Each week, I review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted over at the RFF Library Blog.
The Potential Environmental Impact from Fracking in the Delaware River Basin
[The Intelligencer] As many as 4,000 fracking wells could be drilled in Pennsylvania and New York should current moratoriums be lifted, according to a report released Tuesday.
The study, conducted by the nonprofit research and analysis firm CNA, of Arlington, Virginia, focused on the interior Marcellus region within the Delaware River Basin. Most of the natural gas development is likely to occur in a few counties in eastern Pennsylvania and New York, said Paul Faeth, director of CNA’s energy, water and climate division. - via CNA for the Delaware Riverkeeper Network / by Steven Habicht, Lars Hanson and Paul Faeth
Toward a 21st Century Electricity System for California: a Joint Utility and Advanced Energy Industry Working Group Position Paper
[Green Tech Media] Utilities join solar and grid companies to propose new operational and revenue models to meet low-carbon, renewable goals. California is already changing its utility and energy regulations to incorporate rooftop solar, behind-the-meter energy storage, plug-in electric vehicles and other grid edge resources, arguably faster than any other state. But a group of utilities and energy industry members have ideas for even more radical transformations ahead. - via Advanced Energy Economy Institute (free download with registration)
Determining Conservation Priorities: Species and Places vs. Economic Efficiency
In their recent article, Jenkins et al. (1) identify “priorities for future conservation investment” in the continental United States. To find these priority areas, the authors weighted species from six taxa by their range size and level of protection, summing the weighted maps to derive maps of priority scores. Such scoring systems defy contemporary planning approaches, and have repeatedly been shown to identify priorities that are biologically ineffective and economically inefficient (2). - via Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (August 11, 2015, v112 n32; doi: 10.1073/pnas.1509189112) by Christopher J. Brown, et al.
How The United States Can Reinforce Chinese Action on Climate Change
Our starting premise is that air pollution is a more salient issue in China than climate change and that the country is likely to take more heroic and costly measures to reduce the threat of air pollution for Chinese citizens than they are to contribute to the global public good of climate change mitigation. From this perspective, much of the discussion of using climate change to produce co-benefits for air pollution is misplaced. We need to ensure that air pollution policies create co-benefits for the climate. As we note, some actions, reducing the use of coal, will be beneficial for both air pollution and climate goals. Other policies, such as producing synthetic gas from coal or relocating coal plants to the interior, might produce benefits for air pollution but make the climate problem worse. - via Paulson Institute / by Joshua Busby and Sarang Shidore
Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Historical Oil and Gas Wells in Pennsylvania: Implications for New Shale Gas Resources
Recent large-scale development of oil and gas from low-permeability unconventional formations (e.g., shales, tight sands, coal seams) has raised concern about potential environmental impacts. Legacy oil and gas wells co-located with that new development represent , if left improperly sealed, a potential pathways for unwanted migration of fluids (brine, drilling and stimulation fluids, oil and gas). Uncertainty in the number, location, and abandonment state of legacy wells hinders environmental assessment of exploration and production activity. The objective of this study is to apply publicly available information on Pennsylvania oil and gas wells to better understand their potential to serve as pathways for unwanted fluid migration. This study presents a synthesis of historical reports and digital well records to provide insights into spatial and temporal trends in oil and gas development... - Environment Science & Technology (Online publication: Aug. 12, 2015; DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.5b00820) / by Robert M. Dilmore, et al.(free download with ACS registration)
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