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Fossil Fuels

Q&A

Oil, Extortion Still Paying Off for ISIS

ISIS's oil revenues declined from a peak of $40 million per month in 2015 to $4 million per month as of early October 2017. Despite the massive reduction, it's still a substantial amount of money for a group whose expenditures decrease with the size of the population and territory it controls and decreased recruitment.

Oct 27, 2017
Report

Employers and Colleges Could Plan Better for Future Oil and Natural Gas Workforce

Advances in natural gas extraction should bring long-term economic benefits to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. A survey of employers and educators can inform policy decisions on how best to expand and sustain the pool of skilled workers.

Oct 17, 2017
Commentary

King Salman and Putin Deals Leave the U.S. Out in the Cold

Riyadh plans to invest in Russian energy assets and possibly arms. The deals will lead to the manufacture of arms in Saudi Arabia and likely the transfer of military technology. These agreements thwart the U.S.- and EU-led sanctions regime and send an important signal to Washington.

Oct 4, 2017
Commentary

How the Gulf Row Could Tear Libya Apart Even Further

Since Gadhafi was removed from power, Gulf nations have been vying for position in Libya through proxy forces to influence political outcomes. Current tensions between Qatar and its neighbors are adding to the instability.

Jul 7, 2017
Tool

Database of Potential Sources of Information on Fisheries, Tourism, and Oil Spill Claims

The objective of this Consortium for Resilient Gulf Communities database is to make users aware of sources of information that may be less widely known than standard databases of economic activity such as those published by the U.S. Census Bureau.

May 23, 2017
Commentary

Impact on the Environment from President Trump's First 100 Days

President Trump's actions have not yet resulted in demonstrable change in environmental conditions or funding. But the groundwork is being laid to unwind major regulations and diminish staff at the EPA and other federal agencies with climate-related research in their portfolios.

May 4, 2017
Tool

Database of Research on the Human Impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Database that provides information on research into the human impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Apr 27, 2017
Multimedia

Tipping Points in the Arctic

In this Events @ RAND podcast, a panel of experts discuss several potential economic, environmental, and political "game changers" that could affect strategic decisions in the Arctic region.

Mar 2, 2017
Report

How to Maintain Arctic Cooperation with Russia

Despite tensions between Russia and the West, Arctic cooperation has remained intact. But America should prepare for changes that may alter Moscow's incentives. These include rising interest in Arctic resources and greater maritime access due to climate change.

Mar 2, 2017
Commentary

Uncertainty and Complexity: Biomass Can Help on the Path to Deep Decarbonization

While biomass will almost certainly never become the dominant fuel for the electricity sector in the United States, it is still worth including as part of a menu of greenhouse gas mitigation strategies.

Feb 24, 2017
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
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

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
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
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 22, 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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