Michael Godec, a vice president at Advanced Resources International, Inc., will give a presentation titled "What the Frack?: Making Sense (Maybe?) of the Technology, Ethics and Politics of 'Fracking'" at Arizona State University. The presentation will discuss shale gas and tight oil development, the process of hydraulic fracturing, assessing its environmental impacts and regulatory oversight, and the economic and policy implications of increased natural gas production. Key issues to be addressed include water usage and potential groundwater contamination, air quality impacts, and the debate around chemical disclosure requirements.
This document summarizes a webinar on hydraulic fracking and insurance. It begins with introductions and an agenda. It then provides background on fracking, including the process, risks to water, air, and land. It discusses stakeholders, industry collaboration efforts, and insurance implications. Key insurance issues include potential claims from homeowners, energy companies, workers and more related to water contamination, earthquakes, air pollution and other risks. The document examines insurance precedents and guidelines related to fracking coverage.
Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas DevelopmentMarcellus Drilling News
Study released in Feb 2012 by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas which looks at the science of hydraulic fracturing and a potential link between fracking and groundwater contamination. The study's conclusion: there is no link. Fracking itself does not contaminate groundwater. There are legitimate concerns about drilling, but those issues exist in conventional drilling--they are not specific to fracking.
Breakthrough Energy Technologies Summary - SiriusDisclosure.comExopolitics Hungary
This document summarizes several breakthrough energy technologies that could replace fossil fuels and eliminate pollution. It describes technologies in three categories: 1) transitional technologies to increase efficiency and clean up pollution, 2) over-unity electromagnetic energy devices that tap zero-point energy without external fuel sources, and 3) advanced propulsion using electromagnetism to alter mass and space for pollution-free travel. Developing these technologies will require funding prototypes to commercial viability. It will also require supportive policies in areas like applications, economic transition, security implications, and preventing weaponization. A history of suppression by financial and governmental interests seeking to maintain the status quo has prevented widespread adoption of these technologies, despite technological feasibility.
Putting energy innovation_first thernstrom garman catf restructure doeSteve Wittrig
The document proposes reforms to refocus, reform, and restructure the US Department of Energy (DOE) to better promote energy innovation. It argues that DOE's priorities are misaligned, with its nuclear weapons and environmental cleanup programs receiving more attention and funding than energy programs. It recommends moving the nuclear weapons, naval reactors, and nonproliferation missions to the Department of Defense to allow DOE to focus exclusively on energy, science, and innovation. The document also identifies challenges within DOE such as a lack of coordination between research programs, an imbalance favoring basic science over applied energy research, and ineffective technology demonstration programs. It calls for restructuring DOE's organization and operations to address these issues and better support the
The GRC Bulletin provides a technology and issues forum for professionals involved in geothermal resource research, exploration, development and utilization. The GRC Bulletin also provides news and information that highlights the environmental and economic benefits of geothermal resource development.
The Social and Environmental Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing in the United St...Imran Khan
This document is a dissertation submitted by Imran Sean Khan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Process Systems Engineering from the University of Surrey. The dissertation investigates the social and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing in the United States. It begins with an introduction that provides background on unconventional natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing and discusses the energy shift in the U.S. toward increased natural gas usage. The document then outlines the research aims, objectives, and scope. It will analyze relevant literature to understand the social and environmental implications of fracking and develop a plan for the industry to minimize identified effects.
This document is a presentation given by John Droz, Jr. at a public forum meeting in Newport, North Carolina on November 26, 2013 regarding a proposed nearby industrial wind project called Mill Pond. In 3 sentences:
The presentation provides an overview of key issues regarding the Mill Pond wind project and discusses the US electricity grid and power sources, noting that energy decisions should be made based on sound science rather than lobbyists. It encourages attendees to visit the presenter's website for more economic and environmental studies on industrial wind and information specific to the Mill Pond project. The presentation aims to better inform legislators and citizens to enable cost-beneficial and environmentally sound energy and environmental policies.
This document summarizes a newsletter from the National Center for Public Policy Research discussing the upcoming debate on global warming in the US Senate. It provides background on expected amendments and highlights quotes and analyses challenging the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming. The summary focuses on the key points made rather than verbatim reproduction of text.
This document summarizes a webinar on hydraulic fracking and insurance. It begins with introductions and an agenda. It then provides background on fracking, including the process, risks to water, air, and land. It discusses stakeholders, industry collaboration efforts, and insurance implications. Key insurance issues include potential claims from homeowners, energy companies, workers and more related to water contamination, earthquakes, air pollution and other risks. The document examines insurance precedents and guidelines related to fracking coverage.
Fact-Based Regulation for Environmental Protection in Shale Gas DevelopmentMarcellus Drilling News
Study released in Feb 2012 by the Energy Institute at the University of Texas which looks at the science of hydraulic fracturing and a potential link between fracking and groundwater contamination. The study's conclusion: there is no link. Fracking itself does not contaminate groundwater. There are legitimate concerns about drilling, but those issues exist in conventional drilling--they are not specific to fracking.
Breakthrough Energy Technologies Summary - SiriusDisclosure.comExopolitics Hungary
This document summarizes several breakthrough energy technologies that could replace fossil fuels and eliminate pollution. It describes technologies in three categories: 1) transitional technologies to increase efficiency and clean up pollution, 2) over-unity electromagnetic energy devices that tap zero-point energy without external fuel sources, and 3) advanced propulsion using electromagnetism to alter mass and space for pollution-free travel. Developing these technologies will require funding prototypes to commercial viability. It will also require supportive policies in areas like applications, economic transition, security implications, and preventing weaponization. A history of suppression by financial and governmental interests seeking to maintain the status quo has prevented widespread adoption of these technologies, despite technological feasibility.
Putting energy innovation_first thernstrom garman catf restructure doeSteve Wittrig
The document proposes reforms to refocus, reform, and restructure the US Department of Energy (DOE) to better promote energy innovation. It argues that DOE's priorities are misaligned, with its nuclear weapons and environmental cleanup programs receiving more attention and funding than energy programs. It recommends moving the nuclear weapons, naval reactors, and nonproliferation missions to the Department of Defense to allow DOE to focus exclusively on energy, science, and innovation. The document also identifies challenges within DOE such as a lack of coordination between research programs, an imbalance favoring basic science over applied energy research, and ineffective technology demonstration programs. It calls for restructuring DOE's organization and operations to address these issues and better support the
The GRC Bulletin provides a technology and issues forum for professionals involved in geothermal resource research, exploration, development and utilization. The GRC Bulletin also provides news and information that highlights the environmental and economic benefits of geothermal resource development.
The Social and Environmental Effects of Hydraulic Fracturing in the United St...Imran Khan
This document is a dissertation submitted by Imran Sean Khan in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master of Science degree in Process Systems Engineering from the University of Surrey. The dissertation investigates the social and environmental effects of hydraulic fracturing in the United States. It begins with an introduction that provides background on unconventional natural gas extraction via hydraulic fracturing and discusses the energy shift in the U.S. toward increased natural gas usage. The document then outlines the research aims, objectives, and scope. It will analyze relevant literature to understand the social and environmental implications of fracking and develop a plan for the industry to minimize identified effects.
This document is a presentation given by John Droz, Jr. at a public forum meeting in Newport, North Carolina on November 26, 2013 regarding a proposed nearby industrial wind project called Mill Pond. In 3 sentences:
The presentation provides an overview of key issues regarding the Mill Pond wind project and discusses the US electricity grid and power sources, noting that energy decisions should be made based on sound science rather than lobbyists. It encourages attendees to visit the presenter's website for more economic and environmental studies on industrial wind and information specific to the Mill Pond project. The presentation aims to better inform legislators and citizens to enable cost-beneficial and environmentally sound energy and environmental policies.
This document summarizes a newsletter from the National Center for Public Policy Research discussing the upcoming debate on global warming in the US Senate. It provides background on expected amendments and highlights quotes and analyses challenging the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming. The summary focuses on the key points made rather than verbatim reproduction of text.
Chamber of Commerce report that asks and answers the important question: What would happen if the hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas was banned in the U.S.? According to research it would lead to the loss of 15 million jobs and an average increase in the price of electricity and gas doubling.
The conference found that no location outside the US is currently economically viable for producing oil through hydraulic fracturing due to high costs. However, some locations like Argentina and the UK could be viable for producing natural gas through fracturing given higher international gas prices. Argentina and the UK will serve as precedent-setting cases. In general, locations have not designed regulatory or fiscal regimes to incentivize unconventional development, presenting unintended barriers. Customized regimes and overcoming other geologic and economic barriers, like low oil prices, will be needed for fracturing to become a global game-changer.
Coming up to ten years on from the 2007 Technology Futures programme we conducted for Shell, several people have been asking how well the expert perspectives have played out. This is the summary of two sets of weeklong discussions that took place in Bangalore and London, each of which included around 20 experts from across multiple disciplines all looking out 20 years at how technology may, or may not influence society. This was the second run of the Technology Futures programme after the initial project in 2004 where similar discussions had taken place in Amsterdam and Houston.
At a time when oil accounted for over a third of the world’s energy supply and renewables for less than a tenth of that amount, core areas of future focus were on the potential rise of biofuels, nuclear, solar, wind and wave as well as the challenges in enabling a more electric world. Specific issues raised included the opportunities from second and third generation biofuels and the role of synthetic organisms in the mix; pebble bed nuclear reactors and the potential for fusion; concentrated solar power, the increasing efficiency of photovoltaics and associated cost reductions; energy storage, battery power and superconductivity; hydrogen and microbial fuel cells; the impact of maglev trains, autonomous vehicles as well as data mining and quantum computing. Nearly ten years on the summaries of each of these, the likely development paths and the associated constraints and enabling factors are a recommended read.
Personally, however, it is the later chapters that are most insightful, especially in the context of today’s challenges. Whereas many of the energy related technology shifts have played out, largely in line with some of the expert expectations, it is some of cross-cutting views from 2007 that still seem to be at the fore of our to-do list: How to better collaborate globally and locally, especially across multi-sector partnerships; how to manage distributed activities better than centralised ones; how to better share value from intellectual property; and how best to harness artificial intelligence are all questions as relevant today as they were when we first held the discussions.
While we spend more of our time continuing to look forward, seeking new opportunities and challenges to address, if you have a spare hour or so, I would recommend a flick through the summary report which is available for download here.
The document discusses the upcoming debate on global warming in the US Senate. It notes that several amendments on global warming are expected to be proposed as part of consideration of the Senate Energy Bill. It provides counterarguments to the theory of human-caused global warming, citing analyses questioning the scientific consensus on the causes and impacts of climate change. The document recommends several analyses and studies that are skeptical of the view that human greenhouse gas emissions are the dominant cause of observed global temperature increases.
Patent counts and statistics have for a long time been regarded as one of the main indicators of technical innovation and progress lead by such innovation.
The Icelandic Geothermal Cluster decided last year to conduct a study on the landscape of patents in the geothermal sector with the purpose to aid and support constructive discussion about the Icelandic geothermal innovation development.
Lead by Arnason Factor
The newsletter provides updates on climate policy and funding opportunities, technologies, and discussions. It highlights California's Adaptation Planning Grant Program and opportunities to comment on regional resilience grants. It also summarizes a roadmap for the US to meet clean energy goals by 2035, the US transportation decarbonization blueprint, and Al Gore's speech calling for urgent climate action. Other articles discuss effective climate communication strategies, negative emissions technologies, India's role in the climate crisis, top climate tech trends for 2023, reactions to the US climate plan, and the EU's Green Deal industrial plan.
This dissertation examines shale gas and energy security policy issues in the United States from domestic and international perspectives. It provides background on the shale gas revolution in the U.S. enabled by hydraulic fracturing technology. The document outlines topics to be discussed, including defining energy security, analyzing U.S. natural gas policy challenges, and considering foreign perspectives. It aims to understand the U.S. energy security policy approach to shale gas development and its broader implications.
A white paper from America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) encouraging the Obama Dept. of Energy to get off its collective rear-end and approve a host of proposed LNG export terminals that it has delayed approving. ANGA says this is an opportunity that if lost, we won't see again.
For the global sustainability community,
the most effective catalyst of change
has long been seen as the informed
self-interest of the mainstream financial
community: if banks and investors
could be convinced of the proximity of
environmental risk or societal impacts,
then it has been assumed that capital
diverted from ‘unsustainable’ practices
would render all other interventions
unnecessary. In practice though, the
sustainability community has found
the financial sector a hard nut to crack.
Although recent years have seen a
substantial increase in the integration of
environmental, social and governance
(ESG) data forming part of investment
analysis, the continued emphasis on shortterm
results and incentives has pushed
longer-term environmental risks, such as
climate change, outside of the boundary
of risks contemplated by mainstream
analysts. That is, until recently.
This document provides an assessment of U.S. natural gas exports. It outlines the existing regulatory framework for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, including the process for obtaining export licenses from the Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It then discusses the timeline for approved LNG export projects in the U.S. and compares the U.S. to other major global LNG suppliers. The regulatory process for LNG exports has evolved in recent years to streamline approvals as U.S. natural gas production has increased.
Diakun, A. (2015) - Clearing the Air on %22Geoengineering%22 and Intellectual...Aladdin Diakun
This document provides a summary of a master's thesis that develops a framework for evaluating intellectual property rights (IPRs) concerns related to climate engineering (CE) research and governance. The author first provides an overview of CE, focusing on categories (carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management) and governance challenges. They then examine how patents and trade secrets could impact CE research and governance generally, as well as for specific interventions like direct air capture, ocean iron fertilization, and stratospheric aerosol spraying. Finally, the author proposes evaluating IPRs appropriateness based on technology-specific challenges, distribution of risks/benefits, and incentivizing research. The goal is to help researchers and policymakers think more clearly about
Apollo Energy Program - Not Your Parent's Moon ShotRobert Cormia
This document outlines the need for an "Apollo Energy Program" to address climate change by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and transitioning the world to sustainable energy systems. It argues that we are on a dangerous trajectory towards 450 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere by 2032 if no action is taken. The program would take a coordinated, systems-level approach across technology, policy, markets, and individual behavior to bend the curve and keep CO2 levels below 450 ppm to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts. Success will require global leadership and innovation across many interconnected areas simultaneously.
This document is an email newsletter from the National Center for Public Policy Research discussing global warming. It provides background on upcoming Senate debates and hearings on global warming legislation. It also excerpts arguments questioning the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming, including that the best climate models cannot accurately predict future temperatures or humankind's impact. Recommended links are included for additional information from analyses questioning the extent and causes of global warming.
Innovation in the energy industry. Wiley PublicationsDave Crawley
The document discusses innovation in the energy industry, specifically electricity and natural gas. It makes three key points:
1) Contributing to the energy sector's relative underappreciation of innovation are that the industry is more capital-intensive, assets are long-lived, and projects have very long development times. Innovation can take 40 years between the lab and field.
2) Innovation and delivery is a trainable skill that energy companies need to focus on developing in their employees through structured processes and training. Leaving innovation to chance or relying solely on vendors is not sufficient.
3) A case study on Innovation Engineering highlights how it can systematically transform innovation into a reliable process, increasing odds of success and driving growth
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) Research Director Professor Jim Watson talks about "The Need for Green Technologies" at the Green Technologies: Drivers, Barriers and Gatekeepers ASSAf / Dept of Science and Technology Symposium, 10 September 2013.
Former Ambassador and head of the US delegation to the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, Stuart Eizentstat, Partner with law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, delivered the keynote address at the GW Solar Institute Symposium on April 19, 2010. View more info at: solar.gwu.edu/Symposium.html
Robert Alvarez, a former senior advisor in the DOE under President Clinton, outlines the department's FY 2010 budget requests and their implications for U.S. energy policy.
Chapter Eleven Environmental and Energy Policy1‹#.docxchristinemaritza
Chapter Eleven: Environmental
and Energy Policy
1
‹#›
Introduction
What does environmental policy address and how has it evolved?
What are the major U.S. environmental policies? Have they been effective?
What natural resource policies are in place?
How does the U.S. use energy, and what is U.S. energy policy?
What is being done about climate change?
2
‹#›
What Does Environmental Policy Address? How Has It Evolved?
3
‹#›
Environmental Policy at a Crossroad
Narrow View
Humans’ relationship to nature
Human health and the environment
Policy implications
Protection through regulation
Modern, Broader View
Set of natural systems that interact in complex ways
Environment supplies humans (and other species) with necessities for life
Policy implications
Sustainable development
4
Environmental Policy: Overview
Definition: Government actions that affect environmental quality and the use of natural resources
Broad in scope, complicated, scientific
Three focus areas:
Pollution control/protection
Resource use and protection
Energy use and conservation
5
Environmental Policy (cont’d)
Many actors and interest groups
States have a very strong role: implement the federal policies
Regulatory solutions historically favored
command and control
Public opinion is a major player
6
Collaborative decision-making=industry and other interest groups work with government to make & implement policy
‹#›
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Independent executive agency
Reports to and follows lead of current administration
Largest federal agency
10 regional offices work closely with states
Logo Source: http://www.epa.gov/
‹#›
History of Environmental Policy:
From Consensus to Conflict
Early focus through 1960s: protect resources
1970s: control pollution
1980s-00s: Incremental reform
policy enhancement
Clinton’s collaborative decision making
Since 1980s- mostly conflict and gridlock
Now, from domestic concerns to global concerns
8
Notice These Themes:
Tension between business and environmental interests
Partisan disagreement
Perspectives on the “truth” of science vary
Shift from domestic to global issues
9
What Are the Major Federal
Environmental Policies?
10
Early Policies
1969: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
States not protecting the environment
Focused on the process of decision-making
Required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Assess environmental effects of proposed action
Public scrutiny, consultation with affected parties
Changed the way decisions made about development; still in use today
11
First major federal policy –
‹#›
How Does NEPA Work?
Video: (http://youtu.be/0DAWOui0UzU)
“NEPA Citizen’s Guide.” Letsbe7, September 24, 2008. Practical and informative video about what the National Environmental Policy Act requires and how it works. (Time: 7:05)
Video: http://youtu.be/0DAWOui0UzU. “NEPA Citizen’s Guide.” Letsbe7, September 24, 2008. Practical and informative video abou ...
ESPP presentation to EU Waste Water Network, 4th June 2024 “EU policies driving nutrient removal and recycling
and the revised UWWTD (Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive)”
Chamber of Commerce report that asks and answers the important question: What would happen if the hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas was banned in the U.S.? According to research it would lead to the loss of 15 million jobs and an average increase in the price of electricity and gas doubling.
The conference found that no location outside the US is currently economically viable for producing oil through hydraulic fracturing due to high costs. However, some locations like Argentina and the UK could be viable for producing natural gas through fracturing given higher international gas prices. Argentina and the UK will serve as precedent-setting cases. In general, locations have not designed regulatory or fiscal regimes to incentivize unconventional development, presenting unintended barriers. Customized regimes and overcoming other geologic and economic barriers, like low oil prices, will be needed for fracturing to become a global game-changer.
Coming up to ten years on from the 2007 Technology Futures programme we conducted for Shell, several people have been asking how well the expert perspectives have played out. This is the summary of two sets of weeklong discussions that took place in Bangalore and London, each of which included around 20 experts from across multiple disciplines all looking out 20 years at how technology may, or may not influence society. This was the second run of the Technology Futures programme after the initial project in 2004 where similar discussions had taken place in Amsterdam and Houston.
At a time when oil accounted for over a third of the world’s energy supply and renewables for less than a tenth of that amount, core areas of future focus were on the potential rise of biofuels, nuclear, solar, wind and wave as well as the challenges in enabling a more electric world. Specific issues raised included the opportunities from second and third generation biofuels and the role of synthetic organisms in the mix; pebble bed nuclear reactors and the potential for fusion; concentrated solar power, the increasing efficiency of photovoltaics and associated cost reductions; energy storage, battery power and superconductivity; hydrogen and microbial fuel cells; the impact of maglev trains, autonomous vehicles as well as data mining and quantum computing. Nearly ten years on the summaries of each of these, the likely development paths and the associated constraints and enabling factors are a recommended read.
Personally, however, it is the later chapters that are most insightful, especially in the context of today’s challenges. Whereas many of the energy related technology shifts have played out, largely in line with some of the expert expectations, it is some of cross-cutting views from 2007 that still seem to be at the fore of our to-do list: How to better collaborate globally and locally, especially across multi-sector partnerships; how to manage distributed activities better than centralised ones; how to better share value from intellectual property; and how best to harness artificial intelligence are all questions as relevant today as they were when we first held the discussions.
While we spend more of our time continuing to look forward, seeking new opportunities and challenges to address, if you have a spare hour or so, I would recommend a flick through the summary report which is available for download here.
The document discusses the upcoming debate on global warming in the US Senate. It notes that several amendments on global warming are expected to be proposed as part of consideration of the Senate Energy Bill. It provides counterarguments to the theory of human-caused global warming, citing analyses questioning the scientific consensus on the causes and impacts of climate change. The document recommends several analyses and studies that are skeptical of the view that human greenhouse gas emissions are the dominant cause of observed global temperature increases.
Patent counts and statistics have for a long time been regarded as one of the main indicators of technical innovation and progress lead by such innovation.
The Icelandic Geothermal Cluster decided last year to conduct a study on the landscape of patents in the geothermal sector with the purpose to aid and support constructive discussion about the Icelandic geothermal innovation development.
Lead by Arnason Factor
The newsletter provides updates on climate policy and funding opportunities, technologies, and discussions. It highlights California's Adaptation Planning Grant Program and opportunities to comment on regional resilience grants. It also summarizes a roadmap for the US to meet clean energy goals by 2035, the US transportation decarbonization blueprint, and Al Gore's speech calling for urgent climate action. Other articles discuss effective climate communication strategies, negative emissions technologies, India's role in the climate crisis, top climate tech trends for 2023, reactions to the US climate plan, and the EU's Green Deal industrial plan.
This dissertation examines shale gas and energy security policy issues in the United States from domestic and international perspectives. It provides background on the shale gas revolution in the U.S. enabled by hydraulic fracturing technology. The document outlines topics to be discussed, including defining energy security, analyzing U.S. natural gas policy challenges, and considering foreign perspectives. It aims to understand the U.S. energy security policy approach to shale gas development and its broader implications.
A white paper from America's Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA) encouraging the Obama Dept. of Energy to get off its collective rear-end and approve a host of proposed LNG export terminals that it has delayed approving. ANGA says this is an opportunity that if lost, we won't see again.
For the global sustainability community,
the most effective catalyst of change
has long been seen as the informed
self-interest of the mainstream financial
community: if banks and investors
could be convinced of the proximity of
environmental risk or societal impacts,
then it has been assumed that capital
diverted from ‘unsustainable’ practices
would render all other interventions
unnecessary. In practice though, the
sustainability community has found
the financial sector a hard nut to crack.
Although recent years have seen a
substantial increase in the integration of
environmental, social and governance
(ESG) data forming part of investment
analysis, the continued emphasis on shortterm
results and incentives has pushed
longer-term environmental risks, such as
climate change, outside of the boundary
of risks contemplated by mainstream
analysts. That is, until recently.
This document provides an assessment of U.S. natural gas exports. It outlines the existing regulatory framework for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, including the process for obtaining export licenses from the Department of Energy and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. It then discusses the timeline for approved LNG export projects in the U.S. and compares the U.S. to other major global LNG suppliers. The regulatory process for LNG exports has evolved in recent years to streamline approvals as U.S. natural gas production has increased.
Diakun, A. (2015) - Clearing the Air on %22Geoengineering%22 and Intellectual...Aladdin Diakun
This document provides a summary of a master's thesis that develops a framework for evaluating intellectual property rights (IPRs) concerns related to climate engineering (CE) research and governance. The author first provides an overview of CE, focusing on categories (carbon dioxide removal and solar radiation management) and governance challenges. They then examine how patents and trade secrets could impact CE research and governance generally, as well as for specific interventions like direct air capture, ocean iron fertilization, and stratospheric aerosol spraying. Finally, the author proposes evaluating IPRs appropriateness based on technology-specific challenges, distribution of risks/benefits, and incentivizing research. The goal is to help researchers and policymakers think more clearly about
Apollo Energy Program - Not Your Parent's Moon ShotRobert Cormia
This document outlines the need for an "Apollo Energy Program" to address climate change by reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and transitioning the world to sustainable energy systems. It argues that we are on a dangerous trajectory towards 450 parts per million (ppm) of CO2 in the atmosphere by 2032 if no action is taken. The program would take a coordinated, systems-level approach across technology, policy, markets, and individual behavior to bend the curve and keep CO2 levels below 450 ppm to avoid catastrophic climate change impacts. Success will require global leadership and innovation across many interconnected areas simultaneously.
This document is an email newsletter from the National Center for Public Policy Research discussing global warming. It provides background on upcoming Senate debates and hearings on global warming legislation. It also excerpts arguments questioning the scientific consensus on human-caused global warming, including that the best climate models cannot accurately predict future temperatures or humankind's impact. Recommended links are included for additional information from analyses questioning the extent and causes of global warming.
Innovation in the energy industry. Wiley PublicationsDave Crawley
The document discusses innovation in the energy industry, specifically electricity and natural gas. It makes three key points:
1) Contributing to the energy sector's relative underappreciation of innovation are that the industry is more capital-intensive, assets are long-lived, and projects have very long development times. Innovation can take 40 years between the lab and field.
2) Innovation and delivery is a trainable skill that energy companies need to focus on developing in their employees through structured processes and training. Leaving innovation to chance or relying solely on vendors is not sufficient.
3) A case study on Innovation Engineering highlights how it can systematically transform innovation into a reliable process, increasing odds of success and driving growth
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) Research Director Professor Jim Watson talks about "The Need for Green Technologies" at the Green Technologies: Drivers, Barriers and Gatekeepers ASSAf / Dept of Science and Technology Symposium, 10 September 2013.
Former Ambassador and head of the US delegation to the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, Stuart Eizentstat, Partner with law firm of Covington & Burling LLP, delivered the keynote address at the GW Solar Institute Symposium on April 19, 2010. View more info at: solar.gwu.edu/Symposium.html
Robert Alvarez, a former senior advisor in the DOE under President Clinton, outlines the department's FY 2010 budget requests and their implications for U.S. energy policy.
Chapter Eleven Environmental and Energy Policy1‹#.docxchristinemaritza
Chapter Eleven: Environmental
and Energy Policy
1
‹#›
Introduction
What does environmental policy address and how has it evolved?
What are the major U.S. environmental policies? Have they been effective?
What natural resource policies are in place?
How does the U.S. use energy, and what is U.S. energy policy?
What is being done about climate change?
2
‹#›
What Does Environmental Policy Address? How Has It Evolved?
3
‹#›
Environmental Policy at a Crossroad
Narrow View
Humans’ relationship to nature
Human health and the environment
Policy implications
Protection through regulation
Modern, Broader View
Set of natural systems that interact in complex ways
Environment supplies humans (and other species) with necessities for life
Policy implications
Sustainable development
4
Environmental Policy: Overview
Definition: Government actions that affect environmental quality and the use of natural resources
Broad in scope, complicated, scientific
Three focus areas:
Pollution control/protection
Resource use and protection
Energy use and conservation
5
Environmental Policy (cont’d)
Many actors and interest groups
States have a very strong role: implement the federal policies
Regulatory solutions historically favored
command and control
Public opinion is a major player
6
Collaborative decision-making=industry and other interest groups work with government to make & implement policy
‹#›
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Independent executive agency
Reports to and follows lead of current administration
Largest federal agency
10 regional offices work closely with states
Logo Source: http://www.epa.gov/
‹#›
History of Environmental Policy:
From Consensus to Conflict
Early focus through 1960s: protect resources
1970s: control pollution
1980s-00s: Incremental reform
policy enhancement
Clinton’s collaborative decision making
Since 1980s- mostly conflict and gridlock
Now, from domestic concerns to global concerns
8
Notice These Themes:
Tension between business and environmental interests
Partisan disagreement
Perspectives on the “truth” of science vary
Shift from domestic to global issues
9
What Are the Major Federal
Environmental Policies?
10
Early Policies
1969: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
States not protecting the environment
Focused on the process of decision-making
Required Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
Assess environmental effects of proposed action
Public scrutiny, consultation with affected parties
Changed the way decisions made about development; still in use today
11
First major federal policy –
‹#›
How Does NEPA Work?
Video: (http://youtu.be/0DAWOui0UzU)
“NEPA Citizen’s Guide.” Letsbe7, September 24, 2008. Practical and informative video about what the National Environmental Policy Act requires and how it works. (Time: 7:05)
Video: http://youtu.be/0DAWOui0UzU. “NEPA Citizen’s Guide.” Letsbe7, September 24, 2008. Practical and informative video abou ...
ESPP presentation to EU Waste Water Network, 4th June 2024 “EU policies driving nutrient removal and recycling
and the revised UWWTD (Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive)”
This presentation explores a brief idea about the structural and functional attributes of nucleotides, the structure and function of genetic materials along with the impact of UV rays and pH upon them.
BREEDING METHODS FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE.pptxRASHMI M G
Plant breeding for disease resistance is a strategy to reduce crop losses caused by disease. Plants have an innate immune system that allows them to recognize pathogens and provide resistance. However, breeding for long-lasting resistance often involves combining multiple resistance genes
The binding of cosmological structures by massless topological defectsSérgio Sacani
Assuming spherical symmetry and weak field, it is shown that if one solves the Poisson equation or the Einstein field
equations sourced by a topological defect, i.e. a singularity of a very specific form, the result is a localized gravitational
field capable of driving flat rotation (i.e. Keplerian circular orbits at a constant speed for all radii) of test masses on a thin
spherical shell without any underlying mass. Moreover, a large-scale structure which exploits this solution by assembling
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high-throughput phenotyping has become the major bottleneck restricting crop breeding. Plant phenomics has been defined as the high-throughput, accurate acquisition and analysis of multi-dimensional phenotypes
during crop growing stages at the organism level, including the cell, tissue, organ, individual plant, plot, and field levels. With the rapid development of novel sensors, imaging technology,
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Godec-NIEES.ppt
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What the Frack?:
Making Sense (Maybe?) of the Technology,
Ethics and Politics of “Fracking”
Michael L. Godec, Vice President
ADVANCED RESOURCES INTERNATIONAL, INC.
Arlington, VA
Seminar of the National Institute for Energy Ethics and Society (NIEES)
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ
April 10, 2013
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Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this
presentation do not necessarily reflect those of
Advanced Resources, or any of its clients --
past, present, and/or future.
In fact, some of the views and opinions
expressed in this presentation by the presenter
may not necessarily reflect those of the
presenter.
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Topics for this Presentation
• Shales: What’s the big deal?
• What is “Fracking”?
• What are really the important
considerations -- can we distinguish
mythology from facts?
• What are the ethical implications of policy
alternatives?
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Shale Gas and Tight Oil
What are we talking about?
• Shale -- a fine-grained, sedimentary rock characterized by
breaks along thin laminae or parallel layering or bedding, with
low porosity and permeability
• Shale gas -- natural gas found trapped within shale formations
• Tight oil (also known as liquids-rich shales) -- light crude oil
contained in shales
• Important facts:
– The permeability of shales is very low – several orders of magnitude
lower that construction-grade cement
– Tight oil development uses the same technology as that contributing
to the recent shale gas boom.
– Without stimulation, most shales would not be economic to
produce
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Shales: What’s the Big Deal?
“Shale Gas is the most important energy development since
the discovery of oil”
Fred Julander, CEO of Julander Energy
“Mission Critical: Can Shale Gas Save the World?”
ASPO, September 21, 2009
"Ample supplies, robust emerging markets and uncertainty
about nuclear power all point to a prominent role for gas in
[the] global energy mix."
International Energy Agency, World Energy Outlook 2011
“The United States may be close to self-sufficiency in energy
by 2030 because of a "shale revolution" in the country.”
BP CEO Bob Dudley, January 17, 2013
“U.S. crude oil production on track to surpass imports for first
time since 1995”
Energy Information Administration, March 2013 Short-Term Energy
Outlook.
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Shales: What’s the Big Deal?
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U.S. Shale Production Forecast to Dramatically Increase,
Resulting in Lower in Natural Gas Prices
7
Source: EIA (http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/er/executive_summary.cfm)
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Shales: What’s the Big Deal?
International Energy Agency Projections
8
Source: Source: International Energy Agency, Golden Rules for a Golden Age of Gas: World
Energy Outlook, Special Report on Unconventional Gas, OECD/IEA, May 29, 2012
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What Changed the Game?
Horizontal Well with Multi-Stage Fracturing
Source: EnCana
• Natural gas production from
shallow, fractured shale
formations not new
First shale well drilled in
Fredonia, NY in 1821
First fractured well in 1947
2.5 million fractures to date
worldwide; > 1 million in U.S.
• What “changed the game” was
the recognition that one could
“create a permeable reservoir”
and high rates of gas
production by using intensively
stimulated horizontal wells
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Distance between shale
formation and ground water
typically > 1 mile
Vertical fractures rarely
grow more than about 300 feet,
and are usually much less
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“Fracking” – Bridging a Language Barrier
• Industry defines “fracking” narrowly, to only include
the days worth of activity stimulating the well
• Opponents define it to include the entire process of
shale oil and gas development – from well site
identification to production well abandonment
• This semantic difference has contributed to many
misunderstandings between different stakeholders
o Most cited environmental concerns had nothing to do with
industry’s definition of “fracking” operations
• The characterization of “fracking” sets the terms of
the discussion and debate.
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Source: http://warrenpohatu.blogspot.com/2011/12/what-is-fracking-cuz.html
What Is “Fracking”?
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Source: http://christinacoleman.org/gasland/what-is-fracking
What Is “Fracking”?
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Source: http://www.cwfnc.org/what-we-do/hydraulic-fracturing/about//
What Is “Fracking”?
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Sorting Fact from Fiction?
• Environmental impacts/benefits of greater natural
gas production
• Adequacy of regulatory oversight?
• Impacts on economy and energy security?
• Environmental impacts – real or not?
− Ground water contamination
− Water use and disposal
− Chemical handling and reporting
− Air quality
− Induced seismicity
− Others
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Natural Gas Still Emits GHGs, though < Coal/Oil; Could
Displace Renewables as Low-Cost Power Alternative
Cost of producing energy before subsidies, per megawatt hour. Bloomberg New Energy
Finance, 3rd quarter 2009.
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U.S. CO2 Emissions at 20-Year Low
• Declining CO2 emissions not due to wind or solar power
• Primary reason is availability of low-cost gas
− Due primarily to shale gas development
− Gas displacing coal as fuel for power generation
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Natural Gas Believed to Play Critical Role in
Reducing Global Emissions of GHGs
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Is “Fracking” an “Unregulated” Activity?
• One side – Oil & gas industry exemptions (“loopholes”) from federal
environmental statutes allows “fracking” to be “unregulated”
• Other side – Exemptions were provided based on conclusions that
oil and gas adequately addressed under state regulations
− States were regulating oil and gas activities long before such activities
were even considered by federal statutes
− “One size fits all” federal regulations inappropriate given diversity of
geology, environment, etc. among states
− Unlike industrial facilities, oil and gas facilities tend to be small and
disperse, minimizing local impacts
− No need for regulatory duplication between states and feds
• Nature and extent of current level of activity and sophistication of the
technology not foreseen by pre-2008 laws and regulations
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Adequacy of State Regulations
• Within the last several years, every state has introduced
new legislation and/or regulations imposing stiffer
requirements – in recognition of dramatic growth in activity
• Under Congressional directive, EPA undertaking
comprehensive study of the impacts of hydraulic fracturing
− A state regulatory review is part of this assessment
• EPA is also looking at other statutory/regulatory
mechanisms to address issues of concern
• Nonetheless, several states have imposed bans or
moratoria on fracturing in place (NY, VT, NJ)
• Only NY is thought to have significant potential
− Numerous cities/towns have also issued bans or moratoria;
many are being challenged as a violation of state law
− Most moratoria driven by need for better understanding of impacts
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Source: http://chemistrytoenergy.com/shale-gas
Economic Implications of “Fracking”
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Are Ground Water Resources Safe?
Source:
http://mnprogressiveproject.com/minnesota-
needs-to-do-its-part-to-end-fracking/
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Are Ground Water Resources Safe?
• One side – “Fracking” poses substantial risk to ground
water resources
o Several researchers have claimed that low ground water quality in
some areas is linked to “fracking”
• Other side -- In some cases where contamination was
claimed, activities other than “fracking” likely the cause
o Sometimes cause is normal oil and gas operations, not unique to
“fracking”
o Activities regulated and enforced under existing authorities
o “Contamination” often existed before oil and gas development
o Methane can come from biogenic sources, coal seams, other non-
targeted formations
o Background analyses rare to determine water quality before
development began
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Are Ground Water Resources Safe?
Source: www.energyindepth.com
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Are Ground Water Resources Safe?
• EPA conducted high visibility investigations of alleged
ground water contamination in 3 locations (TX, WY, and PA)
o In all cases, investigations were suspended or no conclusive
evidence of contamination from oil and gas operations found
• EPA has is performing case study assessments as part of its
Study of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on
Drinking Water Resources
o Prospective case studies, where research at the site begins
before hydraulic fracturing occurs, and then continues during
and after hydraulic fracturing activities.
o Five retrospective case studies at sites where hydraulic
fracturing has already occurred, and where contamination of
drinking water resources has been reported.
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What about Surface Water?
http://www.watershedcouncil.org/learn/h
ydraulic-fracturing/concerns-tieh-
hydraulic-fracturing/
• Concerns exist about the source of the
water pre-fracking and disposition of
waste water post-fracking
• Contamination from surface water
management probably bigger threat
than “fracking’
• Used by a Texas golf course every eight
days during the summer.
• Needed to irrigate enough cornfields to
produce 5,100 gallons of ethanol.
• Used annually for outdoor watering by 90
typical American households. –
• Used by New York City every six minutes.
• About 4 million gallons required to frack
a well, roughly equal to the amount:
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What about Surface Water?
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What about Surface Water?
Many Operators Now Treating and Reusing
Frack Water Flow Back
http://www.environmentalleader.com/2012/05/14
/stricter-regulatory-standards-end-of-legal-
loopholes-needed-for-fracking-safety-nrdc-says/
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What about Air Quality?
• One side – Natural gas development emits methane, volatile
organic compounds, hazardous air pollutants, and GHGs
− Methane has 25 times more impact on warming than CO2
− Few claim life cycle GHG emissions from power generation with gas
supplied from shales greater than associated with coal power generation
• Other side -- Emissions from natural gas power generation are
half of that of coal
− New EPA proposed NSPS for GHG emissions from power generation are
essentially based on this
• Fact – sources of data to support either side’s claims are
insufficient – more data are needed!
− Data being collected as part of EPA’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas
Reporting Rule should help clarify and inform
• Recent World Resources Institute study concludes that
methane leakage rates need to be below 1% for life cycle
climate impacts of gas to be less than coal
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Why Can’t We Know What is Being Put in the Ground?
• One side – Communities have a “right to know” what
“toxic chemicals” are being used in fracture stimulations
• Other side – Revealing chemical compositions of fracture
fluid formulations reveal valuable corporate trade secrets
• Fact – Most states require reporting of chemicals used in
fracturing to state regulatory agencies and emergency
response authorities
− But requirements on how its reported, and how proprietary
information is protected vary considerably from state-to-state
• Fact -- Industry is developing less toxic alternatives to
critical chemicals
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Some Chemicals Used in “Fracking”
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More Environmentally Benign Fracture Fluid
Additives are Being Developed
To minimize environmental risks, the
BJ SmartCare family of fracturing
fluids and additives uses quantifiable
and standardized chemical
evaluations to assess products and
identify possible alternatives. Photo
at left courtesy of Baker Hughes
Source: Halliburton
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What about the Threat of Earthquakes?
• Some researchers are demonstrating the frequency and
intensity of small earthquakes is increasing in areas of
expanding shale gas development
− Though establishing an undisputable linkage for causation has
proven illusive
• The National Research Council that concluded “hydraulic
fracturing a well as presently implemented for shale gas
recovery does not pose a high risk for inducing felt seismic
events.”
• Instead, the researchers found — like the USGS did a few
months ago — that injection wells were more commonly
the culprit for induced seismicity
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What about Other “Quality of Life” Considerations?
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Can These New Natural Gas Resources Be
Developed In An Environmentally Sound Way?
• Assuring Safe Hydraulic Fractures
• Drilling Appropriately Constructed Wells
• Reducing Land Use/Social Impacts
• Recycling Water and Reducing Water Use
• Appropriately Siting Disposal Wells
• Controlling/Capturing Methane Emissions
Numerous efforts underway to establish multi-stakeholder
developed guidance and best practices
Improved approaches for pursuing this resource are available,
without imposing unnecessary costs.
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Examples of Efforts Focused on Best Practices
• American Petroleum Institute “HF series” of best practices
guidance documents for hydraulic fracturing
• Marcellus Shale Coalition
• Barnett Shale Energy Education Council
• Appalachian Shale Water Conservation and Management
Committee
• Individual corporate Statements of Principles
• STRONGER state regulatory reviews
• Secretary of Energy Advisory Board recommendations
• National Petroleum Council recommendations
• World Resources Institute recommendations
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Center for Sustainable Shale Development
• CSSD -- independent organization with mission to support
continuous improvement and innovative practices through
performance standards and third-party certification.
• CCSD provides a forum for diverse stakeholders to share
expertise with common objective of developing solutions/ serving
as center of excellence for shale gas development
• CCSD is collaborative effort of environmental NGOs,
philanthropic foundations, O&G companies and others
• CCSD prepared to offer “seal of approval” to companies meeting
established performance standards
• Note – not all environmental groups or O&G companies are
supportive of this effort
• See http://www.sustainableshale.org/
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Conclusions
• Sorting fact from fiction in the shale gas debate
is difficult
o This difficulty poses dilemmas for policy-
makers and regulators
• Conflicting environmental objectives
complicate transparency and rational
assessment
o Reduce fossil fuel dependency at all costs vs.
o Developing sound sustainable approaches to
shale resource development
• Ethical issues abound between and among
critical considerations
• Individual values can play a critical role in
where one stands on this issue
o And how they perceive the “facts”