Each week, I review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted over at the RFF Library Blog.
Taxing Carbon: What, Why and How
[From a Climate Wire article by Emily Holden, sub. req’d] A nationwide carbon tax — though difficult to implement for practical and political reasons — could significantly reduce greenhouse emissions while funding priorities on both sides of the aisle, according to a new report from the Tax Policy Center… - via Tax Policy Center / by Donald Marron, Eric Toder, and Lydia Austin
Impacts of the Clean Power Plan on U.S. Natural Gas Markets and Pipeline Infrastructure
[From Press Release] An analysis prepared by Advanced Energy Economy Institute using the models of Virginia-based ICF International, a leading authority on natural gas markets, finds that existing and planned natural gas infrastructure will be able to handle the bulk of future natural gas needs under EPA’s proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP). The analysis shows that additional natural gas pipeline expenditures under the CPP would be modest: 3% to 7% more than currently planned through 2030… - via ICF for the Advanced Energy Economy Institute (free download with registration)
China’s Growing Energy Demand: Implications for the United States
Growing rapidly in recent decades, China’s demand for energy has nearly doubled since 2005—making China the world’s largest consumer of energy. That growth and the energy policies that China pursues increase the level and possibly the volatility of some energy prices, reduce the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing firms in relation to Chinese firms but provide benefits for U.S. consumers, and increase greenhouse gas emissions. This paper examines trends in China’s energy consumption, the implications of those trends for U.S. households and businesses, and policy options that might help minimize adverse effects. - via Congressional Budget Office / by Andrew Stocking and Terry Dinan (Working Paper 2015-05)
Adapting To Climate Change in Coastal Parks: Estimating the Exposure of Park Assets to 1 m of Sea-Level Rise
[USA Today] Sea-level rise puts at high risk more than $40 billion in park infrastructure and historic and cultural resources, including almost $90 million in assets at the Canaveral National Seashore, according to a federal report released Tuesday. - via National Park Service
Energy Efficiency in the United States: 35 Years and Counting
[Utility Dive] Dive Brief:
- The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has released a new report finding energy efficiency in the United States has come a long way in the last 35 years, slashing in half the “energy intensity” metric that compares energy consumed to the gross domestic product.
- The United States has cut the amount of energy it uses, compared to each dollar of gross domestic product, from 12.1 thousand Btus per dollar in 1980 to 6.1 thousand Btus per dollar in 2014, ACEEE found.
- Last year, the study found, efficiency measures saved the United States $800 billion. Most of the improvements over the last 35 years came from advances in energy efficiency itself, ACEEE concluded, and not changes in the broader economy. - via American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy / by Steven Nadel, Neal Elliott, and Therese Langer
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