Policy Topics

Energy and Environment

Showing 241 - 270 of 648 results

Student Working Papers

Framing Local Parking Restrictions as Climate Change Mitigation Policies

June 1, 2018

Ian McKenny

Local policies aimed at reducing the emissions that contribute to climate change are growing in popularity in the United States, but progress on reducing vehicle emissions remains incremental. Cities are slowly shifting away from zoning policies...

Student Working Papers

The Politics of the Gas Tax: Exploring State Politics and the Oil Industry

June 1, 2018

C.J. Mayer

The gas tax in the United States has significant implications for the environment and for infrastructure funding. In contrast to federal inaction for over two decades, many states have recently increased their own state-level gas taxes. This study...

Student Working Papers

An Investigation of Solar Friendly Policies in American States’ Renewable Portfolio Standards

June 1, 2018

Will Horne

Solar power has historically been a high cost form of renewable energy. Other renewables like wind have dominated the market, leading to a lack of diversity within American states’ renewable portfolio standards (RPS). To combat this lack of...

Student Working Papers

Comparing What Triggered Renewable Energy Development in Jordan and Morocco

June 1, 2018

Tyler Coady

Despite lacking oil and gas resources and its accompanying wealth, Jordan and Morocco are leading renewable energy producers in the Middle East and North Africa. This research paper is a comparative case study that analyzes policy intent, policy...

Student Working Papers

Virginia’s Road to RGGI: A Case Study of State-Level Cap-and-Trade Adoption

June 1, 2018

Joe Cianciola

In the global fight against climate change, cap-and-trade programs remain one of the most effective means of greenhouse gas mitigation at policymakers’ disposal. Within the United States, several sub-national cap-and trade programs have emerged with...

Student Working Papers

Exploring Current Republican Senators’ Portrayal of Climate Change and Mitigation Policies

June 1, 2018

Madeline Carter

To evaluate current Republican views on climate, this study performs an inventory of all 51 US Republican senators’ official websites. It analyzes how each member speaks of "climate change" and "energy," which types of climate change mitigation...

Student Working Papers

Analyzing the Evolution of the Renewable Portfolio Standard in the United States

June 1, 2018

Kyle Butler

Due to a lack of concerted federal action to promote renewable energy, understanding and evaluating the rigors of state-level energy policies such as renewable portfolio standards is of great importance. The literature on state renewable policies...

Student Working Papers

Changing Winds of Community Attitudes Towards Wind Energy Development: an Analysis of Huron County, Michigan

June 1, 2018

Alexander H. Wood

Transitioning our energy supply to renewable sources has become an objective for policymakers, worldwide, and wind energy has emerged as a leading alternative energy source. In the US, much of the wind energy growth has occurred in rural communities...

IEEP

Should State and Local Governments Address Climate Change? 10 Years of Climate Federalism in the NSEE

March 1, 2018

In this chapter, we examine whether American public opinion about the proper role for various governmental levels to address climate change has shifted over the last decade. Using time-series data, we consider which levels of government Americans...

IEEP

Coal, Natural Gas, and Pipelines: 10 Years of Fossil Fuels in the NSEE

January 1, 2018

In this chapter, we look at how American attitudes about fossil fuels have changed over the last decade. We use time-series data to consider shifts in support for phasing out coal-fired power plants altogether and for so-called “clean coal,” as well...

Student Working Papers

Carbon Capture and Storage Framing in the Media

October 1, 2017

Brett Swiecicki

According to IPCC models, it will be impossible to prevent global temperatures from rising two degrees above preindustrial levels without the deployment of negative emissions technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), which remove carbon...

Student Working Papers

Analyzing the Debate Surrounding Clean Water Act Jurisdiction: A Use of the ACF for Decoding American Environmental Policy Stalemates

October 1, 2017

Adam Assink

Since the enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, waters in the United States have continually improved in quality. However, wetlands—and what constitutes a “navigable” waterway—have not been clearly deemed jurisdictional or not by the CWA....

Student Working Papers

Plastic Bag Policy and Enforcement in the United States

October 1, 2017

Abrianna Soule

In the United States, there is a growing concern about the negative impacts of single-use plastic bags on human health and the environment. Several local and sub-national governments have implemented bans on the use of plastic bags as a result of...

Student Working Papers

Residential Utility Rates’ Effect on Americans’ Support and Willingness-To-Pay for Carbon-Pricing Policies

October 1, 2017

Jacob Podell

Climate change mitigation policies are often politically challenging to implement; this is especially true in the U.S. where carbon-pricing mechanisms are a political non-starter across both federal and sub-federal levels of government. While...

Student Working Papers

Veto Override and RPS Expansion in Maryland: Roles of Actors and the Economy

October 1, 2017

Rio Mizuno

The excessive generation of greenhouse gases by fossil fuel electricity production, and its resulting contribution to climate change, are some of the most threatening environmental issues today. To combat this problem, many US states have adopted a...

IEEP

A Majority of Americans Support Net Energy Metering

August 1, 2017

Net energy metering (NEM), the policy that allows utility customers with onsite electricity sources such as solar panels or small wind turbines to sell excess energy they generate back to the electric grid, has played a significant role in the...

Fiscal Impacts of Wind Energy on Michigan’s Schools: Interview Research

July 1, 2017

In fall 2016, school officials from four Michigan communities with utility-scale windfarms were contacted requesting interviews. We interviewed with four officials from three of these communities. The officials included financial administrators and...

IEEP

Strong Public Support for State-level Policies to Address Climate Change

June 1, 2017

This report presents findings from the Spring 2017 National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) fielded just prior to President Trump’s June 2017 announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 international climate agreement negotiated in...

Student Working Papers

Michigan Agriculture: How Farm Subsidies are Killing Growth and the Environment

April 1, 2017

Kohlton Johnson

With 2014’s Agricultural Act, otherwise known as the “Farm Bill” signed by President Obama at Michigan State University, there was a new doubling-down on federal subsidies as well as a new investment in young, beginner farmers. This is in response...

Student Working Papers

Blown Away: The Increasing Importance of Wind Energy in Michigan

April 1, 2017

Sean Smalley

The future of the environment is a controversial topic in 21st century America. Two polarities exist on the subject of the environment. Typically conservatives reject climate change and doubt any human causation, claiming it to be a mythical...

Student Working Papers

Renewable Energy Reform in Michigan

April 1, 2017

Tanner Savitsky

As the industrial revolution and capitalism firmly took hold several hundred years ago, the production of excess carbon dioxide and other fossil fuels has negatively influenced the environment. Many fossil fuels, like coal, were cheap, effective,...

IEEP

Moving the needle on American support for a carbon tax

March 1, 2017

Key findings from the latest round of the National Survey on Energy and Environment (NSEE) from the University of Michigan and Muhlenberg College suggest Americans are increasingly warming to the idea of a carbon tax, especially if they are told the...

Views of Wind Development from Michigan’s Windfarm Communities

February 1, 2017

Sarah Mills

In June 2016, landowners in ten Michigan townships with utility-scale windfarms were mailed a survey about their experiences with wind energy. These townships collectively host over a third of the state’s utility-scale wind turbines and represent a...

MPPS

Local government leaders' views on drinking water and water supply infrastructure in Michigan communities

November 1, 2016

This report presents Michigan local government leaders’ assessments of issues related to the provision of drinking water in their communities, including threats to water safety, the condition of infrastructure, challenges regarding shared local...

IEEP

Fewer Americans Doubt Global Warming is Occurring

August 1, 2016

Since its inception in 2008, the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) has tracked whether Americans believe there is solid evidence that global warming is occurring. The Spring 2016 NSEE finds that Americans’ views on climate change—and...

IEEP

American Views on Fracking

May 1, 2016

Since becoming an economically viable means of extracting oil and gas in the early 21st century, hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” as the process is commonly known) has become a major component of the American and world energy sectors. In 2015,...

Student Working Papers

The Struggle for Shared Governance in Hydraulic Fracturing Policy: An Interstate Comparison of Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado

February 1, 2016

Carolyn Rice, CLOSUP Policy Analyst

This paper seeks to explore the issue of unilateral state authority over hydraulic fracturing policy and the possibility/ merits of a shared government model that incorporates local input. This analysis explores the balance of state and local power...

IEEP

American Attitudes about the Clean Power Plan and Policies for Compliance

December 1, 2015

In August 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the final rule of the Clean Power Plan, setting carbon dioxide emission reduction targets for each state’s existing power plants. A month later, the National Surveys on Energy and the...

IEEP

Acceptance of Global Warming Rising for Americans of all Religious Beliefs

November 1, 2015

The release earlier this year of the Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si’, and the visit of Pope Francis to the United States have reinvigorated the discussion of the relationship between religion and perceptions of global warming. This report, pulling...

IEEP

Acceptance of Global Warming Among Americans Reaches Highest Level Since 2008

October 1, 2015

For the first time since 2008 at least 7 out of 10 Americans indicate that they believe there is solid evidence of global warming over the past four decades. This 70% belief level is the second highest mark in the history of the National Surveys on...