Energy in the Presidential Race
Energy policy came up repeatedly in the opening moments of the second presidential debate as the candidates covered a range of issues, from energy independence to the loss of coal jobs to the price of gasoline. RFF experts have been keeping an eye on the conversation, providing context for the arguments presented by both parties: Director of RFF’s Center for Energy Economics and Policy Alan Krupnick laments misinformation about gas prices, RFF Senior Fellow Joel Darmstadter revisits the perpetual call for energy independence, and RFF Research Director Karen Palmer discusses how market forcesare driving the decline of coal power generation.Carbon Offsets in California
The New York Times calls the use of carbon offsets in California’s impending cap-and-trade system a “grand experiment” to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. It highlights the role of forest offsets, which can help control the costs associated with cap and trade. In an article for Resources magazine, Director of RFF’s Center for Climate and Electricity Policy Ray Kopp describes using forest offsets to reduce impacts on consumers from increasing carbon prices. Furthermore, if California decides to look to international forest offsets for greater cost savings, work I conducted with Nathan Richardson and Anne Riddle suggests it might find a significant supply in Mexico.
