Israel can make natural gas usage a bigger part of its energy portfolio without jeopardizing its security, but even more importantly, the nation needs to make conservation measures a priority in its future energy plans.
Participants at this conference presented research on and discussed policy issues affecting the growth of entrepreneurship in India, with special emphasis on education and the effective utilization of infrastructure. This document summarizes the proceedings and includes several of the speakers' presentations.
Of alternatives to petroleum-based fuels that may be available in commercial quantities in the next decade, Fischer-Tropsch and hydroprocessed renewable jet fuels may reduce aviation's impact on climate but are likely to be available only in limited quantities. All alternatives benefit aviation as well as nonaviation sectors and improve air quality.
The United States can become more energy efficient and create more "green" jobs by adopting some of the strategies used by the European Union and Australia to rate and disclose the performance of commercial and government-owned buildings.
International energy-assistance programs are a potentially important tool for addressing the challenges of reducing global greenhouse gas emissions and increasing U.S. energy security. This study reviews U.S. programs and compares them with German programs, which take a more centralized approach.
The long-term efficiency and effectiveness of the U.S. freight transportation system is threatened by bottlenecks, inefficient use of some parts of the infrastructure components, vulnerability to disruptions, and crucial environmental and energy concerns.
While on a net basis the United States imports nearly 60 percent of the oil it consumes, this reliance on imported oil is not by itself a major national security threat. The study finds that the economic costs of a major disruption in global oil supplies—including higher prices for American consumers—pose the greatest risk to the United States.
Devising policies to mitigate greenhouse gases responsible for climate change is one of the great challenges facing the U.S. Options that are effective and politically feasible must not just be cost-effective but also consider the realities of passing major federal legislation with widespread impacts on U.S. producers and consumers.
In this Congressional Briefing, Michael Toman, former director of the RAND Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program, moderates a discussion on greenhouse gases.
In June 2008, RAND convened three workshops for private and public sector representatives to discuss their competing views on climate change mitigation. The conference allowed them to find commonality on such issues as technological innovation; potential legislative and regulatory solutions; international cooperation; and public engagement.
2008
Western Riverside County Habitat Conservation Plan Progressing, but Needs Fine-Tuning — Nov. 3, 2008
Western Riverside County's Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan -- a sweeping effort to protect endangered and threatened species while accelerating the approval of transportation improvements -- has made significant progress, but needs modifying to reach its goals in Southern California's changing economy.
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News Release
Alternative Fossil Fuels Have Economic Potential but Uncertain Environmental Consequences — Oct. 8, 2008
Alternative sources of fossil fuels such as oil sands and coal-to-liquids have significant economic promise, but the environmental consequences must also be considered.
Full DocumentNews Release
Major Technology Progress Needed for 25 Percent Renewable Energy Use to Be Affordable — Jun. 24, 2008
Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the United States desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs.
Full DocumentNews Release
Economic Progress of Allegheny County Could be Enhanced by Government Consolidation — Apr. 3, 2008
The City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania could enhance the economic progress of the region if its governments are consolidated, although evidence of such gains in other consolidations is mixed.
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Estimating the Value of Water-Use Efficiency in the Intermountain West — Jan. 31, 2008
Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of water-efficiency programs can be difficult, because not all the benefits are easily quantified. An economic framework based on two tools from the California Urban Water Conservation Council helps estimate the avoided costs and environmental benefits of increasing water-use efficiency.
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2007
Benefits and Costs of Increased Water-Use Efficiency in Commercial Buildings — Dec. 12, 2007
This report suggests ways for the owners of commercial buildings to determine how to invest in water-efficient equipment, and uses two configurations of the current RAND headquarters as a case study.
Full Document Research Brief
Research and Development Issues for Producing Liquid Fuels from Coal — Sep. 5, 2007
Testimony presented before the House Science and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment discussing the key problems and policy issues associated with developing a domestic coal-to-liquids industry and approaches for Congress in addressing these issues.
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Wind Insurance Costly and Scarce on Gulf of Mexico Coast — Jul. 18, 2007
Many businesses along the Gulf of Mexico coast have had a difficult time obtaining wind insurance coverage since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma hit in 2005 and have often ended up paying more than twice as much for the insurance as they did previously.
Full DocumentNews Release
Overcoming the "Resource Curse" — Jun. 27, 2007
This research focuses on providing guidelines for improving the management of natural resource extraction revenues and also ensuring that the relationships underlying the mismanagement of natural resource revenues are well understood. Policy options available to both state and non-state actors are evaluated. This is a dissertation from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.
Dissertation
Policy Issues for Coal-to-Liquid Development — May 24, 2007
In testimony presented before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, James T. Bartis discusses the key problems and policy issues associated with developing a domestic coal-to-liquids industry.
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RAND receives Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence — May 11, 2007
The RAND Corporation received the prestigious Urban Land Institute (ULI) Award for Excellence: The Americas, which recognizes outstanding achievement in land use practice. This award is widely acknowledged as the land use and development community's top honor. The award was given to RAND to recognize the development process undertaken to complete the construction of its new headquarters in Santa Monica, California.
News Release
Further Study Warranted on Save the World Air Technology — May 3, 2007
Save the World Air Inc. should conduct further laboratory studies and in-use testing to determine the effectiveness of its Zero Emission Fuel Saver (ZEFS) technology that is intended to reduce tailpipe pollutants and increase fuel efficiency in gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.
Full DocumentNews Release
Characterizing and Communicating Uncertain Climate Change Information for Policy Makers — Feb. 2, 2007
This multi-year project conducts fundamental research to help improve methods for providing uncertain scientific and economic information to water managers and other policy makers confronted by climate change. The work links new robust decision approaches to computer modeling with survey research and psychology experiments evaluating the impact of different characterizations of uncertainty on people's decisions.
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2006
Action Needed to Speed Rebuilding in Hurricane-Damaged Mississippi — Jun. 8, 2006
Tens of thousands of Mississippi families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by hurricanes last year will have a hard time finding replacement housing in the state unless leaders in government and the private sector take action to accelerate the rebuilding of affordable housing.
Full DocumentNews Release
Evaluating the Viability of 100 Percent Container Inspection at America’s Ports — May 3, 2006
Currently, only 5 percent of containers arriving at U.S. seaports are inspected. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that 100 percent scanning is not currently feasible, but future technologies and process improvements may improve the cost effectiveness of inspection.
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Examining the Role of Energy Efficiency in Homebuying Decisions — May 2, 2006
The development near Sacramento, Calif., of two new residential housing tracts that offered varying levels of energy efficiency enabled preliminary research into what factors most influence homebuying decisions.
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2005
Regional Differences Affect the Price and Demand for Energy — Nov. 23, 2005
The Department of Energy estimates the impact of energy-efficient technologies based on a national modeling system. To improve results, the system should take into account regional differences in the price-demand relationship for electricity and natural gas.
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Refinery Study Highlights Price Volatility, High Demand — Sep. 30, 2005
Recent developments in the Gulf Coast have highlighted vulternabilities in the U.S. refining industry. A 2003 study detailed long-term critical trends in the sector that have contributed to today's volatile fuel supplies and rising prices.
Full DocumentNews Release
Future Potential for Competitively Priced Shale-Derived Oil — Aug. 31, 2005
In 20 to 30 years, oil shale from the Western United States could become a daily source of millions of barrels of competitively priced oil if technological, environmental and governance issues are resolved.
Full DocumentNews Release
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