Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy.
BLM Failed to Inspect Vulnerable Oil Wells, Relied on Outdated Rules and Guidance : GAO
The government has failed to inspect thousands of oil and gas wells it considers potentially high risks for water contamination and other environmental damage, congressional investigators say…Investigators said weak control by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management resulted from policies based on outdated science and from incomplete monitoring data…The audit also said the BLM did not coordinate effectively with state regulators in New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma and Utah… — via NPR
Estimating Local Mortality Burdens Associated with Particulate Air Pollution [UK]
The increase in mortality risk associated with long-term exposure to particulate air pollution is one of the most important, and best-characterised, effects of air pollution on health. This report presents estimates of the size of this effect on mortality in local authority areas in the UK, building upon the attributable fractions reported as an indicator in the public health outcomes framework for England. It discusses the concepts and assumptions underlying these calculations and gives information on how such estimates can be made... — via Public Health England
National Security and the Accelerating Risks of Climate Change
In this follow-up to its landmark study, National Security and the Threat of Climate Change, CNA Corporation’s Military Advisory Board (MAB) re-examines the impact of climate change on U.S. national security in the context of a more informed, but more complex and integrated world... — via CNA Corporation
Carbon Pollution Standards for Existing Power Plants: Key Challenges
A nonpartisan think tank is urging EPA to resolve a potential overlap between its proposed new source performance standard (NSPS) to cut future utilities’ greenhouse gases (GHGs) and its pending existing source performance standard (ESPS), noting that sources initially regulated under the NSPS might in the future be subject to the ESPS. The possible regulatory overlap is just one of several lingering issues that the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) — an independent group that advocates “strong” policies on energy and climate change — outlines in a May 15 paper... — via InsideEPA.com
Principles for Including Energy Efficiency in 111(d) of the Clean Air Act
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should allow states to use energy efficiency programs as a way to comply with its forthcoming rule that will regulate carbon dioxide emissions from existing power plants, state energy officials, regulatory utility commissioners, and clean air agencies from more than 45 U.S. states urged the agency on Thursday. In a set of principles unveiled on Thursday, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, and the National Association of State Energy Officers called on the EPA to “recognize the states’ obligation to ensure affordable and reliable electric service as well as to protect the environment.” — via POWER Magazine
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