Congressional Research Service Reports - 23 Matching Results
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- Global Climate Change: The Role for Energy Efficiency
- This report reviews the role of energy efficiency in federal policies to curb CO2 emissions. In particular, it discusses targets for CO2 reductions, projected energy efficiency impacts, strategies for measuring impacts, and legislative proposals that would affect support for energy efficiency programs.
- Fuel Ethanol: Background and Public Policy Issues
- This report provides background and discussion of policy issues relating to U.S. ethanol production, especially ethanol made from corn. It discusses U.S. fuel ethanol consumption both as a gasoline blending component and as an alternative to gasoline. The report discusses various costs and benefits of ethanol, including fuel costs, pollutant emissions, and energy consumption. It also outlines key areas of congressional debate on policies beneficial to the ethanol industry.
- India's Nuclear Separation Plan: Issues and Views
- This report provides background on India’s nuclear fuel cycle, a discussion of various issues involved in separating civilian and military nuclear facilities and potential concerns for Congress as it considers whether the United States has adequate assurances that its nuclear cooperation does not assist, encourage, or induce India’s nuclear weapons development, production, or proliferation.
- Gasoline Prices: New Legislation and Proposals
- This report discusses policy options for Congress regarding gas prices. The high price of gasoline was an important consideration during the debate on major energy legislation, which ended August 8 as the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, H.R. 6 (P.L. 109-58). However, prices continued to surge, spiking at the end of August when Hurricane Katrina shut down refining operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The continuing crisis renewed attention to some issues that were dropped or compromised in the debate over P.L. 109-58. A large number of factors combined to put pressure on gasoline prices, including increased world demand for crude oil and U.S. refinery capacity inadequate to supply gasoline to a recovering national economy. The war and continued violence in Iraq added uncertainty and a threat of supply disruption that added pressure particularly to the commodity futures markets.
- Clean Energy Standard: Potential Qualifying Energy Sources
- This report begins with a brief examination of clean energy, renewable energy, and alternative energy. It then presents possible selection criteria Congress could use to determine which sources could be eligible for a CES depending on the goal(s) of the CES. The report provides an overview of the energy sources most commonly discussed as potential CES qualifying sources: biomass, fossil fuels (natural gas combined-cycle and coal-fired power plants with carbon capture and sequestration), geothermal resources, nuclear, solar, water, and wind. The report describes where each source can be found in the United States, the estimated quantity available for electricity generation, technologies used to create electricity from the source, advantages and disadvantages of using the source for electricity generation, and policy implications should the source be included in a CES.5 The report also contains a section on energy efficiency and its potential inclusion in a CES.
- U.S. Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage
- This report focuses on the current situation with spent nuclear fuel storage in the United States. It does not address all of the issues associated with permanent disposal of SNF, but rather focuses on the SNF storage situation, primarily at current and former reactor facilities for the potentially foreseeable future.
- EPA's Proposed Greenhouse Gas Regulations for Existing Power Plants: Frequently Asked Questions
- This report summarizes the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) proposal regarding greenhouse gas regulations. In addition to discussing details of the proposed rule, the report addresses a number of questions regarding the reasons for the proposal; the EPA's authority under Section 111 of the CAA; the EPA's previous experience using that authority; the steps the agency must take to finalize the proposed rule; and various other background questions.
- Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues
- This report discusses various aspects and considerations regarding energy policy in the United States. The report covers topics including energy conservation, efficiency, supply, prices and legislation.
- 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, three research and development (R&D) initiatives, which may provide useful insights for Congress as it assesses and debates the nation's energy policy.
- Petroleum Refining: Economic Performance and Challenges for the Future
- 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 and effects of the challenges confronting the industry.
- U.S. Energy: Overview and Selected Facts and Numbers
- This report provides an overview of aggregate energy consumption, and presents detailed analysis of trends and statistics regarding specific energy sources: oil, electricity, natural gas, coal and renewable energy. A section on trends in energy efficiency is also presented.
- U.S. Crude Oil and Natural Gas Production in Federal and Non-Federal Areas
- This report examines U.S. oil and natural gas production data for federal and non-federal areas with an emphasis on the past five fiscal years of production.
- Energy Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5)
- This report discusses the energy appropriations in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, P.L. 111-5). It includes background information, a summary of provisions, and detailed explanations of the relevant appropriations and tax provisions.
- Offshore Oil and Gas Development: Legal Framework
- This report explains the nature of U.S. authority over offshore areas pursuant to international and domestic law. It also describes the laws, at both the state and federal levels, governing the development of offshore oil and gas and the litigation that has flowed from development under the current legal regimes.
- Energy Efficiency in Congressional Buildings
- No Description Available.
- Radioactive Tank Waste from the Past Production of Nuclear Weapons: Background and Issues for Congress
- This report provides background information on the disposal of radioactive tank waste, analyzes the waste disposal authority in P.L. 108-375, discusses the implementation of this authority, and examines relevant issues.
- DOE Budget Earmarks: A Selective Look at Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy R&D Programs
- No Description Available.
- Gasoline Prices: Causes of Increases and Congressional Response
- No Description Available.
- Iran's Nuclear Program: Tehran's Compliance with International Obligations
- This report provides a brief overview of Iran's nuclear program and describes the legal basis for the actions taken by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board and the Security Council.
- Iran's Nuclear Program: Tehran's Compliance with International Obligations
- This report provides a brief overview of Iran's nuclear program. Several U.N. Security Council resolutions required Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA's) investigation of its nuclear activities, suspend its uranium enrichment program, suspend its construction of a heavy-water reactor and related projects, and ratify the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement.
- Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues
- This report provides an overview of the rationale for the prompt global strike (PGS) mission and the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles or boost-glide systems in support of this mission. It also reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems, summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, and provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.
- Conventional Prompt Global Strike and Long-Range Ballistic Missiles: Background and Issues
- This report provides an overview of the rationale for the prompt global strike (PGS) mission and the possible deployment of conventional warheads on long-range ballistic missiles or boost-glide systems in support of this mission. It also reviews the Air Force and Navy efforts to develop these systems, summarizes congressional reaction to these proposals, and provides a more detailed account of the issues raised by these concepts and programs.
- Nuclear Cooperation with Other Countries: A Primer
- This report discusses the United States's nuclear cooperation with other countries and requirements for export agreements for civilian nuclear parts with other countries.