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About the Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program

ISE's Environment, Energy, and Economic Development program conducts research and analysis for federal, state, non-profit, and private-sector clients on the interrelated issues of the environment, natural resources, energy, and economic development. Projects address environmental quality and regulation, energy resources and systems, water resources and systems, climate, agriculture, oceans, natural hazards and disasters, and economic development.

Recent News and Publications

Identifying & Reducing Climate-Change Vulnerabilities in Water-Management Plans — Jan. 31, 2008

Water resources

Climate change will affect water supplies in California, but few water-management agencies have formally included it in their plans. Robust decisionmaking methods can help identify vulnerabilities related to climate change and evaluate the most effective options for managing those risks.

Estimating the Value of Water-Use Efficiency in the Intermountain West — Jan. 10, 2008

River in the northwest

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of water-efficiency programs can be difficult, because not all the benefits are easily quantified. An economic framework based on two tools from the California Urban Water Conservation Council helps estimate the avoided costs and environmental benefits of increasing water-use efficiency.

Benefits and Costs of Increased Water-Use Efficiency in Commercial Buildings — October 24, 2007

Image of a faucet. This report suggests ways for the owners of commercial buildings to determine how to invest in water-efficient equipment, and uses two configurations of the current RAND headquarters as a case study.

Research and Development Issues for Producing Liquid Fuels from Coal — September 5, 2007

Congressional testimony Testimony presented before the House Science and Technology Committee, Subcommittee on Energy and Environment discussing the key problems and policy issues associated with developing a domestic coal-to-liquids industry and approaches for Congress in addressing these issues.

Wind Insurance Costly and Scarce on Gulf of Mexico Coast — Jul. 18, 2007

Wind blowing a tree

Many businesses along the Gulf of Mexico coast have had a difficult time obtaining wind insurance coverage since Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma hit in 2005 and have often ended up paying more than twice as much for the insurance as they did previously.

Overcoming the "Resource Curse" — June 27, 2007

Strip Mine

This research focuses on providing guidelines for improving the management of natural resource extraction revenues and also ensuring that the relationships underlying the mismanagement of natural resource revenues are well understood. Policy options available to both state and non-state actors are evaluated. This is a dissertation from the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

Policy Issues for Coal-to-Liquid Development — May 24, 2007

Mined coal

In testimony presented before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, James T. Bartis discusses the key problems and policy issues associated with developing a domestic coal-to-liquids industry.

RAND receives Urban Land Institute Award for Excellence — May 11, 2007

RAND Headquarters

The RAND Corporation received the prestigious Urban Land Institute (ULI) Award for Excellence: The Americas, which recognizes outstanding achievement in land use practice. This award is widely acknowledged as the land use and development community's top honor. The award was given to RAND to recognize the development process undertaken to complete the construction of its new headquarters in Santa Monica, California.

Further Study Warranted on Save the World Air Technology — May 3, 2007

Pumping gas

Save the World Air Inc. should conduct further laboratory studies and in-use testing to determine the effectiveness of its Zero Emission Fuel Saver (ZEFS) technology that is intended to reduce tailpipe pollutants and increase fuel efficiency in gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.

Characterizing and Communicating Uncertain Climate Change Information for Policy Makers — Feb. 2, 2007

Map of climate change

This multi-year project conducts fundamental research to help improve methods for providing uncertain scientific and economic information to water managers and other policy makers confronted by climate change. The work links new robust decision approaches to computer modeling with survey research and psychology experiments evaluating the impact of different characterizations of uncertainty on people's decisions.

Action Needed to Speed Rebuilding in Hurricane-Damaged Mississippi — Jun. 8, 2006

Photo by Marvin Nauman/FEMA

Tens of thousands of Mississippi families whose homes were damaged or destroyed by hurricanes last year will have a hard time finding replacement housing in the state unless leaders in government and the private sector take action to accelerate the rebuilding of affordable housing.

— May 3, 2006

container cargo ship

Currently, only 5 percent of containers arriving at U.S. seaports are inspected. A cost-benefit analysis indicates that 100 percent scanning is not currently feasible, but future technologies and process improvements may improve the cost effectiveness of inspection.

Examining the Role of Energy Efficiency in Homebuying Decisions — May 2, 2006

Energy-inefficient home

The development near Sacramento, Calif., of two new residential housing tracts that offered varying levels of energy efficiency enabled preliminary research into what factors most influence homebuying decisions.

Few Homeowners Buy Flood Insurance When It Is Not Required — Feb. 21, 2006

Photo by Andrea Booher/FEMA Photo

Only about half of homeowners living in some of the most flood-prone areas of the United States buy federal flood insurance, leaving millions of families at risk for severe financial losses when floods strike.

Regional Differences Affect the Price and Demand for Energy — Nov. 23, 2005

power lines

The Department of Energy estimates the impact of energy-efficient technologies based on a national modeling system. To improve results, the system should take into account regional differences in the price-demand relationship for electricity and natural gas.

Refinery Study Highlights Price Volatility, High Demand — Sep. 30, 2005

Image of an oil well.Recent developments in the Gulf Coast have highlighted vulternabilities in the U.S. refining industry. A 2003 study detailed long-term critical trends in the sector that have contributed to today's volatile fuel supplies and rising prices.

Future Potential for Competitively Priced Shale-Derived Oil — Aug. 31, 2005

Shale Oil

In 20 to 30 years, oil shale from the Western United States could become a daily source of millions of barrels of competitively priced oil if technological, environmental and governance issues are resolved.

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