Southeast Publications
Profiling Local Climate Change Governance in the Southeastern United States
December 2011 - by Amy Morsch
While other regions have taken a more proactive approach, state and federal government officials and privately owned utilities have largely dismissed the idea of climate and energy policies in the southeastern United States. In this environment, many cities have developed climate and sustainability programs independent of state action. In the summer of 2011, the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions surveyed Southeastern cities with populations greater than 100,000 on their sustainability, climate, and energy policies and practices. This report presents the results of that survey, which reflect how local governments in the region are articulating goals, exercising influence and authority, and planning and implementing policy. The research revisits many of the topics analyzed in a similar 2010 Nicholas Institute report, and it provides a glimpse at the direction of local governments in the Southeast.
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.
Myths and Facts About Electricity in the U.S. South
September 2011 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Xiaojing Sun, Gyungwon Kim, Kenneth Sercy
This paper identifies six myths about clean electricity in the southern United States. These myths are either propagated by the public at-large, shared within the environmental advocacy culture, or spread imperceptibly between policy makers. Using a widely accepted energy-economic modeling tool, the paper exposes these myths as half-truths and the kind of conventional wisdom that constrains productive debate. In doing so, it identifies new starting points for energy policy development.
Climate Ready Estuaries: A Blueprint for Change
March 2011 - by Bill Holman and Amy Pickle
Initially conceived as an outreach pilot to increase public and local government awareness in five counties of the Albemarle-Pamlico region, our Blueprint summarizes the initial outreach efforts, includes findings and recommendations for increasing the region’s climate resilience, compiles a resource of up-to-date science on sea-level rise impacts, and serves as a first step in educating the public and decision makers about the opportunities and challenges of becoming a climate ready estuary.
Renewable Energy in the South
December 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Youngsun Baek, Cullen Morris, Yu Wang
Transitioning away from increasingly scarce, carbon-intensive and polluting fossil fuels is one of the key challenges facing modern society. Prominent among the energy supply options, with inherently low life-cycle CO2 emissions, is a suite of renewable technologies that represent an opportunity to diversify energy resources. This report builds on a short policy brief released last summer and provides an in-depth assessment of the scope of renewable energy resources in the South and their economic impacts on electricity rates and utility bills in the region.
The Near-Term Market and Greenhouse Gas Implications of Forest Biomass Utilization in the Southeastern United States
August 2010 - by Robert C. Abt, Christopher S. Galik, and Jesse D. Henderson
Renewable Energy in the South: A Policy Brief
July 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Youngsun Baek, Cullen Morris, Yu Wang
This working paper assesses the economic potential of renewable electricity generation in the South under alternative policy scenarios. Using a customized version of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), we examine the impact of 1) expanded and updated estimates of renewable resources, 2) a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), and 3) a Carbon-Constrained Future (CCF). Under the Expanded Renewables Scenario, renewable electricity generation doubles the output of the Reference forecast for the South. If a Federal RPS is imposed or the policies represented by our CCF scenario are implemented, we estimate that 15% to 30% of the South’s electricity could be generated from renewable sources. Among the renewable resources, wind, biomass, and hydro are anticipated to provide the most generation potential. As the integration of renewable sources expands through the modeled time horizon, wind gradually out-competes biomass in the renewable electricity market. Cost-effective customer-owned renewables could also contribute significantly to electricity generation by 2030 in the South, under supportive policies.
State of the Southeast: How Cities are Addressing Climate Change
July 2010 - by Amy Morsch
The Southeast faces unique challenges in attempts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change. It is one of the fastest-growing regions of the United States. The region also enjoys cheap energy relative to other regions in the U.S., which likely factors into its disproportionate energy use. In addition, a number of recent reports have detailed the ways climate will change in the Southeast, revealing significant vulnerabilities and risks. But the region’s leadership at the state and federal level has often voiced opposition to climate action. These contradictions make local efforts to mitigate emissions and prepare for climate change both difficult and imperative.
Climate Ready Estuaries Preliminary Lessons Learned; Informing Communication Strategies and Recommendations
July 2010 - by Amy Pickle, Katherine McGlade, Joanna Field and Bill Holman
Perceptions of Water Scarcity in the Triangle
May 2010 - by Jennifer Fitts, Kevin Fritze, Shuai Shao, Angela Vasconcellos, Elise Vergnano and Emily Vuxton
Public Participation in Watershed Management: An Evaluation of the Falls Lake Stakeholder Project
May 2010 - by Brooke C. Gray and Dr. Lynn Maguire, Advisor
Public participation has become an increasingly important component of effective watershed management over the last twenty years. Conducted by the North Carolina Division of Water Quality, the Falls Lake Stakeholder Project is a collaborative stakeholder process that includes interested parties in drafting a federally mandated Nutrient Management Strategy. The Falls Lake Stakeholder Project worked to improve the stakeholder process by responding to issues recognized in a prior North Carolina Division of Water Quality project, the Jordan Lake Stakeholder Project.
How Can Local Governments in NC Change Stormwater Management Policy to Encourage Downtown Redevelopment and Improve Environmental Outcomes?
April 2010 - by Aroha Bahuguna, Matthew Jentgen, Molly Ward and Gray Wilson
Energy Efficiency in the South
April 2010 - by Marilyn A. Brown, Etan Gumerman, Xiaojing Sun, Youngsun Baek, Joy Wang, Rodrigo Cortes, and Diran Soumonni
Energy Efficiency in the South is a recent report by a team of researchers at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions and Georgia Institute of Technology and that uses state-of-the-art economic modeling to evaluate the potential impact of energy efficiency policies on Southern states. The energy efficiency policies examined by the research team fall into three broad categories: residential, commercial, and industrial. The report also includes state profiles for each state in the region (including the District of Columbia) and the economic and employment impacts of energy efficiency for each individual state.
Drawing the Line in Sand or in Cement: Preparing North Carolina’s Estuaries for Climate Change and Population Growth
November 2009 - by Katherine McGlade, Raphael Sagarin and Sheril Kirshenbaum
Valuing ecosystem services from wetlands restoration in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
November 2009
Forest Biomass Supply in the Southeastern United States - Implications for Industrial Roundwood and Bioenergy Production
March 2009 - by Christopher S. Galik, Robert C. Abt and Yun Wu
Valuing Ecosystem Services from Wetlands Restoration in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
February 2009 - by Brian Murray, Aaron Jenkins, Randall Kramer, Stephen P. Faulkner
This study assesses the value of actions to restore wetlands via the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) of the U.S. by quantifying and monetizing ecosystem services.
Ecosystem Services, Markets, and Red Wolf Habitat: Results from a Farm Operator Survey
January 2009 - by Randall Kramer and Aaron Jenkins
This report is part of a larger project that examines economic values generated by red wolf conservation and explores ways to use market-based incentives to encourage greater conservation effort by private landowners.
The Role of Offsets in Meeting Duke University's Commitment to 'Climate Neutrality': A Feasibility Study
November 2008 - by Eben Polk and Andrés Potes
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