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Congressional Research Service Reports
- Clean Air Permitting: Status of Implementation and Issues
- This report describes the statutory background of the Title V program and the status of implementation, in terms of federal approval of state and local permitting authorities and permit issuance. It also discusses broad policy issues identified by various stakeholders, including program complexity and costs, and inconsistencies due to a lack of sufficient federal guidance. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94071/
- Global Environment Facility (GEF): Overview
- The report provides an overview regarding the establishment and the role of Global Environment Facility (GEF). digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94198/
- The Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI): Budget Authority and Request, FY2010-FY2013
- The United States supports international financial assistance for global climate change initiatives in developing countries. The Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) aims to integrate climate change considerations into U.S. foreign assistance through a full range of bilateral, multilateral, and private sector mechanisms to foster low-carbon growth, promote sustainable and climate-resilient societies, and reduce emissions from deforestation and land degradation. The GCCI is implemented through programs at three "core" agencies—the Department of State, the Department of the Treasury, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—and is funded through the Administration's Executive Budget, Function 150 account, for State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs. As Congress considers potential authorizations and/or appropriations for activities administered through the GCCI, it may have questions concerning U.S. agency initiatives and current bilateral and multilateral programs that address global climate change. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc86583/
- Federal Agency Actions Following the Supreme Court's Climate Change Decision: A Chronology
- This report presents a chronology of major federal agency actions, mainly by the Environmental Protection Agencey (EPA), in the wake of Massachusetts v. EPA. In this case, the Court held that greenhouse gases (GHGs), widely viewed as contributing to climate change, constitute “air pollutants” as that phrase is used in the Clean Air Act (CAA). As a result, said the Court, the U.S. EPA had improperly denied a petition seeking CAA regulation of GHGs from new motor vehicles by saying the agency lacked authority over such emissions. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc103082/
- Federal Pollution Control Laws: How Are They Enforced?
- This report provides an overview of the statutory framework, key players, infrastructure, resources, tools, and operations associated with enforcement and compliance of the major pollution control laws and regulations administered by EPA. It also outlines the roles of federal (including regional offices) and state regulators, as well as the regulated community. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc96804/
- 2006 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5): Designating Nonattainment Areas
- This report focuses primarily on the NAAQS implementation process for designating geographical nonattainment areas with respect to the tightening of the PM2.5 standards under the 2006 particulates NAAQS, including comparisons with the final designations under the 1997 PM2.5 NAAQS. Also included is a brief overview of states' subsequent obligations for developing and submitting implementation plans (SIPs) for attaining or maintaining compliance with the NAAQS. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc122190/
- Air Quality: EPA's 2012 Proposed Changes to the Particulate Matter (PM) Standard
- This report summarizes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) June 2012 proposed changes to the particulate matter (PM) National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and includes comparisons with previous (1997) and current (2006) promulgated and proposed standards. Key actions leading up to the June 2012 proposal, and potential issues and concerns associated with the proposal to strengthen the PM2.5 annual standard, are also highlighted. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc122239/
- Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS)
- This report discusses carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), but not other types of carbon sequestration activities whereby CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and stored in vegetation, soils, or oceans. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94086/
- Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Cap-and-Trade Bills in the 110th Congress
- This report discusses the Cap-and-Trade Bills in the 110th Congress which are meant to advance market-based greenhouse gas reduction programs, similar to the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The report presents a side-by-side comparison of the major provision in each of the bills and includes a glossary of common terms. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94094/
- Highway Funding, the States, and New Air Quality Standards
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs814/
- Clean Air and New Source Review: Defining Routine Maintenance
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule on clarifying the definition of routine maintenance under its New Source Review (NSR) process exempts industrial facilities from undergoing NSR if they are replacing safety, reliability, and efficiency rated components with new, functionally equivalent equipment and if the cost of the replacement components is under 20 percent of the replacement value of the process unit. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8199/
- Costs and Benefits of Clear Skies: EPA's Analysis of Multi-Pollutant Clean Air Bills
- This report examines EPA's analysis and adjusts some of its assumptions to reflect current regulations. The most important adjustment is the choice of baseline. The agency’s analysis assumes as a baseline that, in the absence of new federal legislation, EPA and the states will take no additional action to control SO2, NOx, Hg, or CO2 emissions beyond those actions finalized by mid-2004. This baseline is put forth despite three rules recently promulgated by EPA that limit SO2, NOx, and Hg emissions on a timeframe similar to that proposed by the Clear Skies legislation. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7944/
- Cars, Trucks, and Climate: EPA Regulation of Greenhouse Gases from Mobile Sources
- As Congress and the Administration considered new legislation to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that contribute to climate change over the last year and a half (a process that has now stalled), the Environmental Protection Agency simultaneously began to exercise its existing authority under the Clean Air Act to set standards for GHG emissions. The Administration has made clear that its preference would be for Congress to address the climate issue through new legislation. Nevertheless, it is moving forward on several fronts to define how the Clean Air Act will be used and to promulgate regulations. This report covers the steps that the Administration is taking on this topic. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc93816/
- Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Implementation Issues
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1068/
- Climate Change Legislation in the 109th Congress
- Climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a continuing issue in the 109th Congress. Bills directly addressing climate change issues range from those focused primarily on climate change research to comprehensive emissions cap-and-trade programs. Additional bills focus on GHG reporting and registries, or on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, as part of wider controls on pollutant emissions. The bills vary in their approaches to climate change issues. This report briefly discusses the basic concepts on which these bills are based and compares major provisions of the bills in each of the following categories: climate change research, technology deployment, GHG reporting and registries, and emissions reduction programs. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10154/
- Stratospheric Ozone Depletion: Regulatory Issues
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs289/
- Climate Change Legislation in the 109th Congress
- Climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a continuing issue in the 109th Congress. Bills directly addressing climate change issues range from those focused primarily on climate change research to comprehensive emissions cap-and-trade programs. Additional bills focus on GHG reporting and registries, or on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, as part of wider controls on pollutant emissions. The bills vary in their approaches to climate change issues. This report briefly discusses the basic concepts on which these bills are based and compares major provisions of the bills in each of the following categories: climate change research, technology deployment, GHG reporting and registries, and emissions reduction programs. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs9809/
- Climate Change Legislation in the 109th Congress
- Climate change and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are a continuing issue in the 109th Congress. Bills directly addressing climate change issues range from those focused primarily on climate change research to comprehensive emissions cap-and-trade programs. Additional bills focus on GHG reporting and registries, or on power plant emissions of carbon dioxide, as part of wider controls on pollutant emissions. The bills vary in their approaches to climate change issues. This report briefly discusses the basic concepts on which these bills are based and compares major provisions of the bills in each of the following categories: climate change research, technology deployment, GHG reporting and registries, and emissions reduction programs. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7450/
- Air Quality: EPA's Proposed New Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards
- This report discusses the contentious issue of enforcing stringent national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter (PM), the opponents of which decry as harmful to the economy. The report discusses actions undertaken by the EPA, President Clinton's support of the NAAQSs, and the criticisms of opponents. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs384/
- Air Quality Standards: The Decisionmaking Process
- The decisions by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1997 to revise the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and particulate matter refocused attention on the criteria and the process by which these decisions are made Tracing the steps of the decision pieces, this report identifies the statutory criteria established by the Congress and summarizes the administrative procedures the Agency follows in setting these standards and in reviewing them every 5 years. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs521/
- Federal Agency Actions Following the Supreme Court’s Climate Change Decision: A Chronology
- This report presents a chronology of major federal agency actions related to environmental concerns following the decision of Massachusetts v. EPA; it particularly looks at actions of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In Massachusetts v. EPA, the Supreme Court held that greenhouse gases (GHGs), widely viewed as contributing to climate change, constitute “air pollutants” as that phrase is used in the Clean Air Act (CAA). digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc99015/
- Estimates of Carbon Mitigation Potential from Agricultural and Forestry Activities
- The report is organized into three parts. The first provides a brief overview of the role of the agriculture and forestry sectors within the broader climate change debate, describing available estimates of current GHG emissions and carbon sequestration in the farm and forestry sectors. The second describes available data and information on the potential for carbon storage (tonnage) by type of farming and forestry activity, and presents available estimates of the carbon sequestration potential in these sectors. The final part discusses some of the limitations of available estimates of GHG mitigation potential in the agriculture and forestry sectors, focusing on recent policy and market changes and other types of modeling uncertainties that could limit the accuracy of available mitigation projections. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc87134/
- Clean Air After the CAIR Decision: Back to Square One?
- This report discusses three Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) long-term options in regard to Clean Air: (1) starting anew with a new strategy with respect to mitigating transported air pollution based on the decision; (2) allowing the states to sort out the issue through Section 126 petitions; and (3) seeking new legislation providing EPA with the statutory authority to implement either CAIR in some form, or an alternative. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc94165/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs6638/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs6639/
- Global Climate Change: The Role for Energy Efficiency
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1069/
- Global Climate Change: A Survey of Scientific Research and Policy Reports
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1071/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1395/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1394/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1396/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1393/
- Diesel Fuel and Engines: An Overview of New Emissions Regulations
- This report reviews the final regulations on diesel fuel and diesel engine emissions signed by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Carol Browner December 21, 2000 and promulgated January 18, 2001. This report examines the rule’s potential impacts on fuel supply, summarizes the issues related to pollution controls, discusses potential impacts on the economy, and discusses issues raised by the timing and implementation schedule of the proposed rule. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1070/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs288/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs6531/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs6530/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs8752/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2132/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2131/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2130/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2134/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2133/
- EPA's Tier 2 Proposal for Stricter Vehicle Emission Standards: A Fact Sheet
- The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 established "Tier 1" standards to limit tailpipe emissions from new motor vehicles, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required to determine if more stringent requirements are needed to attain or maintain National Ambient Air Quality Standards. EPA also must assess the availability and cost-effectiveness of technologies necessary to control emissions. In a report submitted to Congress in August 1998, EPA concluded that tougher standards are necessary and that essential technologies are available and cost-effective digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs850/
- Ethanol and Clean Air: The "Reg-Neg" Controversy and Subsequent Events
- The Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA), enacted in 1990, called for cleaner automotive fuels in order to upgrade air quality. This appeared to provide new market potential for ethanol, which is obtained from corn grown in the midwestern United States, and which is already in large-scale use in a blend of ten percent ethanol to ninety percent gasoline. The CAAA left specific details of the clean fuels program to be worked out by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in consultation with the interested parties. digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs44/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3735/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3737/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3738/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3734/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3736/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs5730/
- Global Climate Change
- No Description digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs7823/