Each week, we review the papers, studies, reports, and briefings posted at the “indispensable” RFF Library Blog, curated by RFF Librarian Chris Clotworthy.
Regulatory Impact Analysis: Development of Social Cost of Carbon Estimates
To develop the 2010 and 2013 social cost of carbon estimates, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Council of Economic Advisers convened and led an informal interagency working group in which four other offices from the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and six federal agencies participated. Participating agencies were the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, Transportation (DOT), and the Treasury... – via US Government Accountability Office
Up in Flames: U.S. Shale Oil Boom Comes at Expense of Wasted Natural Gas, Increased Carbon Dioxide
In a new investigation of flaring of natural gas in the nation’s two most prolific shale oil formations, North Dakota’s Bakken Shale and Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale, Earthworks found that North Dakota oil companies have flared more than $854 million of natural gas since 2010, and state officials do not track how much money companies owe in taxes for the gas. The report found that Texas does not tax flared gas at all, pointing to the need for more stringent measures to reduce flaring in both formations and raising questions about whether North Dakota officials will enforce recently issued regulations to control flaring... – via Earthworks
[InsideEPA.com, sub. req'd] …A group of energy lawyers says states that adopt multi-state plans for complying with EPA’s proposed greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for existing power plants may require congressional approval — as the Constitution’s compact clause requires — in order to meet EPA’s proposed enforceability requirements for states’ plans… – via Wilkinson Barker Knauer
This report describes the application of a new mixed-integer linear programming model of the power sector that accounts for water used for thermal cooling. The model is used to explore a series of scenarios for each of four case studies—the North Grid of China, India, France, and the state of Texas in the United States. For each case study we developed a baseline projection, then modeled a number of scenarios, including limits on water availability, reduced power demand from end-use energy efficiency, expansion of renewable energy, and carbon caps. We provide model output, including water withdrawals and consumption; power generation fuel mix; carbon dioxide emissions; and total system, fixed, and variable costs... – via CNA Corp.
The Rising Cost of Fire Operations: Effects on the Forest Service’s Non-Fire Work
The increasing cost of fighting wildland fire has had a negative and lasting impact on the Forest Service’s non-fire, mission critical activities. In particular, the growth in fire expenditures has resulted in two significant and negative impacts on the Forest Service budget: (1) fire borrowing; and (2) a long-term shift of agency resources to fire expenditures. With respect to borrowing, in years when the base appropriation for suppression is insufficient to cover the cost of fighting wildland fire, the agency has the authority to transfer (or “borrow”) funds from non-fire activities to suppression. However, those non-fire activities are often those that improve the health and resilience of our forested landscapes and thus mitigate the potential for fire in future years. These fire transfers, while they are generally reimbursed in subsequent appropriations, are highly disruptive to agency operations and hinder the Forest Service’s capacity to effectively restore the Nation’s forests and grasslands. Continued reliance on fire transfers to ensure sufficient funds for suppression within a highly constrained agency budget is unsustainable... – via US Forest Service
