Browsing by Author "Murray, Brian"

Now showing 1 - 20 of 32
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A Business Plan for Blue Carbon Offsets at Duke University
    (2012-04-26) Fisher, Rebecca
    Marine ecosystems such as salt marshes, sea grasses and mangroves absorb from the atmosphere and store large amounts of carbon, both in their vegetation and in the soil beneath them. In light of rapid climate change and global warming, it is imperative that we invest in protecting and increasing the carbon and greenhouse gas sinks on our planet. Given the large quantity of carbon in coastal ecosystems relative to their area, these regions and their potential emissions are of great significance. By preserving and revitalizing coastal ecosystems, organizations can utilize this stored carbon to offset their carbon emissions. This is what the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative is considering in North Carolina. By investing in the protection of the North Carolina shoreline, Duke University has the capacity to generate “blue carbon” Offsets to offset on campus emission. Building on existing scientific data, analysis, and available methodologies, this report presents a Business Plan for a potential blue carbon project in North Carolina and offers the following recommendations for moving this effort forward: 1. The initially proposed avoided erosion project for Ocracoke Island, NC does not appear to a viable source of blue carbon credits. 2. As an alternative, consider a project that involves preserving wetlands from avoided conversion to another land use rather than an avoided erosion project. 3. Do not engage in projects that will set the offset price above $20 per ton of carbon, as these projects are far more expensive than alternative sources of emission reduction. 4. Because blue carbon in a newly developing offset category, utilize the current methodologies for coastal ecosystems until specific guidelines become available. 5. To achieve cost effectiveness, the initial project should involve a partner organization(s). This will decrease the financial resources DCOI will need to provide the project and will utilize the skills of professionals who have years of experience with wetland preservation along the coastline.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A Business Plan for Blue Carbon Offsets at Duke University
    (2012-04-26) Huo, Jian; Fisher, Rebecca
    Marine ecosystems such as salt marshes, sea grasses and mangroves absorb from the atmosphere and store large amounts of carbon, both in their vegetation and in the soil beneath them. In light of rapid climate change and global warming, it is imperative that we invest in protecting and increasing the carbon and greenhouse gas sinks on our planet. Given the large quantity of carbon in coastal ecosystems relative to their area, these regions and their potential emissions are of great significance. By preserving and revitalizing coastal ecosystems, organizations can utilize this stored carbon to offset their carbon emissions. This is what the Duke Carbon Offsets Initiative is considering in North Carolina. By investing in the protection of the North Carolina shoreline, Duke University has the capacity to generate “blue carbon” Offsets to offset on campus emission. Building on existing scientific data, analysis, and available methodologies, this report presents a Business Plan for a potential blue carbon project in North Carolina and offers the following recommendations for moving this effort forward: 1. The initially proposed avoided erosion project for Ocracoke Island, NC does not appear to a viable source of blue carbon credits. 2. As an alternative, consider a project that involves preserving wetlands from avoided conversion to another land use rather than an avoided erosion project. 3. Do not engage in projects that will set the offset price above $20 per ton of carbon, as these projects are far more expensive than alternative sources of emission reduction. 4. Because blue carbon is a newly developing offset category, utilize the current methodologies for coastal ecosystems until specific guidelines become available. 5. To achieve cost effectiveness, the initial project should involve a partner organization(s). This will decrease the financial resources DCOI will need to provide the project and will utilize the skills of professionals who have years of experience with wetland preservation along the coastline.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A CASE STUDY ON BUILDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURES AT W.E. HUNT RECREATION CENTER, TOWN OF HOLLY SPRINGS
    (2021-12-04) Tan, Hui Chien
    The Town of Holly Springs, located in Wake County of North Carolina, is interested in improving energy efficiency in municipal operations and facilities to offset increasing energy consumption and utility costs that are a substantial contributor to the Town’s budget. The purpose of this Master’s Project is twofold: a) to examine energy use in the Town; and b) to explore passive energy efficiency measures, particularly tree shade effect on annual energy consumption, for the most energy-intensive building owned by the Town. Quantifying the energy conservation benefits of trees in the urban environment adds value municipal tree planting efforts. This study utilized the eQuest energy simulation software to evaluate a series of proposed energy efficiency measures (EEM) on consumption and financial savings. The study concluded with recommendations on which EEMs to pursue based on savings generated.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A Preliminary Assessment of the Blue Carbon Capacity of Belizean Mangroves with Ecological, Economic, and Policy Perspectives
    (2015-04-24) Chang, Sylvia; Green, Ashley; Kelley, Emma
    In recent years, mangrove forests have experienced increasing deforestation rates in Belize due to coastal development. Our client, the Belize Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries, and Sustainable Development, wants to determine the potential for Belizean mangrove blue carbon to provide funding opportunities through international financing schemes for the conservation and enhancement of mangroves. Mangrove forests are coastal wetlands along the intertidal zone of tropical and subtropical coastlines. Mangrove, salt marsh, and seagrass ecosystems have significant abilities to sequester and store carbon in their biomass and sediments – the carbon stored in these coastal ecosystems is referred to as “blue carbon.” The impact of mangrove deforestation on carbon sequestration in Belize could be significant, but little is known about how much carbon is stored in Belizean mangroves. The goal of this project was to provide a preliminary assessment of the potential of blue carbon in Belize. This project was broken down into three objectives: ecology, economic, and policy. The goal of the ecology portion of this study was to provide preliminary estimates of the blue carbon stocks of Belize’s mangroves. This required data on the extent of Belizean mangroves, which were obtained from a 2010 study by Emil Cherrington and colleagues, as well from a 2014 update provided by Mr. Cherrington. Using this spatial data, four different approaches were applied to estimate the mangrove blue carbon stocks. The first was a meta-analysis evaluating the pre-existing knowledge of belowground carbon storage in mangrove ecosystems in the Caribbean. This analysis identified a linear relationship between belowground carbon storage and latitude, which was used to estimate that approximately 9.4 Tg are stored in the belowground blue carbon pool in Belize. The Blue Carbon Initiative’s Coastal Blue Carbon guidebook was used to make another estimate and this method suggests that approximately 23.3 Tg of blue carbon are stored in the mangrove forests of Belize. Using physiographic mangrove type-specific estimates from carbon studies in Mexico (Adame et al. 2013), a third estimate approximated that there are 29.6 Tg of blue carbon stored in the mangrove forests of Belize. The large variation between these initial estimates emphasized the need to complete in-country mangrove blue carbon sampling. Thus, a study was undertaken combining aboveground mangrove biomass data from the University of Belize’s Environmental Research Institute and soil carbon data from a field study we completed in August 2014. Although this estimate is limited in scope due to its inclusion of only two of the four blue carbon pools, this methodology suggests that there are 13.0 Tg of blue carbon stored in Belize’s mangroves. The second goal of this study was to conduct a preliminary economic analysis of the value of the blue carbon stocks and identify the factors influencing the feasibility of a blue carbon offsets project. Having an estimate of the economic costs and benefits for a blue carbon offsets program helps show the net economic value of actions to conserve or enhance mangroves. Economic analysis will help show when carbon payments can justify the cost of changing local behavior and determine how might a carbon payments project might compete with alternative land uses in Belize. Using preliminary carbon stock estimates and project criteria estimates, we conducted a case study of a net present value (NPV) analysis to determine the economic feasibility of a blue carbon offsets project for 25% of the mangroves on Turneffe Atoll. Not surprisingly, the analysis shows that a blue carbon offsets project cannot outcompete coastal development on Turneffe when the cost for land acquisition is high. Under the scenario without accounting for land acquisition cost, a carbon price greater than $10 per tCO2e is necessary to generate enough revenue to sustain the blue carbon project. The potential for Belize to enter the blue carbon market depends on three factors: the future risk of mangrove deforestation, price of land acquisition, and success of blue carbon credits. The bundling of blue carbon credits with payments for ecosystem services is a potential avenue worth exploring for future blue carbon projects. The third and final objective was to complete a preliminary assessment of the status of mangroves and mangrove conservation in Belize and policies that could promote a reduction of emissions generated by destruction of vegetation as well as increase blue carbon sequestration. We provide an assessment of the threats to mangroves and discussed issues confronting mangrove conservation in Belize. This is followed by an outline of the relevant laws, policies, agencies, and actors. We then used the Blue Carbon Policy Framework 2.0 (Herr et al. 2012) - a report that outlines options for the assimilation of blue carbon into existing policy initiatives - to identify specific actions Belize can take at the national level to facilitate blue carbon activities. We also discuss potential sources of funding for blue carbon initiatives in Belize, and potential obstacles to implementing blue carbon initiatives. A literature review coupled with interviews with officials from the Government of Belize, researchers from the field, and non-governmental organization representatives served to inform the development of this section of the report. According to the Blue Carbon Initiative, there are three high priority activities national governments should undertake to incorporate blue carbon priorities and activities into climate change mitigation efforts at the national level (Herr and Pidgeon 2012). These activities include: (1) “development of national blue carbon action plans, outlining specific national circumstances, opportunities, needs and limits;” (2) “conducting national scientific carbon, ecological and socio-economic assessments of shallow coastal marine ecosystems;” and (3) “conducting national cost-benefit analysis of including blue carbon activities into national climate change mitigation strategies” (Herr and Pidgeon 2012). In addition to these three high priority activities, the Blue Carbon Initiative brief (Herr and Pidgeon 2012) also describes additional measures developing countries should undertake to ensure mitigation activities at the national level effectively incorporate blue carbon activities. This report identifies specific actions from that brief that are applicable for Belize and provides additional actions we recommend based on our analysis.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Aligning NYISO's Carbon Pricing with Existing Climate Policy
    (2019-04-24) Stutt, Jordan
    States across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have implemented particularly ambitious policies to deploy clean energy and reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the electric sector. These policies create a challenge for the region's electric grid operators, who must oversee the achievement of clean energy and climate targets while ensuring grid reliability and maintaining cost-effective electric service. To harmonize those objectives, three of the region’s grid operators have considered incorporating the cost of CO2 emissions into their competitive wholesale electricity markets. This project examines the effects of the carbon pricing policy proposed by NYISO (New York's grid operator) and offers recommendations on how such a policy could be designed to maximize low-cost emissions reductions and help to achieve the state's existing climate and clean energy objectives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    ANALYSIS OF POLICY EFFECTIVENESS ON FOREST FIRES IN RIAU, INDONESIA
    (2015-04-23) Rosul, Perthalia
    Annual land and forest fires in Indonesia have been a major environmental issue in the country for years. To solve the problem, the Indonesian government enacted a plan of action in 2007 to deal with land and forest fires. Numerous studies have focused on forest fires in Indonesia and their causes, but less attention has been devoted to whether the government’s policy is making any difference with respect to recent fire events. This analysis attempts to understand the effectiveness of the policy by focusing on Riau province, a major site of fires in the country. In the analysis I estimate the impacts of the policy by comparing the damage and losses caused by the 2014 fire and a counterfactual scenario of how they would have been different had the policy not been enacted. I interviewed experts who work in Indonesia’s land and forest fires to obtain a prediction of this counterfactual scenario. Based on these interviews, they believed, on average, that the 2014 forest fire would have burnt more areas had the policy not been enacted. There was also an indication that the benefits most likely outweighed the cost of implementing the plan of action. Therefore, I believe that some elements of the policy implemented in 2014 had some influence in limiting the level of damage and losses from the fire early that year and the policies overall provided a net benefit to society.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Analyzing the Closure of Coal-Fired Power Plants in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative States 2000-2015
    (2017-04-28) Huetteman, Justine
    The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a cap-and-trade program in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic covering power sector carbon dioxide emissions. Many expect policies aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions, like RGGI, to cause coal-fired power plant closures as a way of complying with emissions reduction requirements, given the relatively higher carbon intensity of coal plants (as opposed to other fuel types) and the limited availability of carbon dioxide pollution control technology. This analysis qualitatively and quantitatively evaluates coal closures within the RGGI states between 2005 and 2015 to identify the extent to which RGGI caused these closures. A qualitative analysis of media reports and press releases surrounding the closures indicates that RGGI did not play a role in any of the closures; however, regression analysis suggests that RGGI did have a statistically significant impact in causing closures. The RGGI closures are compared to closures in the non-RGGI states as well as closures occurring before the policy was announced.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Assessing the Implications of PJM Interconnection Capacity Market Reforms to State Energy Resource Transitions
    (2021-04-26) Landes, Christopher
    States are increasingly adopting policies which create supplemental revenue streams to advance energy priorities. Although the policies are effective at increasing or protecting specific resources, they distort the competitive nature of organized electricity markets. To remedy these price suppressing distortions, PJM Interconnection will expand the Minimum Offer Price Rule to require all state subsidized resources offer into the capacity market at a default minimum price. Through qualitative and quantitative analysis, this paper evaluates the impact of proposed capacity market reforms to new and existing capacity resources as well as the implications to state energy objectives. The analysis demonstrates that Minimum Offer Price Rule expansion will provide administrative pricing reform but will create challenging market conditions for new capacity entrants and renewable technologies while bolstering existing capacity units and fossil technologies. Further, existing nuclear units are unlikely to clear future capacity market price floors; thus, increasing the likelihood that these units will retire early. Since these policies acknowledge negative externalities, a coordinated subnational or national carbon price would be a more equitable method to reform the capacity market and incorporate state energy priorities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Benefits, Costs, and Distributional Impacts of a Groundwater Trading Program in the Diamond Valley, Nevada
    (2016-10-17) Zeff, Harrison; Characklis, Greg; Jeuland, Marc; Kaczan, David; Murray, Brian; Locklier, Katie
    In Nevada’s Diamond Valley, unsustainable groundwater pumping has decreased the aquifer’s water level, raising irrigators’ pumping costs and threatening the viability of existing wells and springs. Continued extraction in excess of natural recharge will trigger a legally required curtailment of water rights in the valley, which was recently declared a critical management area (CMA). The extent of rights curtailment is not mandated, but it could be as high as 64%, the amount required to reach the estimated natural recharge rate. The default policy for curtailment of water rights will occur according to the principle of prior appropriation, whereby rights are revoked in reverse order of their date of issuance. Rights granted most recently will be canceled first, and the revocation will proceed in order of increasing seniority until the government’s desired level of total water extraction is reached. Nevada law requires this intervention to occur within 10 years of the CMA declaration. By law, irrigators and other stakeholders can propose alternative policies for reducing groundwater over-extraction. Because sudden rights curtailment could have detrimental economic impacts, such policies are under discussion. This report analyzes the economic outcomes of sudden and alternative curtailment policies. Using a hydro-economic model tailored to conditions in the region to examine alternative extraction scenarios, the analysis finds that, with no action, the depth to the water table will exceed 200 feet by 2045; with policy action, aquifer levels can be stabilized at 170–180 feet and at higher depths with more gradual curtailment. Across all policy scenarios, net agricultural profit is lowest under the default curtailment policy, and it increases with more gradual curtailment. Under curtailment, allowing parties to trade rights to extract water modestly increases economic benefits relative to no-trade alternatives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Carbon for Conservation
    (2018-04-27) DeLyser, Kendall; Petro, Alison; Rudee, Alexander; Wang, Ziyue
    The Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina chapter (TNC NC) is exploring opportunities to secure additional financing for their conservation work through the sale of carbon offset credits in regulatory or voluntary markets. This project assesses the prospects for TNC NC to develop carbon offset projects on forest lands and pocosin peatlands in North Carolina for that purpose, including risks associated with project development. We developed a site prioritization model to identify a subset of parcels meeting TNC NC’s criteria for establishing a carbon offset project, which we then evaluated for carbon sequestration potential and projected financial performance. Our analysis showed that conservation-oriented management activities may in some cases preclude a viable offset project on the site by decreasing carbon stocks or increasing leakage of timber harvests. However, opportunities do exist to align and carbon sequestration and conservation goals where the property requires little active management or has low baseline rates of carbon sequestration. Based on our analysis, we present recommendations on project types and locations within the state that may be attractive to TNC NC for a carbon offset project.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Carbon for Conservation
    (2018-04-27) DeLyser, Kendall; Petro, Alison; Rudee, Alexander; Wang, Ziyue
    The Nature Conservancy’s North Carolina chapter (TNC NC) is exploring opportunities to secure additional financing for their conservation work through the sale of carbon offset credits in regulatory or voluntary markets. This project assesses the prospects for TNC NC to develop carbon offset projects on forest lands and pocosin peatlands in North Carolina for that purpose, including risks associated with project development. We developed a site prioritization model to identify a subset of parcels meeting TNC NC’s criteria for establishing a carbon offset project, which we then evaluated for carbon sequestration potential and projected financial performance. Our analysis showed that conservation-oriented management activities may in some cases preclude a viable offset project on the site by decreasing carbon stocks or increasing leakage of timber harvests. However, opportunities do exist to align and carbon sequestration and conservation goals where the property requires little active management or has low baseline rates of carbon sequestration. Based on our analysis, we present recommendations on project types and locations within the state that may be attractive to TNC NC for a carbon offset project.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Clarifying the Factors to Decide to Purchase Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs)
    (2011-04-27) Haraya, Eiichi
    Recently, gasoline vehicles are more frequently being replaced by hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). For private companies interested in selling HEVs and EVs, it is crucial to understand why people purchase HEVs and EVs rather than gasoline vehicles in order to promote those sells effectively. Additionally, replacing gasoline vehicles with HEVs and EVs leads the automobile industry and its customers to take responsibility to reduce carbon dioxide emission. The purpose of this study is to comprehend the factors affecting decisions to purchase HEVs and EVs. A survey instrument on factors determining individual vehicle purchase decisions was developed and refined through a focus group, an expert review, and a pre-testing. Using the completed instrument, an intercept survey was conducted at Durham (NC) farmers’ market and the religious meeting. The result indicated that willingness to pay (WTP) for HEVs and EVs is statistically higher than WTP for gasoline vehicles. WTP for HEVs and EVs is positively related to number of children, number of household vehicles and average annual driving distance, while it is negatively related to an individual’s stated level of importance for fuel-efficiency.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Coalition Stability in PJM: Exploring the Consequences of State Defection from the Wholesale Market
    (2022-11-28) Dauwalter, Travis; Daraeepour, Ali; Murray, Brian; Patino-Echeverri, Dalia
    Using a simulation tool, the authors investigate the effects created by a US state defecting from the wholesale electricity market in PJM, an organized electric grid in the eastern United States, on the states that remain in the coalition. The report finds, generally, that if a net-importing state defects from the wholesale energy market, the remaining states’ producers are worse off and the remaining states’ consumers are better off. The opposite effect takes hold if the defecting state is a net-exporter. Furthermore, the authors find evidence that defection impacts the remaining states’ climate initiatives. The effectiveness of electric vehicle and solar photovoltaic policies are conditional on the number and characteristics of defecting states. The simulations suggest that, for state legislatures pursuing these climate goals, the best strategy to adopt is to pass laws that are both geographically targeted and flexible.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Cost Effectiveness Analysis of HYL and Midrex DRI Technologies for the Iron and Steel-Making Industry
    (2016-04-27) Baig, Saima

    Climate change and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is an immense challenge for this world. Lowering CO2 emissions is essential to the goal of limiting the global average temperature increase to below 2oC from pre-industrial levels. Power generation, followed by transportation and industrial sectors are the three largest sources of CO2 in the United States. The energy-intensive iron and steel industry accounts for the largest industrial contributor of CO2. This paper focuses on the cost-effectiveness of installing new technology at an existing steel mill that uses blast furnace technology in an effort to reduce direct CO2 emissions.

    The first section of this report describes the steel making process and related carbon dioxide emissions. It reviews the two primary methods in which steel is produced: blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace and the electric arc furnace, and lists the CO2 emissions per ton of steel from both methods.

    The next section discusses two specific production technologies: Midrex and HYL. It relays how they reduce emissions relative to the current standard technology (blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace), and how they differ from one another.

    The third section explains the cost analysis methodology used for data analysis. It also explains how the data was collected for the study, and assumptions that were made to complete the analysis. The objective of the report is to determine potential cost savings if Midrex or HYL technology is installed in lieu of the current business as usual (BAU) case of the blast furnace.

    The following three sections present the results of the analysis based on three scenarios: business as usual, Midrex, and HYL. Using the cost analysis method, the costs of the blast furnace/basic oxygen furnace, Midrex, and HYL were calculated over a period of 25 years. The costs take into account capital expenses, operations & maintenance, and key energy inputs. Then the costing method was applied to the Midrex and HYL scenarios to determine which had the most cost savings potential over BAU. A sensitivity analysis was also included in each individual section. The results show that not only does the HYL/EAF combination yields the most cost savings over the business as usual scenario, but it also results in the most reduction of CO2.

    The last section discusses the relevance of the results, specifically discussing why HYL technology has not been deployed in the past. Lastly, a recommendation is made to companies looking to install this technology to conduct a more detailed engineering analysis to determine the feasibility for their specific mills.

  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Economic Analysis of Duke Energy’s Proposed Save-A-Watt
    (2008-04-25T20:59:14Z) Milligan, John
    As North Carolina regulators begins to recognize the untapped economic, social, and environmental benefits of meeting increased electricity demand through energy efficiency, it has become clear that traditional electricity rate-making creates a disincentive to invest in energy efficiency. To encourage the use of energy efficiency, the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) is investigating Duke Energyâs proposed energy efficiency financing mechanism called Save-a-Watt (SaW). Through SaW, Duke Energy can subsidize energy efficiency measures for individual ratepayers. These energy efficiency measures reduce the amount of electricity sold to the individual ratepayers. To recover subsidy costs and opportunity costs from reduced electricity sales, Duke Energy spreads 90% of the cost that it would have taken for the utility to generate the saved electricity to all ratepayers. This paper provides an analysis of the quantitative effect of Duke Energyâs proposed Save-a-Watt (SaW) mechanism. Although Duke Energy has proposed SaW in many states, this analysis will focus on Duke Energyâs North Carolina service territory. To evaluate SaW, a cost benefit analysis of SaW was generated from a financial model of Duke Energyâs operations. The financial model of Duke Energy was built from information gathered from reports, financial and accounting statements, and North Carolina Public Utilities documents. For the cost benefit analysis, two cases were simulated over a 25 year period: the base case includes the construction of two 800 Megawatt coal power plants and the SaW case includes one 800 Megawatt coal power plant and the rest of electricity demand is met with energy efficiency investments. The outcomes from the cost benefit analysis indicate that ratepayers, utilities, and society would realize a positive net present value by implementing the SaW case rather than the base case. In addition, minimal impacts to electricity rates were observed. Due to the confidential nature of information related to the cost of electricity production, some assumptions were made in order to complete the analysis. Future research by individuals with access to Duke Energyâs confidential information should be done to verify the findings in this report.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Economic Barriers to the Expansion of Nuclear Power in the United States
    (2008-04-25T12:35:39Z) Reinhardt, Sonya
    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is gearing up for a surge in new nuclear power plant applications for the first time in thirty years. Although a new nuclear power plant has not been built in the U.S. in twenty years, concerns about climate change and an increased interest in energy security have put nuclear power back on the table as a technically viable energy option that can provide base load power without emitting carbon dioxide. However, the history of nuclear technology in the U.S. and lower electricity costs from fossil fuels do not allow nuclear power to be competitive on its own. This situation and the capital costs involved in building a nuclear power plant create tremendous economic barriers for the industry. Through an examination of economic barriers, this project attempts to determine whether or not new nuclear power plants can be built in the United States. If they can, what are the key indicators that this is so? If not, what policies could possibly reverse this outcome? The methods to answer these questions include a literature review, personal interviews with NRC employees, and a policy analysis. The analysis section focuses on how current and prospective legislation could address barriers to a nuclear expansion. The results indicate that the competitiveness of nuclear power will be addressed by Production Tax Credits the 2005 Energy Policy Act for the first 5 or 6 plants that are approved by the NRC. Carbon-limiting legislation will assist a nuclear expansion beyond this initial build. An international bottleneck for nuclear-grade materials will slow a nuclear expansion; however, it is likely that the nuclear-grade manufacturing industry will expand. Ultimately, the most significant barrier to a nuclear expansion in the U.S. is the storage of high-level nuclear waste. Yucca Mountain has been embroiled in political controversy since 1982, and the nation’s nuclear waste continues to accumulate on-site at 104 operating reactors across the country. Absent technical solutions like reprocessing or the opening of a geologic repository, moving forward with a significant expansion of the commercial nuclear power sector in the U.S. will be difficult.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Enabling Conservation Concessions in the Context of Guyana’s Low-Carbon Development Strategy
    (2014-04-25) Bernard, Curtis
    The reduction of green house gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, especially in tropical countries, is a necessary action for the mitigation of global climate change. Guyana is one of few countries which maintain a high forest cover (85%) and a low rate of deforestation (<0.1%). Guyana has articulated a Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) by which it intends to maintain the climate regulation services provided by its forest and receive REDD+ payments. Increased deforestation, primarily form alluvial gold mining, however threatens success of the LCDS. This master’s project reviews the regulatory and policy environment for forest management in Guyana and utilizes experiences of the management of a conservation concession in the upper Essequibo River. The study analyzes benefits and costs of management of the conservation concession under the conditions of its establishment and three alternative scenarios. Recommendations are provided for the enabling of conservation concessions in the context of the LCDS. This study recommends enacting regulatory conditions to limit deforestation, establishing means to mitigate and offset deforestation, and enabling optimal value flows for conservation concession management.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Examination of Policy Alternatives to Promote the Expansion of Natural Gas Vehicle Refueling Stations in the United States
    (2014-04-22) Baldwin, George
    In the United States, nearly a third of our energy is consumed by gasoline and diesel fueled vehicles which emit harmful by-products such as nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and 28% of the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, concerns about these emissions have created interest in alternative and innovative transportation options. One developing option is the use of compressed natural gas (CNG) to operate vehicles. Natural gas is the cleanest of all fossil fuels, and can be used to reduce transportation sector-related carbon monoxide emissions by 90-97%, carbon dioxide emissions by 25%, and nitrogen oxide emissions by 35%. Additionally, the increased use of natural gas can reduce pollutants in non-attainment areas, and also support our country’s effort to meet the National 2020 greenhouse gas emission reduction target of 17%. The natural gas vehicle (NGV) market can be economically viable due to relatively inexpensive equivalent natural gas prices of $2/gallon including taxes. One outstanding obstacle in this market’s development is the inadequate number of fueling stations in this country. Despite the 11% annual growth rate for CNG fueling stations in the U.S. since 2009, the number of these stations as compared to retail gasoline outlets remains less than 1%. The capital intensive nature and associated risk of investing in these fueling stations has resulted in an under-developed refueling system network. Absent policy support to subsidize the investment for publicly accessible fueling stations, this network remains generally unavailable to most automobile operators, and fails to maximize the full societal benefit of using natural gas in the transportation sector. This public use will be impossible to achieve without continued efforts from the private sector, and increased federal, state and local policy participation from government. It will be important to integrate these components to form a comprehensive economic and environmental solution to today’s existing high vehicle fuel prices, and transportation sector emissions. The expansion of a publicly accessible CNG refueling station network to sustain this market will entail significant collaboration, investment and sharing of associated risk.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Increasing Emissions Certainty under a Carbon Tax
    (2016-10-13) Murray, Brian; Pizer, William; Reichert, Christina
    To reduce greenhouse gas emissions, some groups have proposed that the United States consider use of a carbon tax. But whether the nation will achieve a specific emissions goal is uncertain because the economy’s response to such a tax is uncertain. Ultimately, there is an underlying tradeoff between certainty about emissions and certainty about prices and costs. To reduce uncertainty about whether a tax will achieve specific emissions goals, additional mitigation measures could be called on if emissions exceed those goals by a given amount. However, such additional measures introduce uncertainty about costs. At the extreme, a commitment to achieve emissions targets at all costs would imply that costs could be quite high. Discussions of policy mechanisms to increase price and cost certainty under several current cap-and-trade programs confronted this same dilemma: how much uncertainty about emissions outcomes is acceptable given reciprocal uncertainty about costs? Viewed through a slightly different lens, mechanisms that balance emissions and cost uncertainty can be viewed as a way to structure a more careful compromise between economic and environmental interests. This policy brief discusses mechanisms that could increase emissions certainty under a carbon tax. It draws from recent discussions between the authors and other policy experts, and its goal is to introduce ideas for further exploration. It begins with a discussion of how to measure emissions performance, or what it means to be achieving or not achieving an emissions goal. This performance would presumably provide the basis for pursuing remedial mechanisms. Next, the brief turns to a taxonomy of such mechanisms and the challenges and opportunities of each. It discusses ideas for initiating these mechanisms, either through some automated or discretionary procedure. The brief concludes with areas for additional research. The brief intentionally raises more questions than it answers—questions will be important to explore in ways that can provide guidance to policy decisions and design.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access