Nicholas Institute experts Martin Doyle, Lydia Olander and Tim Profeta recently served one- or two-year terms with federal entities. They discuss their temporary assignments—and what they brought back to Duke.

Martin Doyle served for more than a year as a senior advisor on water resources in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army for Civil Works, which provides civilian oversight of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Part of a series focusing on Nicholas Institute experts who have recently taken on temporary assignments within federal entities.

Western North Carolina “was as prepared as most communities can be” for Hurricane Helene, Martin Doyle, director of the Water Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute and professor of river science and policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment, told The Duke Chronicle. Doyle explained that Helene's destruction was amplified by increased atmospheric moisture and subsequent heavier rainfall, driven by rising global temperatures.
 

After some Olympic triathletes dropped out of competition due to illness, questions are being raised about poor water quality in the Seine River. River, lake and even ocean waters often get contaminated with E. coli and other bacteria after rain. Runoff from parking lots or lawns, gardens and fields can carry along oil and tar or bits and pieces of animal feces, Martin Doyle, Water Policy Program director at the Nicholas Institute, explained to The Washington Post.

As Florida counties eye already-conserved public lands to offset impacts to urban and suburban wetlands, a blog post from the Environmental Policy Innovation Center outlines arguments for putting offsets on public lands and presents counterarguments. The blog post also cites a 2020 Nicholas Institute report to detail safeguards that can be put in place when public lands have to be used for mitigation.

The U.S. municipal bond market does not consider physical climate risks when deciding where to invest, but it generally requires higher interest payments from predominantly Black communities seeking to borrow, according to a new analysis.

In 787 communities served by the United States’ largest utilities, 17 percent of households (28.3 million people) spend more than one day each month working to pay for water services and sanitation services, according to a new analysis by researchers at Duke University.

Martin Doyle spoke with Georgia Public Broadcasting about how President Jimmy Carter's move to preserve the Flint River in the 1970s changed the way federal dam projects are funded.

Over 50 percent of US dams were built before 1970. As they age, their safety liabilities increase and effectiveness decreases. A new federal financing program could help with dam rehabilitation—but maximizing the program’s potential calls for congressional action, argue Nicholas Institute expert Martin Doyle and coauthor John Ryan in a commentary at The Hill.

For decades, the Clean Water Act – passed this week in 1972 – has limited pollution in America’s waterways and set water quality standards across the country. Its passage required the work of activists paired with bipartisan support.