Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy. Check out this week’s highlights below:
Fueling the Future with Natural Gas: Bringing It Home
Low natural gas prices resulting from the development of unconventional gas resources in North America will hold for the long term, creating opportunities to expand the economic benefits and cost savings to consumers through greater direct natural gas use, a new IHS report says. Increased use of natural gas also has the potential to contribute to energy efficiency and emissions reduction goals, the report adds... — via IHS
Economic Implications of Unconventional Fossil Fuel Production
...In a paper released by the National Agriculture & Rural Development Policy Center, the researchers offer guidelines for communities and policy makers to use as they determine whether to encourage or discourage oil and gas production as an economic development strategy. — via National Agriculture & Rural Development Policy Center
Powering Forward: Presidential and Executive Agency Actions to Drive Clean Energy in America
...Its 200 recommendations include many actions the administration is already taking or considering, including new DOE efficiency standards for appliances and more stringent standards for methane leakage from petroleum production sites. — via Center for the New Energy Economy
Flood Insurance: Strategies for Increasing Private Sector Involvement
According to stakeholders with whom GAO spoke, several conditions must be present to increase private sector involvement in the sale of flood insurance. First, insurers need to be able to accurately assess risk to determine premium rates. For example, stakeholders told GAO that access to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policy and claims data and upcoming improvements in private sector computer... — via U.S. Government Accountability Office
The Economic Cost of Global Fuel Subsidies
By 2015, global oil consumption will reach 90 million barrels per day. In part, this high level of consumption reflects the fact that many countries provide subsidies for gasoline and diesel. This paper examines global fuel subsidies using the latest available data from the World Bank, finding that road-sector subsidies for gasoline and diesel totaled $110 billion in 2012. Pricing fuels below cost is inefficient because it leads to overconsumption. Under baseline... — via U.C. Center for Environmental and Energy Economics
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