Flood Risk Management
September 14
In this seminar presented by RFF and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, Netherlands' Delta Commissioner Wim Kuijken offered thoughts on what his country has learned about floodplain and flood risk management. He also discussed new policies his country is adopting. Other panelists provided commentary in the context of U.S. issues and emerging policy options going forward.
Convening Thought Leaders
Census of Marine Life
October 4
At this seminar, RFF University Fellow Jesse H. Ausubel, vice president of programs at the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and director of the Program for the Human Environment at The Rockefeller University in New York City, offered the most comprehensive and authoritative answer yet to one of humanity’s most ancient questions: “what lives in the sea?”
Creative Financing for Energy Efficiency
October 5
Panelists at this First Wednesday seminar discussed the role that financing can play in improving the energy efficiency of buildings and offered insights on the importance of financing as a tool for closing the energyefficiency gap. They addressed opportunities for private financing and evaluated recent government initiatives.
How Climate Change Impacts Voting
October 14
RFF University Fellow Jon Krosnick, of Stanford University, presented the results of a new study examining whether candidates’ positions on climate change policy have influenced their electoral success.
Sustainable Forest Products
November 2
Panelists at this First Wednesday seminar discussed the impacts of illegal logging, the changing regulatory regime, and tools available to help avoid buying illegal forest products.
Risks of Shale Gas
November 14
RFF’s Center for Energy Economics and Policy hosted a public launch of a new initiative to identify the priority risks associated with shale gas development and recommend strategies for responsible development. Turn to page 16 to read more about this initiative.
Greenhouse Gas Regulation under the Clean Air Act
December 7
At this First Wednesday seminar, speakers discussed Clean Air Act rules and regulations as pathways for climate policy in the absence of congressional action. The three panelists presented results of recent RFF research on how such regulations would affect power plants in particular.
Building Partnerships
Clean Energy Standard (CES)
July 27
RFF’s Center for Climate and Electricity Policy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency co-hosted a workshop to present current analysis of CES policies—drawing upon recent empirical modeling and conceptual thinking by RFF, other independent and government research institutions, industry, and various stakeholders.
Shale Gas and Groundwater
September 27
RFF Fellow Sheila Olmstead discussed RFF’s new research on managing the risks of shale gas development at the Groundwater Protection Council Annual Forum.
Energy Policy Options
September 28
Alan Krupnick, director of RFF’s Center for Energy Economics and Policy, presented at an event in Portugal co-sponsored by the Universidade de Coimbra and the U.S. Embassy in Portugal.
Carbon Tax
October 18
RFF’s Center for Climate and Electricity Policy and the Peterson Institute for International Economics co-hosted a workshop to discuss the design, implications, and prospects of a federal carbon tax.
Climate Economics and Policy
October 27
This conference, presented by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research and RFF, with support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, brought together a group of research economists and policy leaders to take stock and help provide guidelines for future climate policy.
Climate and Energy
November 9
RFF President Phil Sharp and other experts discussed critical energy and climate challenges as part of the launch of the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change.
Environmental Infrastructure
November 10
RFF, in partnership with the University of Maryland and TU Berlin/DIW Berlin, hosted the Fifth Annual Trans-Atlantic INFRADAY Conference on Applied Infrastructure Modeling and Policy Analysis, focusing on the environmental impacts of infrastructure.
