Congressional Research Service Reports - 42 Matching Results
Search Results
- Electricity Restructuring Background: The Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and the Energy Policy Act of 1992
- The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) increased competition in the electric generating sector by creating new entities that can generate and sell electricity at wholesale without being regulated as utilities under PUHCA. PURPA began to shift more regulatory responsibilities to the federal government, and EPACT continued that shift away from the states by creating new options for utilities and regulators to meet electricity demand.
- Electricity Restructuring: The Implications for Air Quality
- In the context of federal and state proposals to restructure the electric utility industry, this paper analyzes forces and policies affecting utility generation that may have consequences for emissions of air pollutants and of greenhouse gases. Key concerns are potential increases in nitrogen oxide emissions, raising questions about the effectiveness of the Clean Air Act to regulate a restructured industry, and in carbon dioxide emissions, which are not currently regulated but could be if the U.S. ratifies the Kyoto Agreement. These issues may be raised in the context of electricity restructuring legislation. For ongoing legislative activities, see CRS Issue Brief IB10006, Electricity: The Road Toward Restructuring.
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- No Description Available.
- Nuclear Energy Policy
- No Description Available.
- Nuclear Energy Policy
- No Description Available.
- Nuclear Power Plants: Vulnerability to Terrorist Attack
- No Description Available.
- DOE Laboratory Restructuring Legislation
- Interest in restructuring (including eliminating) the Department of Energy (DOE) and its laboratories has increased since the end of the Cold War, and especially since the beginning of the 104th Congress. A number of non-legislative proposals and activities to this end are reviewed, including DOE's own proposals for "alignment and downsizing" of the Department and its laboratories.
- Caspian Oil and Gas: Production and Prospects
- There is a likelihood of large reserves of crude oil and natural gas in the Caspian Sea region, and a consequent large increase in oil and natural gas production from that area. Because diversity of energy sources is a consideration in Congressional deliberations on energy policy, this prospect could play a role in such discussions. However, there are notable obstacles to increases in Caspian Sea region production of oil and gas that may slow development.
- Air Force Aerial Refueling
- Aerial refueling aircraft are key to military air operations. The U.S. tanker fleet is numerous and effective, but old. Modernizing or replacing the current fleet of tankers presents the Department of Defense (DOD) with difficult choices in terms of desired capabilities, force structure, and budget. The Air Force’s proposal to lease 100 Boeing 767 aircraft to replace it’s KC-135E fleet is controversial.
- Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production
- Since the late 1970s, U.S. policy makers at both the federal and state levels have enacted a variety of incentives, regulations, and programs to encourage the production and use of agriculture-based renewable energy. Motivations cited for these legislative initiatives include energy security concerns, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and raising domestic demand for U.S.-produced farm products. This report provides background information on farm-based energy production and how this fits into the national energy-use picture. It briefly reviews the primary agriculture-based renewable energy types and issues of concern associated with their production, particularly their economic and energy efficiencies and long-run supply. Finally, this report examines the major legislation related to farm-based energy production and use.
- Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)
- This report discusses the legal issues considered by Congress on whether to permit drilling for oil and gas in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.
- Russian Oil and Gas Challenges
- No Description Available.
- Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- No Description Available.
- The Federal Excise Tax on Gasoline and the Highway Trust Fund: A Short History
- Excise taxes have long been a part of our country's revenue history. The federal government first imposed its excise tax on gasoline at a one-cent per gallon rate in 1932 to correct a federal budgetary imbalance. The burden for much of the tax ultimately falls on the consumer. The Highway Revenue Act of 1956 established the federal Highway Trust Fund for the direct purpose of funding the construction of an interstate highway system and aiding in the finance of primary, secondary, and urban routes. This act increased the tax on gasoline from two to three cents per gallon. President Bush recently signed a piece of legislation that calls for the extension of the Highway Trust Fund excise tax and an eventual expiration after September 30, 2011.
- Nuclear Power Plants: Vulnerability to Terrorist Attack
- Protection of nuclear power plants from land-based assaults, deliberate aircraft crashes, and other terrorist acts has been a heightened national priority since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has strengthened its regulations on nuclear reactor security, but critics contend that implementation by the industry has been too slow and that further measures are needed. Several provisions to increase nuclear reactor security are included in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, signed August 8, 2005. The law requires NRC to conduct "force-on-force" security exercises at nuclear power plants at least once every three years and to revise the "design-basis threat" that nuclear plant security forces must be able to meet among other measures.
- The Iran Sanctions Act (ISA)
- This report discusses the increasing international pressure on Iran to curb its nuclear program and how that pressure discourages foreign firms from investing in Iran's energy sector, hindering Iran's efforts to expand oil production. This report discusses the history and progress of the formal U.S. effort to curb energy investment in Iran, which began with the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA) in 1996. This report also discusses U.S. concerns that other nations, e.g., U.S. allies, Russia, and China, are not as strict with their economic sanctions against Iran, and how U.S. policymakers are combating this reticence with various pieces of legislation.
- Israel's Offshore Natural Gas Discoveries Enhance Its Economic and Energy Outlook
- Israel has been dependent on energy imports since it became a nation in 1948, but the recent offshore natural gas discoveries could change that and possibly make Israel an exporter of natural gas. Development of the recently discovered natural gas fields-Tamar, Dalit, and Leviathan- likely will decrease Israel's needs for imported natural gas, imported coal, and possibly imported oil. A switch to natural gas would most likely affect electric generation, but could also improve Israel's trade balance and lessen carbon dioxide emissions.
- Energy Projects on Federal Lands: Leasing and Authorization
- The report first reviews the laws and regulations affecting leasing of federal lands for exploration and production of oil, natural gas, and coal, as well as the permits that lessees must obtain in order to explore for and produce these resources. The report also addresses existing laws and regulations that govern the use of federal lands for renewable energy projects, including geothermal, wind, and solar energy.
- Hydraulic Fracturing: Chemical Disclosure Requirements
- This report provides an overview of current and proposed laws at the state and federal levels that require the disclosure of the chemicals added to the fluid used in hydraulic fracturing.
- U.S. Oil Imports and Exports
- Oil import and export developments pose a host of policy issues. Concerns about import dependence continue to generate interest in policy options to directly discourage imports or to reduce the need for imports by increasing domestic supply and decreasing demand. Rising exports at a time of rising prices has led to calls for policies to restrict such trade. The debate around the Keystone XL pipeline involves concerns about imports, exports, and the environment. The rising cost for fuels has led to calls for release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, meant to provide a short term policy option in case of supply disruptions. Policy options may entail various economic, fiscal, and environmental trade-offs.
- The Manhattan Project, the Apollo Program, and Federal Energy Technology R&D Programs: A Comparative Analysis
- This report compares and contrasts the goals of, and the investments in, the three initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
- U.S. Energy: Overview and Key Statistics
- 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.
- Fukushima Nuclear Crisis
- 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.
- Energy Tax Policy: Issues in the 113th Congress
- This report discusses the energy tax policy that may also be considered as part of comprehensive tax reform legislation in the 113th Congress. Also the report discusses a number of other energy tax incentives, including provisions to support building energy efficiency and renewable fuels, that are also scheduled to expire at the end of 2013.
- Alternative Fuels and Advanced Technology Vehicles: Issues in Congress
- This report provides an overview of current issues surrounding alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles - issues discussed in further detail in other CRS reports referred to in each section.
- Prospects for Coal in Electric Power and Industry
- This report discusses future prospects for coal as the dominant fuel used in electricity production. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects coal to be a significant part of the U.S. power generation industry's future to well past 2030, but given price competition from natural gas, and emerging environmental regulations, that role will likely be smaller than in recent decades. Coal-fired generation is likely to face a challenging future.
- Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer
- This report discusses section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act (AEA), the specific requirements of which must be met in order for the United States to engage in civilian nuclear cooperation with other states. The AEA also provides for exemptions to these requirements, export control licensing procedures, and criteria for terminating cooperation.
- Tesla's Home Battery--An Electricity Storage Breakthrough?
- Cost-effective electricity storage has long been a kind of "Holy Grail" for the electric power sector. This report briefly discusses potential innovations in electricity storage.
- Appropriations for FY2000: Energy and Water Development
- This report summarizes the current legislative status of the bill, its scope, major issues, funding levels, and related legislative activity.
- Oil Industry Profits: Analysis of Recent Performance
- This report analyzes the profit performance of firms in the oil industry, evaluates factors that might have affected profitability in the oil industry, and examines the use of profits by the industry and the implications for the development of the oil market.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress
- This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 110th Congress. Most Senate action led to the Senate version of H.R. 6, an omnibus energy bill that the Senate passed on June 21, 2007. Most House action led to the omnibus energy bill H.R. 3221, which the House passed on August 4, 2007. A second area of focus has been on the funding-related bills for energy efficiency and renewable energy, especially H.R. 2641, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill for FY 2008.
- Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production
- This report discusses federal programs on agriculture-based renewable energy and how people associated with agriculture have reacted. Moreover, the report discusses how this reaction has been positive and taken the form of an increase in ethanol production along with wind energy.
- Anaerobic Digestion: Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Energy Generation
- Anaerobic Digestion technology may help to address two congressional concerns that have some measure of independence: Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Energy Generation.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 110th Congress
- This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduces during the 110th Congress. Most action in the second session is focused on the FY2009 budget request, the Farm Bill, and the proposed Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act. The U.S. Department of Energy's FY 2009 budget seeks $1,256.1 million for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, compared to FY 2008 appropriations of $1,722.4 million on such programs.
- Anaerobic Digestion: Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Energy Generation
- Anaerobic Digestion technology may help to address two congressional concerns that have some measure of independence: Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Energy Generation.
- Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE): Appropriations and the FY2016 Budget Request
- No Description Available.
- Impact of Rising Energy Costs on Older Americans
- No Description Available.
- Is Biopower Carbon Neutral?
- This report discusses biomass energy, or bioenergy, which may receive more attention from stakeholders as an alternative to fossil fuels because of its potential to minimize the environmental impacts of energy production, provide energy security, and promote economic development. The report discusses some factors taken into account when considering whether biopower is carbon neutral.
- Government Activities to Protect the Electric Grid
- This report provides a description of initiatives within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Departments of Energy, Homeland Security, and Defense to protect the physical electrical utility infrastructure from outages caused by a range of activities including system operator errors, weather-related damage, and terrorist attacks. While the electric utility industry has primary responsibility, federal and state government agencies also have been addressing physical security concerns.
- Automobile and Light Truck Fuel Economy: The CAFE Standards
- This report discusses energy legislation pertaining to fuel standards. The current corporate average fuel economy standard (CAFE) is 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg) for passenger automobiles and 20.7 mpg for light trucks (scheduled to increase to 22.2 mpg in model year [MY] 2007), a classification that also includes sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Congress had included language in the FY1996-FY2001 Transportation Appropriations prohibiting the use of appropriated funds for any rulemaking on CAFE, effectively freezing the standards.
- Environmental Protection Agency Programs: Congressional Actions
- This report details the environmental protection activities of the 96th Congress. Specifically, it reviews the three major issues which that Congress faced in regard to environmental protections: reauthorizations, oversight of regulations and their impacts on energy and the economy, and hazardous substances.
- Federal energy organization
- This report presents information about Federal energy organization for handling the energy issues with in nation's interest.