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Clean Energy Standard: Design Elements, State Baseline Compliance and Policy Considerations

Description: This report evaluates design elements of previous Clean Energy Standards (CES) proposals, summarizes the Administration’s CES policy framework, provides state-level baseline CES compliance analysis, and presents several policy options that Congress might consider as part of a CES debate.
Date: March 25, 2011
Creator: Brown, Phillip
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China and the United States—A Comparison of Green Energy Programs and Policies

Description: This report looks at the laws, programs, and policies encouraging development of wind, solar, and biomass power in the China and the United States. While hydropower is the most developed source of renewable electricity in both China and the United States, additional development of conventional hydropower is not currently a major focus of energy policy in the United States.
Date: March 30, 2011
Creator: Campbell, Richard J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy and Water Development: FY2011 Appropriations

Description: This report covers key budgetary issues involving the Energy and Water Development appropriations bill, which provides funding for civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation, the Department of Energy (DOE), and a number of independent agencies.
Date: March 21, 2011
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Keeping America’s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.
Date: March 17, 2011
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fukushima Nuclear Crisis

Description: This report briefly discusses the March 11, 2001 earthquake off the east coast of Honshu, Japan's largest island. The earthquake caused an automatic shutdown of eleven of Japan's fifty-five operating nuclear power plants, though the plants closest to the earthquake's epicenter, Fukushima and Onagawa, were damaged by the earthquake and resulting tsunami. This report also discusses efforts by the United States and other countries to provide assistance to Japan to deal with the nuclear crisis.
Date: April 4, 2011
Creator: Campbell, Richard J. & Holt, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Biofuels Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs

Description: This report outlines federal programs that provide direct or indirect incentives for biofuels. For each program described, the report provides details including the administering agency, authorizing statute(s), annual funding, and expiration date. The Appendix provides summary information in a table format.
Date: July 1, 2011
Creator: Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics

Description: This report presents a current and historical view of the supply and consumption of various forms of energy including oil, electricity, coal, and renewable energies. It includes compiled statistics and charts.
Date: April 4, 2011
Creator: Behrens, Carl E. & Glover, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Arctic-related issues for Congress, including sovereignty claims; commercial shipping through the Arctic; oil, gas, and mineral exploration; endangered species; and increased military operations in the region. It includes background information on the region and on a variety of issues for which Congress may want to consider legislation.
Date: April 5, 2012
Creator: O'Rourke, Ronald
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Hydraulic Fracturing and Safe Drinking Water Act Issues

Description: This report reviews past and proposed treatment of hydraulic fracturing under the Safe Water Drinking Act, the principal federal statute for regulating the underground injection of fluids to protect groundwater sources of drinking water. It reviews current provisions for regulating underground injection activities, and discusses some possible implications of, and issues associated with, enactment of legislation authorizing the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate hydraulic fracturing und… more
Date: July 12, 2012
Creator: Tiemann, Mary & Vann, Adam
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The World Bank Group Energy Sector Strategy

Description: This report summarizes the provisions of the proposed "Energy Sector Strategy of the World Bank Group." It situates the strategy within current WBG lending practices and in response to various stakeholder critiques. A final section outlines issues for Congress.
Date: July 12, 2011
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Department of the Interior (DOI) Reorganization of Ocean Energy Programs

Description: This report looks at recent Department of the Interior (DOI) institutional reforms and use of its new regulatory framework. These changes are meant to facilitate ocean energy development that was mandated by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA).
Date: July 11, 2012
Creator: Hagerty, Curry L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Canadian Oil Sands: Life-Cycle Assessments of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Description: This report discusses basic methodology of life-cycle assessments and compares several publicly-available assessments of life-cycle emissions data for Canadian oil sands crudes against each other and against those of other global reference crudes. It also includes a survey of the scientific literature and the findings of the State Department's Keystone XL Project Envoronmental Impact Statement, and concludes with a discussion of tools for policymakers who are interested in using the assessment… more
Date: June 18, 2012
Creator: Lattanzio, Richard K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Nuclear Cooperation with India: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses the United States' relationship with India as it regards nuclear nonproliferation and cooperation. It particularly looks at agreements made between the Bush administration and India, and the Obama administration's continuation of these policies.
Date: June 26, 2012
Creator: Kerr, Paul K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Meeting the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Mandate for Cellulosic Biofuels: Questions and Answers

Description: This report discusses the background of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and answers some common questions about it. The RFS was expanded under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 in an effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil, promote biofuel use, and stabilize transportation fuel prices, among other goals. Over a 15-year period, the RFS seeks to establish a market for biofuels in the transportation sector by requiring that increasing amounts of biofuels be blended into transp… more
Date: July 13, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Keeping America's Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.
Date: July 11, 2011
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

Cooling Water Intake Structures: Summary of EPA's Proposed Rule

Description: This report looks at the environmental impact of using water to absorb the heat from thermoelectric generating plants and manufacturing facilities during their industrial processes. The issue for Congress has been whether a stringent and costly environmental mandate could jeopardize reliability of electricity supply in the United States.
Date: June 12, 2012
Creator: Copeland, Claudia
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S. Wind Turbine Manufacturing: Federal Support for an Emerging Industry

Description: This report looks at how U.S. energy supply can be increased by wind power, which is a secure, environmentally-friendly, and economical source of power. Specific topics addressed are the components and manufacturing of wind turbines, and legislation mandating production of turbines and production of wind power.
Date: September 23, 2011
Creator: Platzer, Michaela D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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