Les Européens face au risque nucléaire

Les Européens face au risque nucléaire
par Jean-Paul Baquiast et Christophe Jacquemin

Nombre de mouvements politiques et d'associations militent actuellement en Europe pour une fermeture sans délais des centrales nucléaires en activité sur le continent. Certains se limitent à demander la fermeture des sites les plus anciens, entre 30 et 40 années d'âge. Qu'en penser ?

Les tests de résistance

Les chefs d'Etat européens viennent de décider à Bruxelles (24 mars) de faire passer à l'ensemble des réacteurs nucléaires du continent des «tests de résistance». On ne sait pas trop en quoi consisteront ces tests. Les résultats ne seront pas obtenus avant plusieurs mois. Par ailleurs, ce seront en principe les autorités nucléaires nationales qui auront la charge de ces tests, avec un risque certain de complaisance.

Il s'agit cependant, malgré ces réserves, d'un premier pas dans la bonne direction – à supposer qu'un large dialogue s'établisse sur les tests et leurs résultats au niveau de l'Europe tout entière.

Reste que cela ne doit pas suffire à clore le débat sur les risques du nucléaire. Un calcul simple proposé par Paul Jorion sur son blog montre qu'au plan mondial la probabilité d'un accident majeur dans le monde, pour 443 réacteurs installés, est de 8,4% par an, ce qui n'est pas négligeable(1).

Les centrales de type Tchernobyl

Dans l'immédiat, au-delà des tests, le premier point à évoquer, dont assez curieusement on parle peu, est la présence en Europe-même et surtout dans son voisinage immédiat, de centrales de type Tchernobyl dont nul n'envisage la fermeture, au prétexte de leur caractère indispensable et du coût de leur remplacement.

En Europe-même se trouve aussi la centrale d'Ignalina, en Lituanie. Elle devrait en principe cesser son exploitation dans un an. Mais la Lituanie, qui s’y était engagée dans son Traité d’adhésion, a depuis tout tenté pour retarder sa fermeture, y compris en organisant un référendum. Finalement, elle a cédé en décembre 2010, lorsque ses partenaires européens lui ont promis des compensations, notamment des permis de polluer supplémentaires.

Mais les risques de type Tchernobyl sont infiniment plus grands en Russie. Ils ne concernent pas seulement ce pays mais l'Europe tout entière puisque les nuages ne reconnaissent pas les frontières. On dénombre actuellement dix centrales nucléaires en activité en Russie, dont huit dans la partie européenne du pays. Elles comprennent au total 31 réacteurs, dont onze utilisent la technologie RBMK de première génération, identique à celle du réacteur 4 de Tchernobyl. Ces réacteurs sont structurellement dangereux car ils ne sont pas dotés de dômes de protection. La Russie cherche néanmoins à prolonger la durée de vie de plusieurs d’entre eux. Elle envisage par ailleurs de construire 40 nouveaux réacteurs (utilisant une autre technologie) d’ici 2030. Seront-ils construits avec des technologies récentes supposées être plus sûres ? (voir note (2) ci-dessous).

La même question se pose à propos de l’Ukraine. En échange de la fermeture définitive du site de Tchernobyl en décembre 2000 (soit quatre réacteurs de type RBMK), ce pays a obtenu une aide de l’Union européenne pour achever la construction de deux réacteurs à Rovne et Khmelnitski. Elle ambitionne d’en construire onze autres, doublant ainsi sa capacité d’ici 2030.

Le coût de la sécurité dans les nouvelles centrales

Un autre point essentiel concerne la sécurité et donc les coûts qu'il faudrait consentir pour la construction de nouvelles centrales, destinées soit à remplacer des centrales jugées défectueuses, soit à poursuivre l'augmentation des puissances installées. Pour les anti-nucléaires, le problème ne doit même pas être posé. Si l'on veut vraiment, même à échéance de 20 à 30 ans, sortir du nucléaire, il ne faut pas installer de nouvelles centrales ayant une durée de vie de plus d'un demi-siècle. Mais raisonner ainsi n'est pas réaliste. Que ce soit en Europe ou ailleurs, à moins que ne se généralisent des catastrophes en chaîne sur le modèle de celle du Japon, les Etats vont construire de nouvelles centrales. Va-t-on retenir des versions low-cost dangereuses, ou au contraire des versions assurées beaucoup plus sûres, telles que celles utilisant la technologie EPR d'Areva et surtout celles dites de 4e voire de 5e génération, en attendant la fusion nucléaire proprement dite ? Même si des solutions telles que l'EPR ne sont pas indemnes de risques (on pourrait d'ailleurs les améliorer encore au vu de l'expérience japonaise récente) le différentiel de prix n'est pas tel qu'il faudrait renoncer à les installer(2).

La question se posera prochainement en Europe. Quel type de centrale retiendra la Grande Bretagne, qui semblait jusqu'à ces dernières semaines envisager une relance du nucléaire ? On pourrait craindre que par souci d'économie, le gouvernement conservateur actuel adopte des solutions bon marché et donc peu sûres.

Si la privatisation rampante du secteur nucléaire se poursuivait en France, le même risque menacera quand il s'agira de remplacer les 4 centrales les plus anciennes dont celle de Fessenheim. Il est curieux de ne pas entendre sur cette question ni les gouvernements concernés ni la Commission européenne.

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Nous pensons que l'ensemble de ces questions devraient être mises rapidement sur la table dans la discussion s'engageant actuellement entre pro- et anti-nucléaire. L'adoption de solutions à sécurité accrue coûtera nécessairement plus cher, ce qui se répercutera sur le prix du Kwh(3). Mais pour les pays qui ne renonceront pas dans l'immédiat au nucléaire - quels que soient par ailleurs les investissements consentis en faveur des technologies vertes - il s'agira d'une dépense incontournable.

Notes
(1) Selon Paul Jorion (http://www.pauljorion.com/blog/):
"J’ai proposé à la discussion la question suivante; Quelle est la probabilité durant une année quelconque qu’il y ait un accident nucléaire majeur, connaissant la probabilité d’accident majeur par réacteur et le nombre de réacteurs en service ?
Comme je n’ai plus fait de combinatoire depuis longtemps, je demandais aux commentateurs de me corriger si nécessaire. L'un d'eux m’assure que ma formule est correcte, je la reproduis donc ici.
· R = risque d’accident majeur durant une année x
· p = probabilité d’accident sur une année pour un réacteur
· n = nombre de réacteurs
R(n) = 1 – (1-p)^n
Disons que le risque pour un réacteur est d’un accident majeur tous les cinq mille ans. S’il n’y a qu’un réacteur au monde, le risque d’un accident majeur pour une année x est de 0,2 %o. Si j’ai 443 réacteurs en service dans le monde – ce qui est apparemment le cas aujourd’hui – quel est le risque d’un accident majeur sur une année, et par exemple, sur l’année en cours ?
R(443) = 1 – (0,9998)^443 = 8,48 %
On voit donc que même avec une probabilité d’accident qui paraît extrêmement faible : un accident seulement tous les 5 000 ans pour un réacteur, on débouche pourtant sur une probabilité de 8,48 % d’accidents majeurs par an si l’on a 443 réacteurs en service, c’est-à-dire un niveau très loin d’être négligeable."

(2) On se référera à un article du NewScientist argumentant que la technologie EPR est plus sûre (relativement) que celles actuellement en service et notamment que celles de Fukushima, âgées de 40 ans (http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20928053.700-how-newer-reactors-would-have-survived-fukushima.html).
Selon Alexis Marinvic, ingénieur en charge chez Areva, "l''European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) dispose de plusieurs niveaux de générateurs diesel susceptibles d'assurer le back-up des systèmes de refroisissement en cas de tsunami ou tremblement de terre. Ils sont situés dans des enceintes isolées entourant le coeur de centrale et susceptibles de résister notamment au crash d'un avion de ligne.
Par ailleurs l'EPR dispose de quatre circuits de secours séparés concernant l'électronique, les pompes, les valves et les canalisations de refroidissement destinés à maintenir le coeur froid en cas d' accident.
Enfin, pour éviter que l'eau de refroidissement au contact du combustible surchauffé ne se décompose comme à Fukushima en hydrogène hautement détonnant, l'EPR dispose d'un système catalytique permettant de recombiner l'H avec l'O pour reconstituer de l'eau, avant explosion. En ce qui concerne le confinement, qui s'est révélé particulièrement déficient à Fukushima, le réacteur de l'EPR est enfermé dans un container à double paroi destiné à empêcher les fuites de gaz. Il s'agit de bétons armés pré-stressés d'1m d'épaisseur, soit 2 m au total."
On peut noter que le concurrent d'Areva, Westinghouse Electric, racheté par Toshiba, propose dans la version AP1000 de son réacteur de 3e génération, dont un modèle est en cours d'installation en Chine, des solutions de même nature. Le réacteur lui-même est surmonté d'une vaste réserve d'eau douce susceptible de refroidir un certain temps le combustible en cas d'urgence.

(3) L'augmentation de ce prix aura un effet utile sur la baisse souhaitable des consommations. Il pourra être compensé par des allocations destinées aux consommateurs les plus pauvres.

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Post-scriptum
Quid d'Iter ?

Un de nos lecteurs s'étonne de voir que personne ne profite des problèmes actuels (et futurs) du nucléaire de fission pour relancer les moyens mis à la disposition du programme Iter de fusion. De l'avis général, même si le confinement du plasma sera difficile et si des neutrons rapides (donc dangereux) seront produits, les risques et les déchets seront sans comparaisons. Les pays qui maîtriseront la fusion se donneront un avantage considérable par rapport aux autres. Or on pourrait gagner des années sur le programme aujourd'hui financé en augmentant un petit peu les moyens alloués. Cela vaudrait bien la peine de le faire, alors que des milliards seront engloutis pour décontaminer les sols, au Japon ou ailleurs.

Or si la France a joué un rôle non négligeable dans le lancement du programme Iter, il est probablement vrai que les industriels actuels du nucléaire (Areva et Edf) ne veulent pas vraiment de ce concurrent qui n'intéresse guère que le CEA.

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© Automates Intelligents 2011

PERSPECTIVES AGRICOLES FRANCE EUROPE

Perspectives agricoles en France et en Europe

Philippe Chalmin, Dominique Bureau

Parution : 30.08.2007

Le secteur agricole est en pleine mutation. Il doit faire face, en même temps, à la libéralisation des marchés et à une société toujours plus exigeante en termes de qualité : qualité des produits, mais aussi préservation de l’environnement. Pour répondre à ces défis, les auteurs de ce rapport s’accordent sur le caractère légitime de l’intervention publique et sur la nécessité de préserver la Politique agricole commune (PAC). Ils préconisent toutefois de poursuivre les réformes pour intégrer davantage les mécanismes de marché et prendre en compte mieux encore la dimension environnementale. Ils refusent d’ailleurs l’idée selon laquelle économie et environnement s’opposeraient, l’environnement constituant toujours un élément structurant de l’économie agricole.

Le rapport se compose de deux contributions principales : la première, par Philippe Chalmin, s’interroge sur la place, le rôle et la fonction de l’agriculture dans une société développée postindustrielle ; la seconde, par Dominique Bureau, traite du lien entre agriculture et environnement et examine le cadre général de régulation (ou « level playing field ») à mettre en œuvre. À ces deux rapports s’ajoutent deux compléments (concernant les négociations sur l’agriculture dans le cadre de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce et la politique de soutien des revenus agricoles dans l’Union européenne) ainsi que deux commentaires, par Jean-Paul Betbèze et Gilles Saint-Paul.

Télécharger le rapport

Commander le rapport

PERSPECTIVES AGRICOLES

Perspectives agricoles en France et en Europe 
Rapport n° 70, Philippe Chalmin, Dominique Bureau, 30 août 2007

Opportunities and Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology

House Committee on Agriculture – Hearing - June 23, 2011

http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetails.aspx?NewsID=1400

Witness Testimonies

Charles F. Conner, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, Washington, D.C.

Roger N. Beachy Ph.D, President Emeritus, Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St. Louis, Missouri

Calestous Juma Ph.D, Professor of the Practice of International Development, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Brian Briggeman

Farm Balance Sheets: The Hidden Risk of Non-Real Estate Debt

Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – Main Street Economist – Issue 2 – 2011 – 5 pages

http://www.kansascityfed.org/publications/research/mse/index.cfm?ealert=MSE0624

Today's soaring farmland values have boosted farm wealth and driven the U.S. farm balance sheet to its strongest level since the 1970s farm boom. If farmland values were to fall sharply, as they did in the farm crisis of the 1980s, both farm balance sheets and farm wealth could suffer, especially for farmers with high levels of non-real estate debt. This issue of The Main Street Economist explores the effects of the falling farmland values on farm balance sheets, wealth and insolvency.

ENERGY-ON-LINE A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS May/June/July 2010

PUBLIC AFFAIRS - American Embassy
Sylvie VACHERET
Tel: 01 43 12 29 28
E Mail: vacheretsr@state.gov

GENERAL INTEREST

Annual Energy Outlook 2010 with Projections to 2035
Energy Information Administration – May 11, 2010 – 231 pages
http://www.eia.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/0383(2010).pdf

This report “presents long-term projections of energy supply, demand, and prices through 2035, based on results from EIA’s National Energy Modeling System (NEMS).” “In addition to considering alternative scenarios for oil prices, economic growth, and the uptake of more energy-efficient technologies, the AEO2010 includes cases that examine the impact of changes in selected policies, such as the extension of existing policies that are currently scheduled to sunset as well as the sensitivity of natural gas shale production to variations in drilling activity and the size of the resource base.”


U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions in 2009: A Retrospective Review
Environmental Protection Agency – May 5, 2010 – 15 pages
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/environment/emissions/carbon/pdf/2009_co2_analysis.pdf

“While emissions have declined in three out of the last four years, 2009 was exceptional. As discussed below, emissions developments in 2009 reflect a combination of factors, including some particular to the economic downturn, other special circumstances during the year, and other factors that may reflect persistent trends in our economy and our energy use.”


A Pivotal Industry: Energy’s Ups and Downs Drive Economies
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City – TEN magazine – Spring 2010 – 6 pages
http://www.kansascityfed.org/PUBLICAT/TEN/PDF/Spring2010/Pivotal_Industry.pdf

This article discusses the central role of the energy industry in some U.S. states and the effect of the recession on these industries.


Growing Challenges of Energy and Environment – Part I and II
Susan Froetschel - BP unleashed the oil spill disaster, but all Americans are complicit
Olivier Cattaneo -Taxing carbon at the border could be protectionism in disguise
YaleGlobal – June 22 and 24, 2010
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/growing-challenges-energy-and-environment-part-i
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/content/growing-challenges-energy-and-environment-part-ii

“Emerging economies have joined developed nations in the wild scramble for energy, all taking greater risks in drilling for oil and gas supplies while largely shrugging about effects on climate, the environment or public health. Nations and corporations go to great lengths to explore and drill, but repairs are not so easy, as seen with a broken well gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico since April 20. This two-part series examines governments’ failure to end dangerous dependence on fossil fuels. The first article analyzes what the Gulf oil spill reveals about the intricate global connections and entrenched interests of the energy industry and the second article describes US and European proposals to impose tariffs on nations that lag in limiting carbon emissions.”


ENERGY POLICY

Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options (1)
Resources for the Future – Study – July 2010
http://www.rff.org/toward-a-new-energy-policy

“This two-year study analyzes and appraises U.S. energy policy choices and provides policymakers with a wealth of valuable information for developing a coordinated national energy policy. Carried out by RFF and the National Energy Policy Institute with support from the George Kaiser Family Foundation, it assesses 35 different policies and policy combinations based on their societal costs and their ability to reduce oil consumption and CO2 emissions. Each is evaluated and ranked using a consistent and rigorous methodology, underpinned by an RFF version of the Energy Information Administration’s National Energy Modeling System.”


Toward a New National Energy Policy: Assessing the Options (2)
Resources for the Future – Event – June 23, 2010
http://www.rff.org/Events/Pages/Toward-a-New-National-Energy-Policy-Assessing-the-Options.aspx

“Among the many pressing issues facing Congress is the drive to create a new and comprehensive national energy policy, one that will make significant progress on addressing the twin challenges of energy security and climate change…. As the dialogue continues to unfold on Capitol Hill, how should policymakers choose among these different options and potential combinations of options?”


Promoting a Clean Energy Economy
U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee – Hearing - July 27, 2010
http://jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Hearings&ContentRecord_id=b41ac54d-53f8-42ae-94c3-eeb99a151905

The hearing focused on ways to promote innovation in clean energy technologies. In particular, this JEC hearing explored the critical role of federal investments in spurring energy innovation. Innovation in both the production and consumption of energy can achieve the dual goal of helping the US economy recover while preserving and promoting a cleaner environment. Witnesses include Dr. Michael Greenstone, an MIT professor specializing in estimating the costs and benefits of environmental quality and the consequences of government regulation; Mr. Anthony Malkin, a leader in existing building energy efficiency retrofits who is coordinating the Empire State Building project; and, Dr. E.G. (Skip) Ward, a specialist in ultra-deep water gas and petroleum exploration and development.


Policy Leadership Forum: The Road to a Low-Carbon Energy Future
Resources for the Future – Event – May 12, 2010
http://www.rff.org/Events/Pages/The-Road-to-a-Low-Carbon-Energy-Future.aspx

John W. Rowe, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Exelon Corporation “discussed U.S. legislative and regulatory actions to address climate change, and why we must focus on economic approaches that will provide the country with cleaner, more secure energy while minimizing the costs to consumers and putting more people to work.”


Assessing the American Power Act: The Economic, Employment, Energy Security, and Environmental Impact of Senator Kerry and Senator Lieberman’s Discussion Draft
Peterson Institute for International Economics – May 2010 – 18 pages
http://www.piie.com/publications/pb/pb10-12.pdf

“The senators promised that if passed the bill will: (1) reduce US oil consumption and dependence on oil imports; (2) cut US carbon pollution 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020 and over 80 percent by 2050; and (3) create jobs and restore US global economic leadership. In this policy brief we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed American Power Act in achieving those goals.”


Daniel J. Weiss
The “Energy-Only Bill” Mirage: Why an Energy Bill Could Fail Without Pollution Reduction Measures or Revenue
Center for American Progress – June 25, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/energy_mirage.html

“The time for Senate action on clean energy legislation is rapidly leaking away, yet some senators continue to advocate passage of an ‘energy-only’ bill that ignores comprehensive reductions in global warming pollution…. CAP analysis determined that the clean energy incentives and loan guarantees in these bills would cost $70 billion.”


Daniel J. Weiss and Susan Lyon
Senate Oil Savings' Greatest Hits: The Best Provisions to Cut Our Consumption
Center for American Progress – June 29, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/oilsavings_greatest_hits.html

“There are three primary ways to reduce oil use: make cars much more fuel efficient, launch cleaner alternative fuels such as electricity for cars and natural gas for trucks, and invest in public transportation. CAP evaluated the major oil savings proposals in senators’ bills that address all three of these needs and chose the provisions with the most oil savings in each category.”


Implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill Energy Title
House Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research – Hearing - June 9, 2010
http://agriculture.house.gov/testimony/111/h060910/CookCoppessBailey.pdf

Cheryl Cook, Deputy Under Secretary, Rural Development discuss successes and challenges of implementing Title IX, the Energy Title, of the 2008 Farm Bill.


Van Jones
Speaking of “Small People”: Will the Energy Bill Hurt or Help All Americans?
Center for American Progress – June 18, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/jones_small_people.html

“Overall, the present version of the American Power Act is quite promising. It does include some strong provisions to lower consumer costs and provide access to new clean energy jobs. But it lacks some fundamental provisions to truly scale up the clean energy economy, ensure that green jobs are good jobs, and put some green rungs on the ladder out of poverty.”


Power to the People: Renewable Energy for Underserved Communities
Santa Clara University – Event – April 22, 2010
http://www.scu.edu/sts/PublicEngagement/conferences/archives/20092010/powertothepeople.cfm#delio

Power to the People brought together social benefit entrepreneurs, investors, policy innovators, energy technologists, and community organizations to examine innovations in technology, business models, and public policy required to deliver cost-effective renewable energy solutions to the underserved both domestically and in the developing world.


STATE POLICIES

Energy Regulation in the States: A Wake-up Call
Institute for Energy Research – 191 pages
http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/pdf/statereport.pdf
Interactive map: http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/states/

“Some of the most contentious of these ongoing [energy regulation] battles are happening right now in state capitals across the country. This report analyzes many such policies and explains how state governments are increasing the price of energy and the price of using energy through additional regulations.”


Advancing Clean Energy: A Report on the Clean Energy States Grant Program
National Governor’s Association – April 2010 – 36 pages
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/1004ADVANCINGCLEANENERGY.pdf

“Throughout the decade, states have launched initiatives to improve energy efficiency, promote alternative energy sources and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The report profiles the work of 12 states, which were selected for participation in the Clean Energy States Grant Program, as part of the Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative. The program provided states an opportunity to explore and expand new techniques for promoting clean energy, as well as develop and implement their own state programs.”


Araceli Ruano and Sean Pool
A California Campaign with Global Consequences: Proposition 23 Puts Clean Energy in Danger
Center for American Progress – July 15, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/07/prop23.html

“Texas oil companies have taken advantage of California’s quirky initiative system to place Proposition 23 on the ballot. This proposition has one purpose: to undo California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (also known as Assembly Bill 32, or ‘A.B. 32’), which stands as a landmark piece of bipartisan clean energy legislation and is a model for federal action.”


ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Green Housing for the 21st Century: Retrofitting the Past and Building an Energy-Efficient Future
Senate Committee on Banking – June 30, 2010
http://banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=523fdfb6-9876-44a2-b69d-2f99e0e0ef9e

“I hope that this hearing will make clear that energy-efficient housing connects tackling climate change and reducing our dependence on foreign fossil fuels to cutting government outlays and trimming household budgets, to renovation, design, and construction jobs that can’t be exported. Despite this promise, energy efficient options in housing are not well understood by consumers, and homebuyers today often pass up green opportunities that are in their economic interest. Our challenge as legislators is to devise programs to inform consumers and jumpstart the green housing economy.”


RESEARCH

Sean Pool
How to Power the Energy Innovation Lifecycle: Better Policies Can Carry New Energy Sources to Market
Center for American Progress – June 2010 – 21 pages
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/pdf/energy_innovation.pdf

“We’ll first define the different stages of the innovation lifecycle, then describe the network of players engaged at each stage of the process. This ‘network lifecycle’ approach can help us better understand who does innovation, the processes that drive it, and the opportunities for public policy to aid it at various points in the process. As you’ll see, our innovation economy in the energy arena needs some key reforms to perform at its peak again.”


White House Innovation Conference: Summary Report
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation – May 7, 2010 – 21 pages
http://www.energyinnovationnetwork.org/en/Backpages/~/media/Files/WH_summary_report.ashx

“The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation co-convened a conference on Energy Innovation…. The conference was designed to bring together diverse stakeholders in a forum for discussion on how to leverage private- and public-sector investments and direct philanthropic support to accelerate innovation and job creation in the energy sector.”


James Duderstadt, Mark Muro, and Sarah Rahman
Hubs of Transformation: Leveraging the Great Lakes Research Complex for Energy Innovation
Brookings Institution – June 2010 – 8 pages
http://www.brookings.edu/papers/2010/0602_innovation_muro.aspx

“America needs to transform its energy system, and the Great Lakes region… possesses many of the needed innovation assets. For that reason, the federal government should leverage this troubled region’s research and engineering strengths by launching a region-wide network of collaborative, high-intensity energy research and innovation centers.”


TRANSPORTATION

The Recovery Act: Transforming America’s Transportation Sector – Batteries and Electric Vehicles
U.S. Department of Energy – July 14, 2010 – 8 pages
http://www.whitehouse.gov/files/documents/Battery-and-Electric-Vehicle-Report-FINAL.pdf

“The Obama Administration is investing in a broad portfolio of advanced vehicle technologies…. Investments in batteries alone, for example, should help lower the cost of some electric car batteries by nearly 70 percent before the end of 2015. What’s more, thanks in part to these investments, U.S. factories will be able to produce batteries and components to support up to 500,000 electric-drive vehicles annually by 2015. Overall, these investments will create tens of thousands of American jobs.”


Policies to Reduce Oil Consumption Through the Promotion of Accelerated Deployment of Electric-Drive Vehicles, as Proposed in S. 3495, the Promoting Electric Vehicles Act of 2010
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources – Hearing – June 22, 2010
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=40d7de7c-0bca-170d-d5e8-8e3b4ce8ba0b

Witnesses:
David Sandalow - Assistant Secretary for Policy and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Energy
Frederick Smith - Chairman, President, and CEO, FedEx Corporation
Kathryn Clay - Director of Research, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers
Brian Wynne - President, Electric Drive Transportation Association
David Friedman - Research Director, Union of Concerned Scientists
Alan Crane - Senior Program Officer, National Research Council


ELECTRICITY

Smart Grid
Pew Center on Global Climate Change – Fact Sheet
http://www.pewclimate.org/technology/factsheet/SmartGrid

“The smart grid is a concept referring to the application of digital technology to the electric power sector to improve reliability, reduce cost, increase efficiency, and enable new components and applications.”


Smart Power: Climate Change, Smart Grid and the Future of Electric Utilities
Brookings Institution – Event – April 9, 2010 – 60 pages
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/events/2010/0409_electric_utilities/20100409_electric_utilities.pdf

On April 9, the Brookings Institution hosted Dr. Fox-Penner for a discussion of Smart Power. Following his presentation, a panel of experts shared their perspectives on the future of U.S. energy and climate policy and the importance of the development of the smart grid for meeting our energy goals. Senior Fellow Charles Ebinger, director of the Energy Security Initiative at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated this discussion.


Smart Grid’s Future: Evaluating Policy Opportunities and Challenges After the Recovery Act
Brookings Institution – Event – July 14, 2010
http://www.brookings.edu/events/2010/0714_smart_grid.aspx

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 earmarked $11 billion for smart grid technologies to modernize and enhance the nation’s electric transmission infrastructure. A year later, what are the most promising benefits for everyday citizens who gain access to the grid? What is the right policy path moving forward to realize the promise of the smart grid?”


Smart Grid Architecture and Standards: Assessing Coordination and Progress
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – July 1, 2010
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2866

“Today we will delve into the standards process in a little more detail, discuss the work that has been done, and see where things are headed. I am particularly interested in the witnesses’ views on the strength of this process thus far and when the witnesses think certification systems will be in place to bring more assurances that the technologies will work together as intended. I will also be interested in the progress of addressing privacy and security challenges posed by the smart grid and the level of international engagement that is necessary for the U.S. to continue its leadership in smart grid technologies.”


Real-Time Forecasting for Renewable Energy Development
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – June 16, 2010
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2857

“Right now, electric grid managers throughout the country are doing their best to integrate and balance several gigawatts of wind with baseload power options on an hour-by-hour and even minute-by-minute basis. To ensure a steady flow of electricity to their consumers, these managers rely on forecasts of power production…
Recent studies led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory have shown that improving the accuracy and frequency of these forecasts can have a major impact on the economic viability of renewable energy resources.”


The Galvin Electricity Initiative
http://galvinpower.org/about-us/galvin-electricity-initiative

“The Galvin Electricity Initiative is leading a campaign to transform our nation's power system into one that truly meets our needs for reliable, efficient, clean electricity service. The imperfect quality of power service today robs thousands of dollars a year from each American household, and the transformation of service quality to twenty-first century digital standards is critical to resolving the serious economic and environmental threats facing our nation. The Initiative believes that these threats can only be resolved if we shift to a new industry paradigm that is consumer-centric and driven by entrepreneurial innovation and smart technology.”


NUCLEAR

Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap
Department of Energy – Report to Congress – 60 pages
http://nuclear.gov/pdfFiles/NuclearEnergy_Roadmap_Final.pdf

“To achieve energy security and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction objectives, the United States must develop and deploy clean, affordable, domestic energy sources as quickly as possible. Nuclear power will continue to be a key component of a portfolio of technologies that meets our energy goals. This document provides a roadmap for the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) research, development, and demonstration activities that will ensure nuclear energy remains viable energy option for the United States.”


Charting the Course for American Nuclear Technology: Evaluating the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Research and Development Roadmap
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – May 19, 2010
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2818

“I would like to welcome our expert panelists who will discuss and evaluate the four main objectives highlighted in the Roadmap and help us understand how innovation in nuclear energy can affect our national energy portfolio, our economic competitiveness, and our national security.”


OIL

OPEC Revenues Fact Sheet
Energy Information Administration – May 2010 – 3 pages
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/OPEC_Revenues/pdf.pdf

“Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) could earn $783 billion of net oil export revenues in 2010 and $846 billion in 2011. Last year, OPEC earned $573 billion in net oil export revenues, a 41 percent decrease from 2008. Saudi Arabia earned the largest share of these earnings, $154 billion, representing 27 percent of total OPEC revenues. On a per-capita basis, OPEC net oil export earnings reached $1,553 in 2009, a 42 percent decrease from 2008.”


Kristie M. Engemann and Michael T. Owyang
Unconventional Oil Production: Stuck in a Rock and a Hard Place
FRB St Louis – The Regional Economist – July 2010 – 2 pages
http://stlouisfed.org/publications/pub_assets/pdf/re/2010/c/oil.pdf

“Highly variable oil prices and increasing world demand for oil have led producers to look for alternative sources of transportation fuel. Two popular alternatives are oil sands (aka tar sands) and oil shale. However, obtaining usable oil from oil sands or oil shale is more capital-intensive and more expensive than obtaining oil from conventional reserves. At what price of oil do these alternatives become cost-effective?”


Nicolas D. Loris, Claude G. Berube, James Jay Carafano, Ben Lieberman, Jack Spencer, and Matt Mayer
Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and Resiliency
Heritage Foundation – June 15, 2010 – 17 pages
http://thf_media.s3.amazonaws.com/2010/pdf/SR0080.pdf

“While the federal government may lack the resources and expertise to stop the flowing oil at the site of the disaster, it has the authority and responsibility to play a more proactive and responsive role in mitigating and recovering from the effects of the disaster. After months of observing the federal response, however, it is clear that the response is inadequate.”


Curry L. Hagerty and Jonathan L. Ramseur
Deep Horizon Oil Spill: Selected Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress – Report - June 18, 2010 – 44 pages
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/143929.pdf

“On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in 11 worker fatalities, a massive oil release, and a national response effort in the Gulf of Mexico region by the federal and state governments as well as BP. Based on estimates from the Flow Rate Technical Group, which is led by the U.S. Geological Survey, the 2010 Gulf spill has become the largest oil spill in U.S. waters, eclipsing the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill several times over. The oil spill has damaged natural resources and has had regional economic impacts. In addition, questions have been raised as to whether the regulations and regulators of offshore oil exploration have kept pace with the increasingly complex technologies needed to explore and develop deeper waters.”


Legislation to Respond to the BP Oil Spill and to Prevent Future Oil Well Blowouts
House -Subcommittee on Energy and Environment – Hearing - June 30,2010
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2055:hearing-on-legislation-to-respond-to-the-bp-oil-spill-and-to-prevent-future-oil-well-blowouts&catid=130:subcommittee-on-energy-and-the-environment&Itemid=71

The hearing focused on the discussion draft entitled the “Blowout Preventer Act of 2010” which was released on Friday, June 26, 2010.


Drilling Down on America’s Energy Future: Safety, Security, and Clean Energy
House Subcommittee on Energy and Environment – Hearing - June 15, 2010
http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2034:hearing-on-drilling-down-on-americas-energy-future-safety-security-and-clean-energy&catid=130:subcommittee-on-energy-and-the-environment&Itemid=71

“The top executives of the five largest oil companies will testify regarding the impacts of the nation’s dependence on oil, the safety of drilling operations and the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and actions to develop and promote the use of renewable and alternative energy sources that can reduce our overall dependence on oil.”


Deepwater Drilling Technology, Research, and Development
House Committee on Science and Technology – Hearing – June 23, 2010
http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2862

“Whether the moratorium on drilling activities in the Gulf is lifted in 30 days or 30 years, we must accept that the hydrocarbon reserves in these fields will be produced someday. And if not there, it will certainly be done somewhere else in the world. Our charge is to understand the technological advances and best practices to further ensure that drilling in the deepwater can be done with minimal risk to workers and the environment.”


Daniel J. Weiss
The High Costs of Offshore Drilling: Deepwater Horizon Underscores Need to Find Sustainable Energy Solutions
Center for American Progress – May 3, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/05/oil_costs.html

“The BP oil disaster will put additional upward pressure on oil prices that were already climbing as global demand for oil increases dramatically over the next two decades. The United States cannot produce its way out of the supply-demand gap. The most cost-effective, speedy way to reduce our oil dependence is not offshore drilling—it is reducing U.S. oil demand.”


Toni Johnson
U.S. Deepwater Drilling's Future
Council on Foreign Relations – May 25, 2010
http://www.cfr.org/publication/22204/us_deepwater_drillings_future.html#

“The Gulf of Mexico oil spill spotlights the growth of deepwater drilling and the challenges of balancing environmental regulation with efforts to expand U.S. domestic oil production.”


Stephen P. A. Brown
Some Implications of Tightening Regulation of U.S. Deepwater Drilling
Resources for the Future – June 2010 – 14 pages
http://www.rff.org/rff/documents/RFF-BCK-Brown-Regulations.pdf

“Can markets, the legal system, and current regulatory policy provide the proper incentives for producers (and consumers) to consider fully the possibility of oil spills and the risks that could ensue while drilling in deepwater offshore areas?”


Jonathon L. Ramseur
Oil Spills in U.S. Coastal Waters: Background, Governance, and Issues for Congress
Congressional Research Service – April 30, 2010 – 38 pages
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33705_20100430.pdf

“This report reviews the history and trends of oil spills in the United States; identifies the legal authorities governing oil spill prevention, response, and cleanup; and examines the threats of future oil spills in U.S. coastal waters.”


Michael Greenstone
Liability and Financial Responsibility for Oil Spills Under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and Related Statutes
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure – Testimony – June 9, 2010
http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2010/0609_oil_spill_greenstone.aspx

“My primary argument here today is that the removal, or substantial increase, of the liability cap on economic damages from oil spills is the most effective way to align oil companies’ incentives with the American people’s interests…. [I]f the removal of a cap were to compromise energy security goals, it could be paired with economically sound polices that promote domestic production or reduce oil consumption without putting our environmental goals at risk. Such a pairing would allow us to achieve our energy security and environmental goals.”


GAS

Christopher Flavin and Saya Kitasei
The Role of Natural Gas in a Low-Carbon Energy Economy
Worldwatch Institute – April 2010 – 23 pages
http://www.worldwatch.org/files/pdf/Worldwatch%20Gas%20Paper%20April%202010.pdf

“The report provides an initiative designed to explore and communicate the potential of natural gas, renewable energy, and energy efficiency to work together to build a low-carbon economy. The project provides a forum to examine potential environmental, social, and political obstacles that must be addressed if natural gas is to accelerate, rather than delay, a low-carbon energy transformation.”


NUCLEAR

Nuclear Regulation in an Era of Growth and Change
Stanford University Energy Seminar – Event – May 18, 2010
http://energyseminar.stanford.edu/node/241

“Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko will discuss the simultaneous challenges of overseeing the existing fleet of reactors, managing in parallel multiple reactor design certification requests and multiple plant construction license requests, and overseeing the safety of and licensing an expansion of the nuclear fuel industry to support new plants, not to mention the storage of spent fuel.”


BIOFUELS – BIOGAS - BIOMASS

William T. Coyle
Next-Generation Biofuels: Near-Term Challenges and Implications for Agriculture
U.S. Department of Agriculture – May 2010 – 26 pages
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/BIO0101/BIO0101.pdf

“In early 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency lowered the cellulosic biofuel mandate to 6.5 million gallons, more in line with production prospects. Even so, expansion of next-generation fuels will have to be rapid to meet subsequent annual mandates and the longer term goal of 16 billion gallons for cellulosic biofuel use by 2022. Near-term sector challenges include reducing high capital and production costs, acquiring financial resources for precommercial development, and developing new biomass supply arrangements, many of which will be with U.S. farmers.”


Using Biofuel Tax Credits to Achieve Energy and Environmental Policy Goals
Congressional Budget Office – July 2010
http://www.cbo.gov/doc.cfm?index=11477

“The federal government supports the use of biofuels--transportation fuels produced mainly from renewable plant matter, such as corn--in the pursuit of national energy, environmental, and agricultural policy goals. Tax credits encourage the production and sale of biofuels in the United States, effectively lowering the private costs of producing biofuels, such as ethanol or biodiesel, relative to the costs of producing their substitutes--gasoline and diesel fuel. In addition, federal mandates require the use of specified minimum amounts and types of biofuel each year through 2022. Together, the credits and mandates increase domestic supplies of energy and reduce U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases, albeit at a cost to taxpayers.”


A USDA Regional Roadmap to Meeting the Biofuels Goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard by 2022
USDA – Report – June 23, 2010 – 21 pages
http://www.usda.gov/documents/USDA_Biofuels_Report_6232010.pdf

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a comprehensive regional strategy to help recharge the rural American economy. The strategy targets barriers to the development of a successful biofuels market that will achieve, or surpass, the current U.S. Renewable Fuels Standards (RFS2)… USDA’s objectives for this report include: providing the practical knowledge from the field that can enhance various models for biofuel production, identify challenges and opportunities, and help develop solutions to this massive undertaking.”


AgSTAR Program
USDA – Website
http://www.epa.gov/agstar/

“The AgSTAR Program is a voluntary effort jointly sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the U.S. Department of Energy. The program encourages the use of methane recovery (biogas) technologies at the confined animal feeding operations that manage manure as liquids or slurries. These technologies reduce methane emissions while achieving other environmental benefits.”


Biomass 2010 Conference
U.S. Department of Energy – March 30-31, 2010
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/biomass/biomass2010/

“More than 600 attendees were able to discuss some of the most pressing issues in the biomass community as well as recent accomplishments and the challenges that lie ahead. We were able to focus on the role of biomass in our nation's energy portfolio and address important issues like technology innovation, biopower, rural development, and commercialization and feature a technical program that took a closer look at foundational science and applied R&D, feedstocks, hyrdrocarbon fuels, and sustainability.”


SOLAR AND WIND

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study
National Renewable Energy Laboratory – May 2010
http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/wwsis.html

This study assesses the operational impacts and economics of increased contributions from wind and solar energy producers on the power grid. It examines the benefits and challenges of integrating enough wind and solar energy capacity into the grid to produce 35 percent of its electricity by 2017. The study finds that this target is technically feasible and does not necessitate extensive additional infrastructure, but does require key changes to current operational practice.


Jenna Goodward
What’s Blocking the Sun?: Solar Photovoltaics for the U.S. Commercial Market
World Resources Institute – May 2010 – 26 pages
http://pdf.wri.org/working_papers/whats_blocking_the_sun.pdf

“This paper provides a snapshot of the current investment environment for solar PV in the United States from the commercial end user’s point of view…. Solar PV installations are concentrated in states with strong financial incentives and no regulatory barriers to distributed generation. Commercial investments have fared worse than the residential market during the economic downturn of the past two years. The policy landscape has improved since 2008, but multiple regulatory barriers remain at the state level and federal support is less certain after 2010…. An analysis of the hurdles remaining for solar PV finds that they are both economic and regulatory.”


Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, Thilo Hanemann, Lutz Weischer, and Matt Miller
Toward a Sunny Future? Global Integration in the Solar PV Industry
Peterson Institute for International Economics – May 2010 – 66 pages
http://piie.com/publications/wp/wp10-6.pdf

“This paper analyzes the global integration of the solar photovoltaic (PV) sector and looks in detail at the industry’s recent growth patterns, industry cost structure, trade and investment patterns, government support policies and employment generation potential…. Lowering existing trade barriers—by abolishing tariffs, reducing non-tariff barriers and harmonizing industry standards—would create a positive policy environment for further global integration.”


MISCELLANEOUS

Deborah Seligsohn and Kelly Levin
China’s Carbon Intensity Goal: A Guide for the Perplexed
World Resources Institute – China FAQs – April 20, 2010 – 7 pages
http://www.chinafaqs.org/files/chinainfo/ChinaFAQs_China's_Carbon_Intensity_Goal_A_Guide_for_the_Perplexed_0.pdf

“In late November 2009, China announced its intention to reduce the intensity of carbon dioxide emissions within the Chinese economy by 40-45% by 2020, as compared with a 2005 baseline…. To enhance understanding of China’s commitment, we provide answers to the major questions related to the Chinese carbon intensity target below.”


Julian L. Wong
China’s Clean Energy Push: Evaluating the Implications for American Competitiveness
Center for American Progress – June 21, 2010
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/06/china_clean_energy_push.html

“Senior staff from the Center for American Progress brought a select group of Senate staffers to visit China in April to meet with policymakers, academics, and companies to better understand China’s clean energy economic development strategy. The visit provided convincing evidence to those involved that China has made large-scale investments in clean energy manufacturing and infrastructure, and that these signal China’s clear desire to lead the world in clean energy technology production, deployment, and eventually innovation.”


Country Analysis Briefs: Algeria
Energy Information Administration
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Algeria/pdf.pdf

“Algeria's hydrocarbons sector accounted for 60 percent of its budget revenues, nearly 30 percent of its GDP, and over 97 percent of its export earnings in 2008, according to the U.S. State Department. Algeria was the sixth largest natural gas producer in the world in 2008 after Russia, the United States, Canada, Iran, and Norway. Algeria produced 3.05 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in 2008, of which 69 percent was exported and 31 percent was consumed domestically.”

U.S. ECO ONLINE - ENERGY 2009

U.S. ECO ONLINE - ENERGY
EnergyOnLine no 8

http://france.usembassy.gov

No 8 – December-January 2008

Annual Energy Outlook 2009
Energy Information Administration - December 17, 2008
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/aeo2009_presentation.pdf [21 pages].
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/aeo/pdf/appa.pdf [41 pages, Tables]

He early release report presents updated projections for U.S. energy consumption and production through 2030. For the first time in more than 20 years, the new reference case projects virtually no growth in U.S. oil consumption, reflecting the combined effect of recently enacted CAFE standards, requirements for increased use of renewable fuels, and an assumed rebound in oil prices as the world economy recovers.

The President’s Agenda on Energy & the Environment
http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/energy_and_environment/
“The energy challenges our country faces are severe and have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our addiction to foreign oil doesn't just undermine our national security and wreak havoc on our environment -- it cripples our economy and strains the budgets of working families all across America. President Obama and Vice President Biden have a comprehensive plan to invest in alternative and renewable energy, end our addiction to foreign oil, address the global climate crisis and create millions of new jobs.”

Energy Independence and Global Warming: 110th Congress Final Staff Report
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming – December 2008
http://globalwarming.house.gov/mediacenter/pressreleases_2008?id=0059#main_content

“Part I of the report addresses the challenges posed by the climate crisis and America’s growing energy needs. Part II provides recommendations on a series of “win-win” solutions that will bolster America’s energy security while achieving the reductions in global warming pollution needed to save the planet. Part III presents the findings and recommendations resulting from the Select Committee’s oversight activities. Part IV discusses international issues, and reviews the findings of the Select Committee Congressional delegations to Greenland and the EU, Brazil, and India.”

Investing in the Future: R&D Needs to Meet America's Energy and Climate Challenges
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming - Hearing – September 10, 2008
Investing in the Future - R&D needs to meet America's Energy and Climate Challenges
http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs/pubs?id=0053#main_content

“As we have seen here on Capitol Hill and today’s witnesses from our top universities can attest, young people today are bursting with ideas on how to bring about the green energy revolution.”
Witnesses:
Dr. Susan Hockfield, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Stephen Forrest, Vice President of Research, University of Michigan
Dr. Jack Fellows, Vice President, University Corporation on Atmospheric Research
Dr. Daniel Kammen, Professor, UC-Berkeley

Energy Priorities for the Next Congress
Sen. Jeff Bingaman (Senate Energy Committee)
Remarks at Center for Strategic and International Studies - November 18th, 2008
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=f9032d6a-3f9b-469c-bb64-bee84af7fb22&Month=11&Year=2008&Party=0

“We have just elected a new President, Barack Obama, who campaigned on a strong platform of energy efficiency, energy security, and renewable energy. That gives us the ability to harness his strong interest in energy to an effective bipartisan strategy in Congress. When you can get a combination of White House leadership and bipartisan Congressional engagement, chances of real progress are substantial.”



Making Domestic Energy Affordable
Ben Lieberman and Jack Spencer
The Heritage Foundation - Memo to President-elect Obama - December 8, 2008 – 4 pages
http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/obamamemo_6.pdf

“Your promise to address the nation’s high energy costs resonated soundly with the voters, and your pledge to use safe nuclear power as a key part of our energy mix makes sense. You should not let the temporary decrease in gasoline prices distract you from keeping these promises. If you persevere and follow the right steps to open and use all domestic energy sources, including nuclear power, energy will become more affordable and plentiful for all Americans, and the nation will be less reliant on hostile nations for energy.
But you should not undercut these goals by shackling energy with costly restrictions and mandates…”


Investments in Clean Energy and Natural Resources Projects and Programs to Create Green Jobs and to Stimulate the Economy
Senate – Energy Committee – Hearing – December 10, 2009
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=f950a2d8-bd94-5d1f-ec07-a93bf518e2e5

A Framework for Achieving Energy Security and Arresting Global Warming
Ken Berlin Center for American Progress – Report - December 2008 – 34 pages
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/energy_security.pdf

Addressing energy security and arresting climate change will require a transition to a non-carbon based economy and more fuel-efficient vehicles. This will take decades, even with strong measures, so new initiatives will have to be durable enough to withstand political vicissitudes and arguments that regulations should be weakened during economic slowdowns. Because efforts to solve both issues are inextricably intertwined, they must be addressed together, and actions to solve one issue cannot compromise the ability to address the other successfully.

Renewing America: A Blueprint for Economic Recovery
Environment America – Report -November 2008 - 29 pages
http://www.environmentamerica.org/uploads/SO/o9/SOo90pehULc3juLoBFh4Yg/AME_RenewAmerica.pdf

“To revive the American dream, we need to rebuild our economy on a sound foundation—one that puts people back to work, contributes to long-term prosperity, rebuilds our communities, and protects our environment. There is one path to a renewed economy that achieves all of those goals—one that is increasingly recognized by opinion leaders, politicians, investors and workers as our best chance to work our way out of our current economic troubles, while building a stronger, more self-reliant and environmentally responsible America. It is the path to a clean energy future.”


IER’s Bold Stimulus Plan: A Roadmap to Improving the Economy and Creating Jobs, All at No Cost to the Taxpayer
Institute for Energy Research – January 27, 2009
http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2009/01/27/ier-offers-economic-stimulus-plan-urges-president-obama-to-adopt-historic-change/

“IER supports government policies that encourage private investment, foster job creation, and provide American consumers access to the vast, proven, affordable energy supplies they own beneath the 2.3 billion acres of government lands not leased for responsible energy production. These enormous taxpayer-owned resources, and the American jobs they would create, have been held hostage by a decades-long government policy of saying, “No, we can’t”… IER’s plan represents the most significant change in government energy policy in more than three decades. We urge the Obama Administration to say, “Yes, we can” to our two-part plan, which begins by embracing the fundamental medical precept: First, Do No Harm.”

Putting Energy in the White House
Dave Edwards
Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President – January 15, 2008
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900202&contentID=254867

“Without a transformation of the energy industry, the unchecked American reliance upon fossil fuel will diminish our economy, distort our foreign policy, and further disrupt our natural environment. We can do better -- much better. The United States has the opportunity to be the world's energy innovation leader, creating a cleaner, more secure, and more prosperous future.”

Stimulus Package and Energy: Creating Green Jobs, Opportunities for All
Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming – Hearing – January 15, 2009
http://globalwarming.house.gov/pubs/pubs?id=0062#main_content

The Committee devoted its first hearing of the 111th Congress to creating jobs and stimulating our economy through renewable energy and efficiency programs. The panel included Van Jones, founder of Green for All, an organization promoting green-collar jobs and opportunities for the disadvantaged; Mayor Michael Nutter of Philadelphia; Trevor Houser, an expert on energy markets and climate change; and Denise Bode, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.

Rethinking “Energy Independence”
Pietro S. Nivola The Brookings Institution – Study -December 29, 2008, – 12 pages
http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/rc/papers/2008/1230_energy_nivola/1230_energy_nivola.pdf
Political leaders repeatedly point out that our current addiction to foreign oil is a matter of national security. The author challenges the assumption that the less oil the U.S. buys from abroad, the more insulated our economy will be from vagaries of the international oil market.

Current Energy Security Challenges
Senate – Committee on Energy and Natural Resources – Hearing – January 8, 2009
http://energy.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Hearings.Hearing&Hearing_ID=a7191f17-ce69-0588-430b-afe1a28d41b8

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Energy Efficiency as Economic Stimulus
Daniel Sosland, Derek Murrow, and Samuel Krasnow Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - December 12, 2008
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254849
Energy efficiency -- a huge economic category that includes the design and installation of "green" insulation, lighting, building materials, appliances, vehicles, heating-and- cooling systems, and countless other technologies -- fits your economic-stimulus needs ideally, with important additional benefits for the health of our environment and the security of our nation.


Assessment of Achievable Potential from Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Programs in the U.S. (2010-2030)
Electric Power Institute - Web posted January 22, 2009 – 342 pages
http://my.epri.com/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_1630_277_848_43/http%3B/myepri10%3B80/EPRIDocumentAccess/popup.aspx/000000000001016987

Energy efficiency programs in the United States could realistically reduce the rate of growth for electricity consumption by 22 percent over the next two decades if key barriers can be addressed, according to the analysis. The potential energy savings in 2030 would be 236 billion kilowatt hours, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 14 New York Cities. However, achieving the ideal would require costly investments as well as political and regulatory support.

Measuring and Reducing Americans' Indirect Energy Use
Kenneth P. Green and Aparna Mathur
AEI Online - Energy and Environment Outlook - December 4, 2008- 6 pages
http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.29020/pub_detail.asp

“The focus on direct energy use obscures the fact that Americans have many choices when it comes to reducing their energy and environmental footprint besides cutting back on the direct use of oil, natural gas, and electricity. Those who want to reduce their energy consumption but are unable or unwilling to forego the roomier house or car can cut down on discretionary medical purchases; minimize pharmaceutical waste; cut back on air travel; and replace high-energy foods (beef and refined grain products) with lower-energy foods such as poultry, legumes, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Can we both preserve consumer choice and expand options for energy conservation? Yes, we can.”

Green Affordable Housing: Within Our Reach
David M. Abromowitz Center for American Progress - December 2008 - 30 pages.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/green_housing.pdf

The incoming Obama administration is poised to join with the 111th Congress on an ambitious agenda of reducing energy consumption, curbing greenhouse gas emissions, and creating a viable green jobs sector. To achieve these goals, one cannot afford to ignore housing, in particular the currently existing affordable housing. Affordable housing, consisting of almost 4.75 million apartments (nearly 14 percent of the nation’s 35 million rental units), is federally assisted in some way and thus open to clearly targeted green policies.

Lowering the Cost of Play: Improving Energy Efficiency of Video Game Consoles
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) - Issue Paper - November 2008 - 29 pages.
http://www.nrdc.org/energy/consoles/files/consoles.pdf
More than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Video game consoles consumed an estimated 16 billion kilowatt-hours per year -- roughly equal to the annual electricity use of the city of San Diego. This issue paper provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines.0

OIL
The Oil-Price Roller Coaster: Global Challenges for the Obama Administration
Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., and Owen Graham The Heritage Foundation – Backgrounder – December 18, 2008 – 16 pages
http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/bg_2216.pdf
The U.S. should increase pressure on OPEC and non-OPEC countries, which are failing to meet production forecasts, to open access to IOCs while authorizing oil production in ANWR, other promising Arctic areas, and the lower 48 states to expand domestic energy production. Rising oil consumption within key oil-producing states leaves less oil for export, posing a significant constraint on future supply.

Research and Development: DOE Could Enhance the Project Selection Process for Government Oil and Natural Gas Research
GAO – Report -December 29, 2008 - 37 pages
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-09-186
“A recent GAO report noted important criteria for the Department of Energy (DOE) to consider in evaluating its oil and natural gas R&D efforts—including the likelihood that industry would perform the research without federal funding. The Office of Management and Budget has raised similar concerns. In this context, GAO was asked to review (1) how much U.S. industry has invested in oil and natural gas R&D over the last 10 years, and the current focus of these activities; (2) how DOE’s oil and natural gas R&D funding and activities compare with industry’s; and (3) to what extent DOE ensures that its oil and natural gas R&D would not occur without federal funding.”

Drilling in the Great Lakes: Background and Issues
Pervaze A. Sheikh and Adam Vann Congressional Research Service (CRS) - November 11, 2008 - 24 pages
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/112526.pdf (Tip: copy and paste in your browser)

Drilling for oil and gas in or under the Great Lakes has generated interest among Great Lakes stakeholders, states, and Congress. Some opposed to drilling are concerned about the potential environmental, economic, and public health consequences. They contend that drilling will raise the risks of oil spills, hazardous gas leaks, and pollution that may harm lakeside residents and the Great Lakes ecosystem. Proponents of oil and gas drilling contend that drilling will increase local and regional tax revenues and employment, increase domestic energy production, and not be an environmental problem because of new technologies that lower the risks of oil spills and other accidents.

How to Save Gas
Phil Davies FRB Minneapolis – The Region – December 2008 – 8 pages
http://www.minneapolisfed.org/pubs/region/08-12/davies.pdf

Pricing mechanisms, not fuel-economy standards, offer the best hope for reducing motor fuel consumption.

COAL

The True Cost of Coal
Greenpeace – Report - Web posted December 1, 2008 -92 pages
http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/international/press/reports/true-cost-coal.pdf

According to the report, the global cost of coal was at least €360 billion last year alone. The figure arrives from CO2 damage costs, health costs and mining accidents. Coal burning has existed for centuries, and its use as a fuel has been recorded since the 1100s. It powered the Industrial Revolution, changing the course of first Britain, and then the world, in the process. In the U.S., the first coal-fired power plant opened on the shores of the lower East River in New York City in September 1882. Today, coal is used to produce nearly 40% of the world’s electricity. However, burning coal is one of the most harmful practices on the planet. 0

The Hidden Costs of Clean Coal: The Environmental and Human Disaster of Longwall Mining
Center for Public Integrity - January 13, 2009
http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/longwall/

Longwall mining is a highly productive underground process employed to quickly and cheaply extract coal, but the practice comes with a steep environmental price, as documented in a year-long investigation by the Center for Public Integrity. The report turns a spotlight on a devastating mining method that most Americans outside northern Appalachia have never heard of. An estimated 10 percent of all U.S. electricity now depends on coal from longwall mining, which has grown over the years in Appalachia and in the states of Illinois, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

The Clean Coal Smoke Screen
Daniel J. Weiss, Nick Kong, Sam Schiller, Alexandra Kougentakis
Center for American Progress – Analysis - December 22, 2008 – 5 pages
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/clean_coal.html

“Despite the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity's attempts to convince Americans that “clean coal” is the solution to global warming, a CAP analysis determined that ACCCE’s companies spend relatively few dollars conducting research on carbon capture and storage, the most promising clean coal technology to reduce global warming pollution from coal-fired power plants. The coal and utility industries have spent millions of dollars to oppose mandatory reductions in global warming pollution until CCS is commercialized. Yet their paltry CCS research investment demonstrates that the ads and other public clean coal activities are merely designed to delay global warming solutions without suffering a public relations black eye.”

Producing Liquid Fuels from Coal: Prospects and Policy Issues
James T. Bartis et al. RAND Corporation – Monograph - January 2009 – 199 pages
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2008/RAND_MG754.pdf

The federal government can spark the creation of a commercially competitive coal-to-liquids industry by fostering early development of plants that would produce transportation fuels from coal, according to the study. It finds that a commercially competitive U.S. coal-to-liquids industry could produce as much as three million barrels of high-quality liquid fuels per day by 2030, an amount equivalent to 15 percent of current U.S. oil demand.

Importing Pollution: Coals’s Threat to Climate Policy in the U.S. Northeast
Union of Concerned Scientists - December 2008 – 44 pages
http://www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/clean_energy/importing-pollution_report.pdf

The Northeast’s cap-and-trade system for global warming pollution will be compromised unless utilities are prevented from importing additional coal-fired electricity, according to the report. The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which applies to power plants in 10 Northeastern states, does not preclude the utilities that supply electricity to Northeast homes and businesses from buying more electricity from coal-fired power plants outside the region. That could increase the carbon dioxide emissions from those plants outside the region, offsetting emissions reductions under RGGI.

NUCLEAR

Protectionism Won't Fuel a Nuclear Renaissance
Jack Spencer and Daniella Markheim The Heritage Foundation – Backgrounder – December 16, 2008 – 8 pages
http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/bg_2221.pdf

Expansion of nuclear power will result in increased demand for uranium. Growing fuel markets will create the environment that can sustain new enrichment capacity; artificially protecting domestic suppliers will not. The U.S. needs a domestic supplier of enriched uranium for national security purposes. The U.S. and Russia must continue to convert Russian weapons-grade uranium for use in peaceful power reactors.

Prime Numbers: The Nuclear Option

Charles D. Ferguson and Michelle M. Smith
Foreign Policy – Article - January/February 2009
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4586

“After a decades-long slowdown, nuclear power once again dominates global energy debate. Dozens of countries are vying to join the nuclear power club, and hundreds of new reactors are on the drawing board. But nuclear energy will not be the miracle cure for energy dependence or global warming that its proponents promise.”

Business Risks and Costs of New Nuclear Power
Craig A. Severance
Climate Progress – Study – January 5, 2009 - 37 pages
http://climateprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/nuclear-costs-2009.pdf
Several U.S. utilities are now advancing proposals for a new generation of nuclear power plants. Though massive cost overruns and construction delays in the 1970's and 1980's caused U.S. utilities to cancel over 130 nuclear plant orders 1, the nuclear industry is now hoping to ride a wave of concern over global warming. Can new nuclear power help the U.S. electric power industry cut greenhouse gas emissions, at a reasonable cost?

America's Nuclear Waste and What to Do With It
Bill Magwood and Mark Ribbing
Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - November 7, 2008
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254827
A candid discussion is needed -- within your new administration and in the country as a whole -- about nuclear energy, a non-climate- changing power source that is actually capable of generating significant amounts of energy in the near term. The key to making nuclear energy a more viable alternative is the adoption of advanced spent-fuel recycling techniques to deal with one of nuclear power's most vexing problems -- the presence of radioactive waste material.

Creating a Nuclear-Fuel Bank
Sen. Evan Bayh Progressive Policy Institute - Memo to the Next President - December 5, 2008
http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=450020&subsecID=900194&contentID=254843
How do we respond to valid and growing demands for civilian nuclear energy worldwide without permitting more countries to acquire nuclear weapons? The answer, in my view, is to set up an international nuclear-fuel bank that would supply fuel to any country that agrees not to develop its own enriching and reprocessing facilities.

Demonstration of the Interim Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel from Decommissioned Nuclear Power Reactor Sites
Department of Energy - Report to Congress - December 2008 – 26 pages
http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/info_library/program_docs/ES_Interim_Storage_Report_120108.pdf
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s report discusses the status of the commercial spent nuclear fuel (SNF) inventory in the United States, at both decommissioned and operating commercial nuclear power reactor sites. It also summarizes the contractual arrangement the Government and utilities have under the Standard Contract for Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and/or High-Level Radioactive Waste (10 CFR Part 961), related litigation, and the financial liabilities resulting from the Department’s delay in performance under these contracts. Further, the report identifies legislative changes and actions that would be necessary for the Department to develop an interim storage facility and demonstration program for commercial SNF from the decommissioned reactor sites.

RENEWABLES

Toward a Just and Sustainable Solar Energy Industry
Dustin Mulvaney et al. Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition January 14, 2009 – 48 pages
http://www.etoxics.org/site/DocServer/Silicon_Valley_Toxics_Coalition_-_Toward_a_Just_and_Sust.pdf?docID=821

The report documents and analyzes the environmental and health hazards of solar panel systems in a supposed “win-win” solution to global warming. It covers the health and safety concerns as well as recommendations for building a just and sustainable solar energy industry.

Wind Energy Grows by Record 8,300 Mw in 2008
American Wind Energy Association - January 27, 2009 –
http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/wind_energy_growth2008_27Jan09.html

The U.S. wind energy industry shattered all previous records in 2008 by installing 8,358 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity, enough to serve over 2 million homes, reports the study. The massive growth in 2008 swelled the nation’s total wind power generating capacity by 50% and channeled an investment of some $17 billion into the economy, positioning wind power as one of the leading sources of new power generation in the country today along with natural gas. At year’s end, however, financing for new projects and orders for turbine components slowed to a trickle and layoffs began to hit the wind turbine manufacturing sector.

Wind Energy for a New Era
American Wind Energy Association – November 2008 – 24 pages
http://www.newwindagenda.org/documents/Wind_Agenda_Report.pdf
Developed for the new President and Congress, Wind Energy for a New Era presents the wind energy industry’s federal policy agenda. An overview of the recommendations as well as the full report are available.

ELECTRICITY

Electric Power Industry 2007: Year in Review
Energy Information Administration - January 21, 2009
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/epa/epa_sum.html

In 2007, average retail electricity prices increased 2.6 percent from 8.9 to 9.1 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) This followed a 3-year period during which average fossil fuel prices for electricity generation increased a cumulative 30.2 percent. As fuel prices increased 30.2 percent, the National average retail price of electricity increased 17.0 percent from 7.6 cents per kWh in 2004 to 8.9 cents per kWh in 2006. Fossil fuel prices increased an additional 7.0 percent in 2007, contributing to the 2.6 percent average retail electricity rate increase.


Identifying Hurdles to Renewable Electricity Transmission

Kit Batten, Kari Manlove Center for American Progress – Report - December 18, 2008 – 8pages
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/renewable_transmission.pdf

The electricity grid in the United States is often heralded as one of the world’s first great technological achievements in modern history. The grid pioneered national access to electricity and spurred prosperity, and it now represents a central piece of economic and societal infrastructure. But nearly a century after grid construction began, no major updates have occurred. The current grid configuration cannot handle the growth in electricity demand expected over the next few decades unless we act quickly to modernize it. Our electricity grid is an integral but often overlooked element in the shift to a low-carbon economy. This report seeks to highlight the multiple challenges and opportunities for action to vastly increase our nation’s renewable energy generation and connect this clean energy to the grid via advanced electrical transmission construction.

Affordable Home Energy

Joy Moses Center for American Progress – Report - December 2008 - 46 pages
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/12/pdf/liheap.pdf

“It is imperative that Americans prioritize a policy agenda that solves the problem of unaf¬fordable home energy for low-income households—health, safety, and other relevant concerns dictate this course of action.” The author offers recommendations to help low-income households with their energy costs.

Lights Out for Thomas Edison
Sterling Burnett and Amanda Berg National Center for Policy Analysis - January 11, 2009
http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba637/
Although touted by many as the smart energy choice, compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs are not suitable for many common uses and should not be required by the government, according to the report. The authors argue: “For many uses, compact fluorescent bulbs may be more costly and troublesome than they’re worth.” The report concludes that despite manufacturer claims, many CFLs don’t come close to lasting the 10,000 hours they are supposed to last. In addition, CFLs also contain potentially toxic mercury, therefore, CFL disposal and breakage presents numerous health and environmental concerns.

CARBON EMISSIONS

Low-Carbon Energy: A Roadmap
Christopher Flavin Worldwatch Institute - January 6, 2009 – 52 pages
http://www.worldwatch.org/press/prerelease/EWP178.pdf

New technologies will permit rapid de-carbonization of the world energy economy in the next two decades, according to the report. These new energy sources will make it possible to retire hundreds of coal-fired power plants that now provide 40 percent of the world’s power by 2030, eliminating up to one-third of global carbon dioxide emissions while creating millions of new jobs. Reducing dependence on fossil fuels will diminish the climate crisis and will also act as an agent of recovery for an ailing global economy. Rebuilding the global energy system has the potential to create thousands of new businesses and millions of new jobs.


CO2-Emission Cuts: The Economic Costs of the EPA's ANPR Regulations
David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., and Karen A. Campbell, Ph.D. The Heritage Foundation - Center for Data Analysis – Report - 29 October 2008 – 16 pages
http://www.heritage.org/Research/EnergyandEnvironment/upload/CDA_08-10.pdf
The EPA's Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) proposes an unprecedented expansion of federal ability to regulate CO2 emissions. Its limits on CO2 emissions would impose significant costs on virtually the entire American economy. Even under a fairly optimistic set of assumptions, the economic impact of the ANPR is likely to be serious for the job market, household budgets, and the economy overall.