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Petroleum Refining: Economic Performance and Challenges for the Future

Description: This report discusses the petroleum refining industry and its relation to the economy. Along with volatile changes in crude oil prices, the industry has faced evolving health, safety, and environmental requirements which have changed and multiplied product specifications and required capital investment in refineries. This report also seeks to describe the recent performance of the refining industry, to evaluate the structural changes that are occurring in the industry, and to analyze the nature… more
Date: June 3, 2008
Creator: Pirog, Robert
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Primer on Energy Derivatives and Their Regulation

Description: Prices of oil and other energy commodities are set in futures and derivatives markets, where producers, commercial users, and financial speculators buy and sell contracts whose value is linked to the price of the underlying commodity. Trading occurs on regulated futures exchanges and in a largely unregulated over-the-counter (OTC) market; both forms of trading are global in scope. This report presents basic information about these markets, the instruments traded, the regulatory framework, specu… more
Date: July 15, 2008
Creator: Jickling, Mark
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Department of Defense Fuel Costs in Iraq

Description: Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the average price of fuels purchased for military operations in Iraq has steadily increased. The disparity between the higher price of fuel supplied to the United States Central Command compared to Iraq's civilian population has been a point of contention. Several factors contribute to the disparity, including the different types of fuel used by the military compared to Iraqi civilians, the Iraqi government's price subsidies, and the level pricing that the DO… more
Date: July 23, 2008
Creator: Andrews, Anthony & Schwartz, Moshe
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy: History and Current Issues

Description: This report discusses the history, current posture, and outlook for federal energy tax policy. It also discusses current energy tax proposals and major energy tax provisions enacted in the 109th Congress.
Date: July 25, 2008
Creator: Lazzari, Salvatore
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Greenhouse Gas Emission Drivers: Population, Economic Development and Growth, and Energy Use

Description: The interactions of three variables underlie debates on the issue of climate change and what responses might be justified: the magnitude and rates of change of (1) population growth, (2) incomes, and (3) intensity of greenhouse gas emissions relative to economic activities. This report examines the interrelationships of the variables to explore their implications for policies that address climate change.
Date: December 31, 2008
Creator: Blodgett, John & Parker, Larry
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Natural Gas Markets: Overview and Policy Issues

Description: This report examines current conditions and trends in the U.S. natural gas markets. Key market elements examined include prices, consumption, production, imports, and infrastructure. Expectations about the future, as reflected in recent official forecasts, are also incorporated here. Furthermore, the report reviews key factors likely to affect market outcomes. These factors include weather, the economy, oil prices, and infrastructure development.
Date: May 23, 2008
Creator: Hederman, William F., Jr.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Oil Development on Federal Lands and the Outer Continental Shelf

Description: Over the past year, crude oil prices have nearly doubled, reaching record levels. Proposals before Congress include a number of legislative initiatives to increase domestic oil production. These proposals have fallen into two broad categories: (1) to open areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) which are currently under leasing moratoria; and (2) to encourage companies holding oil and gas leases to diligently develop leases to bring them into production. Proponents of these initiatives argue… more
Date: August 6, 2008
Creator: Humphries, Marc
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Extending NASA's Exemption from the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act

Description: This report discusses the Iran Nonproliferation Act of 2000 (INA), which was enacted to help stop foreign transfers to Iran of weapons of mass destruction, missile technology, and advanced conventional weapons technology, particularly from Russia.
Date: October 1, 2008
Creator: Behrens, Carl & Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Trade Deficit and the Impact of Rising Oil Prices

Description: Petroleum prices rose sharply in the first half of 2008, at one time reaching more than $140 per barrel of crude oil. Since July, however, petroleum prices and import volumes have fallen at a historically rapid pace; in November, prices of crude oil fell below $55 per barrel. The fall in the cost of energy imports combined with the drop in import volumes as a result of the slowdown in economic activity has reversed the trend of rising energy imports costs and will sharply reduce the overall cos… more
Date: November 13, 2008
Creator: Jackson, James K.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) design. The report discusses the legislative origins and policy debates prior to ARPA-E authorization and Bush administration response to ARPA-E authorization.
Date: August 12, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The World Bank's Clean Technology Fund (CTF)

Description: The United States Treasury has led efforts to create a $10 billion Clean Technology Fund (CTF), located at the World Bank, to help fund deployment of clean technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing economies. The Bush administration has asked Congress to authorize and appropriate U.S. funding of $2 billion over three years (FY2009 to FY2011). While many Members of Congress have expressed support for the CTF, others have raised concerns, primarily with respect to whether the CT… more
Date: November 24, 2008
Creator: Weiss, Martin A. & Logan, Jeffrey
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis

Description: This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, three research and development (R&D) initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
Date: September 3, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E): Background, Status, and Selected Issues for Congress

Description: This report provides an overview of Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) design. The report discusses the legislative origins and policy debates prior to ARPA-E authorization and Bush administration response to ARPA-E authorization.
Date: June 20, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis

Description: This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, three research and development (R&D) initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
Date: September 24, 2008
Creator: Stine, Deborah D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S.-Russian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress

Description: This report discusses key policy issues related to the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement signed by the United States and Russia on May 6, 2008, including future nuclear energy cooperation with Russia, U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, nonproliferation cooperation, and Russia's policies toward Iran. These issues were relevant to the debate when the agreement was being considered in the 110th Congress.
Date: September 9, 2008
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Coal Excise Tax Refunds: United States v. Clintwood Elkhorn Mining Co.

Description: In 1998, a U.S. district court held that the imposition of the coal excise tax, or black lung excise tax, on coal destined for export was unconstitutional. The process of refunding the tax has been controversial. This is because some coal producers and exporters have attempted to bypass the limitations in the Internal Revenue Code's refund scheme for bringing suit under the Export Clause in the Court of Federal Claims, seeking damages from the United States in the amount of coal excise taxes pa… more
Date: May 16, 2008
Creator: Lunder, Erika
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S.-Russian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress

Description: The United States and Russia signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement on May 6, 2008. President Bush submitted the agreement to Congress on May 13. This report discusses key policy issues related to that agreement, including future nuclear energy cooperation with Russia, U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, nonproliferation cooperation and Russia's policies toward Iran.
Date: July 30, 2008
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
open access

U.S.-Russian Civilian Nuclear Cooperation Agreement: Issues for Congress

Description: The United States and Russia signed a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement on May 6, 2008. President Bush submitted the agreement to Congress on May 13. This report discusses key policy issues related to that agreement, including future nuclear energy cooperation with Russia, U.S.-Russian bilateral relations, nonproliferation cooperation, and Russia's policies toward Iran.
Date: June 26, 2008
Creator: Nikitin, Mary Beth
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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