Researchers Remind Big Potential in the Coastal Zone Indonesia

NC Fracking Commission Reviews 48 Safety Rules in Fast-Paced Meeting

The state commission that’s creating safety standards for fracking raced through 48 rules Wednesday under a legislative deadline to prepare North Carolina for shale gas exploration by next spring. Amy Pickle, State Policy Program director and Mining and Energy Commission member, comments in this News & Observer article.

Pa. asks EPA for more Flexible Emissions and Trading Rules to Boost Power Plants' Energy Efficiency ($)

Pennsylvania's top air regulator has proposed a potential solution to long-standing legal tension that can make energy efficiency a less attractive option for power plants. New Source Review (NSR), a section in the Clean Air Act that sets limits for criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, ozone and lead), has long been viewed as an impediment to efficiency investments. When a source emits too much pollution, it triggers permitting requirements under NSR.

News Tip: Energy Experts Available to Comment on Annual Energy Outlook 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, April 7, 2014

Media Contacts:
Margaret Lillard (Newell)
(919) 613-0436, (919) 332-8979 (cell)
ma.lillard@duke.edu

Erin McKenzie (Monast)
(919) 613-3652
erin.mckenzie@duke.edu

Cleaning Dirty Gas Enabling CO2 Sales to Dirtier Oil Producers

Tim Profeta, director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, tells Bloomberg that the U.S. natural gas boom can go two ways in the next decade. “These 10 years will be our enemy if we only think about cheap gas and stop investing in low-carbon technology,” he said. “These 10 years will be our friend if we use them wisely.”

White House Plans to Patch Methane Leaks, but Uncertainty and Opposition Exist ($)

The Obama administration's effort to plug the nation's methane leaks has rekindled the debate about the role of natural gas in national climate policy, with most environmentalists applauding the effort, while others describe it as an empty promise. Brian Murray, director for economic analysis at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, comments in this ClimateWire article.

News Tip: Expert Available to Comment on UN Climate Change Report

DURHAM, NC - The United Nations issued a new report this morning concluding that without cutting emissions, the impacts of climate change will be more severe and possibly irreversible.

Environmentalists: Hold Your Noses But Deal With Carbon Capture And Shale Gas Drilling

Reducing China’s pollution levels will remain a challenge, but Tim Profeta, director of the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, says the ultimate answer will be technologically driven--aided by a public sector that places a cost on carbon emissions.

Lessons Offered by Emerging Carbon Trading Markets

In a Policy Forum article in the March 21 edition of Science magazine, Duke University's Richard Newell, William Pizer and Daniel Raimi discuss the key lessons from a decade of experience with carbon markets. They also discuss what it might take for these markets to develop and possibly link together in the coming years and decades.

Duke University Report Characterizes U.S. Biogas Potential

A new report published by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University seeks to uncover under what conditions a substantial, decentralized domestic biogas market could develop in the United States by 2040. This article in Biomass Magazine details the findings of the report, titled “Biogas in the United States: An Assessment of Market Potential in a Carbon-Constrained Future.”