A Retrospective Review of Retrospective Cost Analyses

Every administration since President Carter has initiated efforts urging agencies to reassess existing regulations. However, these reviews rarely involve ex post benefit-cost analysis of the original regulation and for the most part have not become institutionalized practice. Nevertheless, retrospective review can play an important role in revealing insights about the realized costs and benefits of rules, which may lead to modification, elimination, or strengthening of some regulations.

In this paper, we identify the main factors that drive differences between ex ante and ex post cost estimates. The paper reviews evidence from peer-reviewed studies of the realized costs of 13 significant …

Ambitious Mandates, Ambivalent Communities: Land Use Challenges to New York’s Renewable Power Goals

The report reviews New York’s evolving renewable power and its performance in meeting them as well as the state’s efforts to accelerate permitting despite local opposition in some communities. A concluding section presents lessons for other states seeking to develop low and zero-emission power.…

Clean Energy Standards: Selected Issues for the 117th Congress

For many years, policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have been of interest to Congress. Congressional and constituent interest continues in the 117th Congress. One option to reduce GHG emissions from electricity generation is a clean energy standard.

A clean energy standard (CES), sometimes called a clean electricity standard, is a policy that requires a minimum share of electricity to be generated from eligible “clean” sources. No universal definition of clean energy exists, and proposals differ in what technologies are included. Some proposals, usually referred to as a renewable portfolio standard (RPS), …

Guiding Principles for Sound Energy Policy: Outcomes from an OurEnergyPolicy Discussion Series

The mission of OurEnergyPolicy (OEP) is to facilitate substantive, responsible dialogue on energy policy issues and provide this dialogue as a resource for the American people, policymakers, and the media. In doing so, we inform and support the creation of sound and effective policies. OEP seeks to encourage dialogue representative of viewpoints from across the energy sector, rather than advocating for any specific political, programmatic, policy, or technological agenda. As part of this mission, OEP started an initiative to produce a list of principles that can guide the creation of sound energy policy and convened several discussions to reach this …

Hot Spots for Renewable Heat: Decarbonizing Low- to Medium-Temperature Industrial Heat Across the G-20

Demand for industrial products has risen considerably in the past two decades, along with energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Process heat in industry accounts for 29% of global final energy demand, and carbon dioxide emissions that are roughly equal in size to total emissions from the transportation sector.

As the world looks to meet climate targets, decarbonizing industrial heat will be crucial. WBCSD collaborated with BloombergNEF to develop a report that seeks to point industrial end-users towards attractive markets for renewable heat, based on wide variety of market conditions, policy environments, and resource availability. It is particularly focused on decarbonizing …

Rural Communities Need Better Transportation Policy

Many federal policymakers mistakenly believe that living in a rural area inevitably means that every single person must drive long distances for every trip—and that the cost, time, inconvenience, and pollution from long trips behind the wheel are a non-negotiable part of rural life. That is out of touch with the reality in rural America, where more than 1 million households don’t even have access to a vehicle.

As the case studies in this report show, many towns in rural areas are demonstrating that it is possible to provide residents with a choice to drive less and enhance their quality …

Climate-Tech to Watch: Enhanced Geothermal Systems

With technological advancements in deep-well drilling and material improvements, Enhanced Geothermal Systems technology costs could be reduced, and geothermal energy could make substantial contributions to a net-zero energy system over the long term.

An enhanced geothermal system (EGS) produces carbon-free power by harnessing the earth’s heat from far below the ground. An EGS accesses the heat by injecting water at high pressure from wells on the surface. The water creates fractures in deep rock formations, and the rocks, in turn, heat up the water. The water is then pumped back up, carrying enough heat to produce steam for power generation. …

No New Coal by 2021: The Collapse of the Global Coal Pipeline

The global pipeline of proposed coal power plants has collapsed by 76% since the Paris Agreement in 2015, bringing the end of new coal power into view.

United Nations Secretary General Guterres has called for ‘no new coal by 2021’, while COP President Designate Alok Sharma has called for COP26 in November 2021 to ‘consign coal to history’.COP26 provides the ideal moment for governments to turn off the tap of new coal construction.

This report analyses the dynamics of the global coal pipeline since 2015, tracking the collapse of the capacity pipeline …

Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Technology Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs

Since the early years of the automobile, petroleum-fueled combustion engines have dominated the vehicle market. Alternatives, including battery-powered electric vehicles (EVs) and alcohol-fueled combustion vehicles, have existed since the automobile’s infancy, but their adoption was limited for a variety of reasons, including abundant, inexpensive gasoline and diesel fuel, a refueling infrastructure network dedicated to petroleum, and differences in vehicle performance and capability. Interest in alternatives to petroleum has grown over time, driven by factors such as concerns over U.S. reliance on imported petroleum, pollutant emissions and subsequent health effects, and climate change resulting from the use of fossil fuels. Congress …

Clean Energy Tax Credits Are an Essential Part of Budget Reconciliation

We stand at a pivotal climate moment. To meet it, Congress must provide major investments in clean energy tax credits as part of budget reconciliation legislation.

In this new memo circulated with Congress, Evergreen lays out several essential clean energy tax credits that will help address the climate crisis and create good-paying jobs for American workers.

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