Integrated Outlooks for Energy, Transportation, and Climate Policy

RFF experts assess the prospects for harmonizing energy policy across North America, examine US federal standards and state policies for new vehicle emissions and fuel economy, consider the future of self-driving cars, and more.

As the world grows more interconnected, our most pressing energy, natural resource, and climate issues present opportunities to increase collaboration across state and national borders to improve lives at home and around the globe. In the latest issue of Resources, you’ll find articles by RFF experts and their colleagues that feature several key areas primed for creativity and further coordination.

On the North American energy policy landscape, Canada, Mexico, and the United States increasingly have opportunities to harmonize and align environmental and fiscal policies related to oil and gas development across the continent. In the United States, transportation policies at the state level—if carefully designed—can complement US federal regulations for new vehicle emissions and fuel economy to help achieve a cleaner fleet and more efficient transportation system. And in the northeast, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative is set to implement a new mechanism to reduce price volatility in its market for emissions allowances that may have implications for the design of cap-and-trade programs worldwide.

Spanning specific policy issues across all fronts are considerations of the social cost of carbon, and how differing domestic and global estimates affect climate policy outlooks and—where the United States is concerned—prospects for climate leadership. And highlighting the rapid pace at which our integrated world continues to evolve is autonomous vehicle technology, which brings its own suite of questions that consumers, manufacturers, and regulators will all have to weigh.

New challenges prompt us to take a fresh look at options for novel solutions. RFF experts are continuing to delve into these topics and others to help decisionmakers in communities around the world craft smart policies to improve economic realities, human well-being, and environmental health.