National Publications
view all publications >
Environmental Management Needs for Exploration and Exploitation of Deep Sea Minerals
May 2012 - by International Seabed Authority, et al.
The International Seabed Authority in collaboration with the Government of Fiji and the SOPAC Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community held a Workshop on Environmental Management Needs for Exploration and Exploitation of Deep Sea Minerals, in Nadi, Fiji.This initiative reflected the increasing interest in and associated concerns about the potential environmental impacts of deep sea minerals exploration and mining and how competent authorities at the national and international level will regulate this emerging economic development opportunity in a sustainable manner in areas within and beyond national jurisdiction. This document contains the outcomes of the discussions at the workshop.
Building Change towards Full Cost Water: Lessons from the Rate Setting Process
April 2012 - by David Gordon, Bill Holman
To ensure the country's changing water demands and evolving environmental challenges are met, the water industry must find new strategies and partners to map a new way forward. A new paper by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions highlights the importance of rate setting strategy. By analyzing disparate rate cases, the authors show that common strategies can exist with regard to rate setting procedures no matter how different the utility.
Greenhouse Gas Mitigation with Agricultural Land Management Activities in the United States—A Side-by-Side Comparison of Biophysical Potential
March 2012
Responsible for 6% of U.S. greenhouse gas (GHG) production, agricultural land use has significant potential to reduce these emissions and capture additional carbon in the soil. Many different activities have been proposed for such mitigation, but assessments of the biophysical potential have been limited and have not provided direct comparison among the many options. We present an in-depth review of the scientific literature, with a side-by-side comparison of net biophysical GHG mitigation potential for 42 different agricultural land management activities in the United States, many of which are likely applicable in other regions. Twenty of these activities are likely to be beneficial for GHG mitigation and have sufficient research to support this conclusion. Limited research leads to uncertainty for 15 other activities that may have positive mitigation potential, and the remaining activities have small or negative GHG mitigation potential or life-cycle GHG concerns. While we have sufficient information to move forward in implementing a number of activities, there are some high-priority research needs that will help clarify problematic uncertainties.
Regulating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Existing Sources: Section 111(d) and State Equivalency
March 2012
On December 9, 2011, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions convened a broad range of stakeholders to explore the legal and policy issues presented by the regulation of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under 111(d) (existing source performance standards) of the Clean Air Act. The workshop focused primarily on the options for states to demonstrate that existing GHG policies are equivalent to the 111(d) requirements. The Nicholas Institute distributed this document to workshop participants prior to the event to provide a framework for the issues that would be discussed. Nothing in this document should be interpreted as expressing the Institute’s opinion of the path the EPA should take on any given issue.
Reducing the Energy Penalty Costs of Postcombustion CCS Systems with Amine-Storage
January 2012
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) can significantly reduce the amount of CO2 emitted from coal-fired power plants, but its high capital and operating costs are an important barrier. In this paper we analyze one alternative to reduce operating costs of amine-based CCS systems.
Climate Change Mitigation and Agriculture
December 2011 - by Eva 'Lini' Wollenberg, Marja-Liisa Tapio-Bistrom, Maryanne Grieg-Gran, Alison Nihart
A new book features two chapters on reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions penned by researchers at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions—Brian Murray and Lydia Olander. The 456-page book reviews the state of agricultural climate mitigation globally and focuses on the design and implementation of activities to reduce emissions and increase carbon storage.
Considering Shale Gas Extraction in North Carolina: Lessons from Other States
November 2011 - by Sarah Plikunas, Brooks Rainey Pearson, Jonas Monast, Avner Vengosh and Rob Jackson
Because North Carolina has no active oil and gas production and no existing regulatory framework for this industry, it has a unique opportunity to build a program from the ground up. This paper looks at the environmental and health concerns surrounding hydraulic fracturing to extract natural gas trapped below the ground, and shares regulatory approaches other states are taking to reduce these risks. Further, it focuses on several measures North Carolina lawmakers should understand when considering whether, and under what conditions, to allow shale gas extraction in the state.
A Cooperative Federalism Framework for CCS Regulation
September 2011 - by Jonas J. Monast, Brooks Rainey Pearson, and Lincoln F. Pratson
Coal is the dominant energy resource used for power generation across the globe, and projections suggest this will remain the case for years to come. While coal is an abundant, low-cost domestic energy resource, it is also the most carbon-intensive of all of the fossil fuels. The amount of existing coal-fired infrastructure, the ongoing importance of coal to the nation’s economy, the political support for the coal industry in the U.S. Congress, and the nation’s need for stable, affordable base load power generation all suggest the ability to capture carbon emissions and store them in underground geologic formations—a process commonly referred to as carbon, capture, and storage, or CCS—will likely be an important option for mitigating climate change.
Primer on GHG Regulation under the Clean Air Act: PSD, Title V, and NSPS
February 2011 - by Brooks Rainey Pearson and Jonas Monast
Nicholas Institute Primer on GHG Regulation under the Clean Air Act: PSD, Title V, and NSPS
Transportation Infrastructure Spending and Climate Outcomes: Effects of Reinvesting Transportation Carbon Fee Revenues in Transportation Infrastructure
December 2010 - by Craig Raborn
Estimating the Employment Impacts of Energy and Environmental Policies and Programs: Workshop Summary Report
December 2010 - by Josh Schneck, Brian C. Murray, Etan Gumerman, and Suzanne Tegen
With U.S. unemployment rates hovering near 10 percent, new energy and environmental policies are being scrutinized more and more for their ability to create jobs. Yet, the information provided concerning these policies’ impact on jobs is widely variable, is often conflicting, and can confuse policymaking efforts. This policy brief summarizes the key points of a workshop the Nicholas Institute convened in October, which examined how to best estimate and convey the employment impacts that may result from enactment of energy and environmental policy.
The Potential Role for Management of Public Lands in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation and Climate Policy
August 2010 - by Lydia Olander, David Cooley, Christopher Galik
Public lands, including federal and state lands, offer significant opportunities for increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation from the management and restoration of forests, rangelands, and wetlands. This paper provides a rough estimate of the potential mitigation opportunities from public lands, including near-term sequestration generated from an elimination of timber harvests in public forests and improving management of some rangelands. It also presents policy options that decision makers and land managers can pursue to increase mitigation on public lands. This is a revised version of a paper that was published in July 2010.
PACE Financing: Introduction and Key Questions for Local Implementation
June 2010 - by Beth Conlin, Robert Allen and Todd Wooten
Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing programs promote energy efficiency investment and renewable energy project development through lowcost municipal loans to property owners.
The Effects of Low-Carbon Policies on Net Farm Income
February 2010 - by Justin S. Baker, Bruce A. McCarl, Brian C. Murray, Steven K. Rose, Ralph J. Alig, Darius Adams, Greg Latta, Robert Beach, Adam Daigneault
Policy Options for Transitioning from Voluntary to Federal Offsets Markets
January 2010 - by Lydia Olander, David Cooley and Brian Murray
Nicholas Institute Discussion Brief on H.R. 2454, S. 1733, and S.2729
Climate Change and Financial Markets: Regulating the Trade Side of Cap and Trade
January 2010 - by Jonas Monast
Sticking Points in Offsets Policy
January 2010 - by Lydia Olander, Tim Profeta, and Christopher Galik
Nicholas Institute Discussion Memo
Forging a Path for High-Quality Compliance REDD Credits
December 2009 - by Brian Murray, Lydia Olander, Donald P. Kanak
Principles for Marine Spatial Planning: Outcomes of the Ocean Industries MSP Policy Labs
November 2009 - by Laura Cantral, Larry Crowder, Morgan Gopnik, Linwood Pendleton
Document Actions
