Public Utilities

Wildfires
commentary
Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection
Joie D. Acosta, Regina A. Shih @ReginaShih
Oct 28, 2019
CalMatters
While intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires, is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.
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Water Resources Management
commentary
How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities
David Catt, Michelle E. Miro, Miriam Elizabeth Marlier
Mar 26, 2019
The RAND Blog
California's Human Right to Water Bill declares that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable, and accessible water.” One clear barrier to reaching this target is the sheer number of small water utilities that pose service sustainability and public health risks to their customers.
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Global Climate Change
commentary
Staying Cool—as the Globe Warms
Gulrez Shah Azhar
Apr 23, 2018
Science and Development Network
Studies suggest that the heat of the future will exceed humans' capacity to cope. But taking advantage of smart technology, inexpensive traditional methods of cooling that require little energy use, and innovative energy-efficient technologies could provide a sustainable path forward in heat-challenged regions.
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Infrastructure Finance
commentary
How Federal Policy Could Help Water and Wastewater Utilities
Debra Knopman, David Catt
Jan 16, 2018
Inside Sources
A targeted approach could help the federal government address the root causes of infrastructure problems more effectively than a spending initiative that simply spreads money around with the hope that more spending might do some good.
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Public Utilities
commentary
Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right
Nicholas Burger, Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Benjamin Smith
Jul 24, 2017
The Energy Collective
Demand for rooftop solar panels is soaring among U.S. homeowners. Meanwhile, states are struggling to adapt a 20th-century electrical grid—and the corresponding cost structure for electricity rates—to this 21st-century reality. This is causing confusion and uncertainty.
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Water Supply
commentary
Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water
Jordan R. Fischbach @fischinwater, Linnea Warren May @LinneaKWMay
Jul 3, 2017
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Without an aggressive long-term strategy for replacing service lines, and collaboration among the water authority, public officials, and residents, lead in Pittsburgh's water will persist.
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Energy Distribution
commentary
Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid
Aimee E. Curtright @ACurtright, Kathleen Loa
Dec 7, 2016
Inside Sources
Leaving the future of America's electricity grid to chance should not be an option. To maximize the potential benefits of a multibillion-dollar smart grid investment, a closer examination of technology and policy is needed.
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Public Utilities
commentary
What Durban Can Teach Detroit: Getting Customers to Pay Their Water Bills
Julia Pollak
Jul 29, 2015
The RAND Blog
South Africa is proving that governments in poor cities can provide water and collect payment without turning off the water spigot. Detroit and Baltimore might consider exploring models like this that have been successfully tested in even more challenging settings.
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Energy Consumption
essay
Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live
Apr 27, 2015
A modernized, 'smart' grid could change how much you pay for electricity, where it comes from, and how likely you are to lose it in a summer storm. But has the reality of the smart grid kept pace with the promise?
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The Internet
commentary
The Clash of Internet Civilizations: Why Neither Side Should Prevail
Daniel M. Gerstein @Daniel_Gerstein
Apr 10, 2015
Government Technology
The debate over net neutrality pits two opposing philosophies against each other — one pushing for the continued evolution of the Internet as an open information superhighway, the other asserting that the Internet's evolution needs to take more account of the many ways it is and will be used.
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Public Utilities

Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

How to Ensure Quality Drinking Water Service for All? One Option Is Fewer Utilities

Staying Cool—as the Globe Warms

How Federal Policy Could Help Water and Wastewater Utilities

Getting (Solar) Electricity Pricing Right

Getting the Lead Out of Pittsburgh's Water

Investing in Infrastructure? Don't Forget the Electric Grid

What Durban Can Teach Detroit: Getting Customers to Pay Their Water Bills

Power to the People: How Smart Grids Can Change the Way We Live

The Clash of Internet Civilizations: Why Neither Side Should Prevail

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