Issue 118: Research to Go

As the 104th Congress gets down to business, people inside and outside Washington are curious to see what the Republican-controlled House and Senate will—and won't—do. Some observers predict sweeping changes throughout the federal government, while others forecast two years of legislative gridlock. One thing is certain, though. When the debate swings to issues concerning energy, natural resources, or environmental quality and standards, RFF will be ready to serve up a full course of impartial research and analysis.

The articles in this Resources address topics likely to appear on the new congressional agenda. Linda Stuntz, a member of RFF's board and former deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Energy, discusses a California proposal to restructure the electric utility industry; she analyzes the effect that enhanced competition may have on that industry and its customers. Looking ahead, RFF is launching a multiyear project to study the environmental impacts of restructuring the electricity industry. Restructuring will also be the subject of the next RFF Council meeting, to be held in Carmel, California, in April.

Terry Davies looks back at the 103rd Congress, "the Congress that discovered risk assessment." Risk assessment has been hailed as an effective tool for setting environmental priorities, and the new Republican Congress may be more, rather than less, willing than previous Congresses to use it to undertake regulatory reform. But, as Davies notes, selecting the appropriate version of risk assessment for a given application is extremely important. He has long propounded the effective use of risk assessment and has learned to appreciate both the strengths and weaknesses of this analytic tool.

The U.S. space program will also be scrutinized by the budget-minded 104th Congress, as legislators and policymakers consider how much to spend on space research and what to expect from that research. Molly Macauley, a pioneer in the field of space economics, reviews the tangible and intangible benefits the nation has historically expected from its space program. In her article, she asks tough questions about whether some articulated goals of the space program—jobs, international status, technology transfer—are best met through space research.

In the next year or so, the United States will attempt to implement a pledge, made at a United Nations convention in 1992, to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Although the Clinton administration has proposed a plan to meet these targets, achieving them will be a difficult task for the United States and other industrial nations. Joel Darmstadter, who has studied climate issues for many years, outlines the Clinton administration plan. He identifies immediate challenges and pinpoints a missed opportunity or two.

When it comes to environmental legislation and policymaking, RFF won't be found on either side of the aisle. We attempt to be as objective, as precise, and as dispassionate as possible, and we try to anticipate issues before they fully emerge. We are grateful for the generous support of our contributors, who enable us to have research and analysis ready when it is needed.

— Robert W. Fri, President