Note: RFF on the Issues will not be distributed on Monday, July 8th.
The President’s Climate Speech
Last week President Obama released his plan to combat climate change, focusing on a variety of ways to increase the nation’s energy security while improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Below are highlights of recent analysis by RFF researchers on the various policy ideas mentioned in the plan.
On what wasn’t included in the speech:
- Nathan Richardson and Clayton Munnings on the president urging the EPA to pursue flexibility and incentives for the regulation of greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
On the natural gas development:
- Alan Krupnick on what the president’s climate plan means for natural gas.
- CEEP researchers and colleagues on managing the risks of shale gas development.
- Nathan Richardson and co-authors on comparing shale gas regulations across states.
On energy independence:
- Joel Darmstadter and Roger Sedjo on the centrality of oil; benefits and uncertainties; security and trade; and environmental consequences.
On renewable energy and biofuels:
- Roger Sedjo on the carbon footprint of using wood for bioenergy.
- Joshua Linn on investing in renewable energy.
On fuel efficiency standards for cards and trucks:
- Virginia McConnell on implications of the new CAFE standards and adopting complementary policies.
On improving home energy efficiency:
- Margaret Walls on using loans, subsidies, and standards to encourage home energy efficiency improvements.
- Karen Palmer and co-authors on using home energy audits to close the energy efficiency gap.
- Karen Palmer, Margaret Walls, and co-authors on financing options for home energy efficiency improvements.
On a clean energy standard:
- Anthony Paul on how a clean energy standard works.
