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Energy

Energy plays a vital role in the global economy: fossil fuel dependency, the stability of the supply chain, and the prospects for harnessing previously untapped resources affect a range of policy concerns, from national security and international affairs to economic development and climate change. RAND's energy research covers the spectrum from energy conservation and security to emerging technologies and energy use by the U.S. armed forces.

News Release

China Invests Warily in Middle East

China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to become more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.

Dec 5, 2016
Report

China Invests Warily in the Middle East

China endeavors to protect its expanding interests in the Middle East by not taking sides in conflicts and controversies. The United States should encourage China to get more involved in efforts to improve regional stability while reassuring partners of its own commitment to the region.

Dec 5, 2016
Commentary

States Could Step Up on Climate Change

The new administration has expressed skepticism about climate change. But states may choose to pursue their own climate change initiatives.

Nov 26, 2016
Dissertation

Turning Policy Promises into Blue Skies: Mixed-Method Assessment of China's Past and Future Air Pollution–Reduction Efforts

Assesses China's past and current efforts towards preventing and controlling air pollution and conducts a mathematical simulation to illustrate the potential effectiveness of the government's proposed Action Plan and consequences of noncompliance.

Nov 18, 2016
Periodical

RAND Review: November-December 2016

This issue highlights the policy issues facing the next U.S. president; the problem of food, energy, and water scarcity throughout the world; and the connection between violence against women and murder.

Oct 17, 2016
Essay

The Hot Spots of the World

Scarcity of food, energy, and water endangers the lives of millions. So RAND created a tool with the potential to help make aid initiatives more effective.

Oct 13, 2016
Report

Scenario Development for the 2015 Quadrennial Energy Review: Assessing Stresses, Opportunities, and Resilience in the Transmission, Storage, and Distribution Systems for Oil and Refined-Oil Products, Electricity, and Natural Gas

RAND researchers developed a framework and metrics for examining vulnerabilities, opportunities, and risks to U.S. energy transmission, storage, and distribution systems through 2030 under a range of uncertainties.

Sep 27, 2016
Commentary

Cutting the Islamic State's Money Supply

Airstrikes have hit ISIL tanker trucks, oil fields, refineries, and banks, but it would be a mistake to view the group as a poor man's version of its old self. New steps are needed to counter its multi-million dollar taxation and extortion machine.

Jul 21, 2016
Report

Human and Organisational Factors in Major Accident Prevention: A Snapshot of the Academic Landscape

RAND Europe was commissioned by TOTAL E&P Research and Development to consider the role of human and organisational factors in major accident prevention in the oil and gas sector. The work drew on insights from industrial and academic experts.

Jul 20, 2016
Report

Technological Lessons from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

How was technology used to address the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant accident in Japan? Lessons from this event can help inform preparation for and response to future emergencies.

Jun 1, 2016
Tool

Developing the Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water Security Index: Toward a Global Standardized, Quantitative, and Transparent Resource Assessment

To provide information to agencies and efforts focused on food, water, and energy resources, the RAND Corporation developed the Pardee RAND Food-Energy-Water Security Index. This report serves as the technical documentation for the index.

Apr 28, 2016
Report

Policy Options for Better Service Outcomes from the Future Electric Grid: A Stakeholder Symposium

This symposium's goal was to identify important policy questions related to the present and future electric power grid system. This convening aimed to identify problem areas that could benefit from stakeholder-driven objective research.

Apr 18, 2016
Report

Proposed Refinery Regulations in California Could Provide Safety and Cost Benefits

New regulations could improve safety at oil and gas refineries in California and benefit nearby communities. Even if the proposed regulations make refineries only 7.3 percent safer than they are currently, they will be worth their implementation costs.

Mar 16, 2016
Report

Wages, Employment, and STEM Education in Appalachia

The first county-level examination of wages and employment for workers in the Appalachia region with STEM training sets a baseline that will help measure the ongoing success of the Appalachia Partnership Initiative's efforts to prepare K-12 students and local workers for jobs in the energy and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Mar 9, 2016
Commentary

Low Oil Prices: Good for U.S. Security, Troublesome for the Economy

Will oil prices remain low? And how can the balance between cheap oil's positive effects on U.S. security and its negative effects on the economy be assessed?

Feb 26, 2016
Journal Article

Climate and Energy Analysis: Reinvigorating the Scenario Technique

Scenarios are widely used for long-term climate and energy analysis, but scenario developers and users typically capture only a subset of future uncertainties. By adopting three focal points as part of this methodology, researchers can expand uncertainty consideration and gather user-specific insights.

Feb 4, 2016
Testimony

The Role of Oil in ISIL Finances: Addendum

Document submitted on January 6, 2016 as an addendum to testimony presented before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on December 10, 2015.

Jan 6, 2016
Commentary

What Will Happen After the Oil Export Ban Is Repealed?

Without the crude oil export ban, producers could sell their product abroad without discounting it, and the Gulf Coast refineries could specialize in the heavier oil for which they are optimized. On the whole, the global refining industry would likely enjoy efficiency gains.

Dec 21, 2015
Commentary

Paris Gets the (Decision) Science Right

The framework for the Paris negotiations is in sync with what science tells us about how to make effective public policy decisions. This alone makes them historic and may provide a model for both local and global action on more than climate alone.

Dec 18, 2015
Commentary

COP21: Ambition and Momentum

Negotiators in Paris achieved a historic breakthrough by adopting a fundamentally different, and likely more effective, institutional framework to address climate change. It builds on two concepts missing from past attempts to forge a global treaty: voluntary participation and adaptive policymaking.

Dec 17, 2015

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