carbon to restrain greenhouse gas emissions, and seriously consider imposing a "price floor" on oil in the range of $60?$65 per barrel.

Vajjhala on Carbon Sequestration in National Journal

In an October 25, 2008, article in National Journal entitled "Big Oil Likes Clean Coal," RFF Fellow Shalini Vajjhala discusses the tradeoffs between more oil and gas drilling and carbon sequestration. "In an ideal world, you?d be able to analyze the whole cycle and whether the process of reducing emissions generates emissions. There isn?t a lot of clarity on that."

CLIMATE: Moderate Senate Dems Build "Gang of 16" to Influence Cap-and-Trade Bill

RFF is identified as a nonpartisan organization that the "Gang of 16" have touched base with regarding climate change issues.

CLIMATE: Economic Crisis Rattles Cap-and-Trade Debate

Dallas Burtraw talks about carbon taxes and climate change legislation.