In this edition:
- RFF First Wednesday Seminar on the employment impacts of environmental regulation
- A study on the early effects of energy benchmarking and disclosure laws
- Commentary on the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act
Employment Effects of Regulation
New research by Industrial Economics, Inc. suggests that EPA’s Clean Power Plan “would create more than a quarter of a million jobs” by 2040. The report notes that coal industry jobs lost due to the stringency of the regulations would be “offset not only by investments in cleaner sources of power, but also by productivity gains across the whole economy.”
At an RFF First Wednesday Seminar on May 6, RFF’s Rob Williams and Marc Hafstead will present a new model designed to accurately study the employment impacts of environmental regulations. They will join a panel of experts to discuss the implications of their results, as well as the challenges involved in measuring the effects of regulations on the job market. RSVP for the seminar or webcast.
Energy Efficiency Bill Passed
Last week, Congress passed a bipartisan energy efficiency bill expected to have “modest impacts on energy consumption.” The three-pronged bill would “promote commercial building energy-use benchmarking and disclosure,” as well as establish an energy efficiency program for rental properties and alter grid-based water heater standards.
In a recent blog post, RFF’s Karen Palmer explores whether local energy benchmarking and disclosure laws are “delivering on [their] potential” to help buildings reduce energy consumption through increased transparency. She writes that in the short run, these policies “have resulted in a roughly three percent reduction in utility bills in affected properties”—a pattern that is “largely attributable to increased attentiveness to energy use.”
Conservation Act Renewal Hearing
The Senate recently held a hearing to assess the reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), considered to be “one of the most successful programs for recreation and conservation investments” in US history. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Agricultural Secretary Tom Vilsack have expressed their support, noting that the fund “is applauded by Republicans and Democrats alike, benefits every American, and doesn’t require the expenditure of a single dime of tax revenue.”
In a new blog post, RFF’s Margaret Walls writes that the fund has “permanently protected nearly five million acres of federal land” since its creation. She calls out “three key LWCF issues” that should be addressed during the reauthorization debate: comparing permanent dedicated funding to annual appropriations, balancing federal and state programs, and meeting the land needs of the 21st century.
