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Assessment Of Risks And Benefits For Pennsylvania Water Sources When Utilizing Acid Mine Drainage For Hydraulic Fracturing, Frederick R. Davis

Master's Projects and Capstones

The use of Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) in the hydraulic fracturing process increases the complexity of a polarizing topic. Many stakeholders see a potential to provide relief to multiple environmental problems while others see it as another threat to the Pennsylvania water supply so many parties depend on. This research will evaluate data from Pennsylvania state agencies and additional academic research regarding AMD and fracking to assess potential benefits, risks, and complications for Pennsylvania watersheds when using AMD in the fracking process.

Chapter 1 presents background information on energy demand and hydraulic fracturing, as well as energy sources and industrial …

Three Essays On Biofuels, Drought, Livestock, And The Environment, Sunil P. Dhoubhadel

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation consists of three essays. The first essay examines the impact of the 2012 drought and the biofuels mandate on the U.S. grain and livestock markets. A stochastic equilibrium displacement model is used to analyze the impact on eight commodity markets viz. beef, pork, poultry, corn, distillers’ grain (DG), soybean, soymeal, and ethanol. Among the eight markets, corn and beef are found to be the most vulnerable to drought. The use of Renewable Identification Number (RIN) credits as an instrument to mitigate the impact of drought has limited effectiveness. A mandate waiver of about 23% is required to fully …

Taming The Teesta: Exploring The Holistic Effects Of Hydroelectric Dam Development On The Teesta River Through Documentary Film, Taylor Graham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since time immemorial, the Lepcha people have called the Himalayan region that makes up the modern state of Sikkim their home and have held sacred the rivers, mountains, and forests that make up the biologically diverse region. Over the past two decades, India’s rapid development has generated a powerful thirst for electricity, and the country has increasingly looked to the cold, powerful rivers thundering from the Himalayas to supply that desired power. Hydroelectric projects have been proposed and implemented throughout the Himalayan region. Nowhere, however, are the dams as numerous or their effects as acutely felt as in India’s northwestern …

Development In Alaska/British Columbia Transboundary Watersheds: A Campaign For International Joint Commission Involvement, Elizabeth Purdy

Capstone Collection

This case study in policy advocacy examines a campaign based in Southeast Alaska known as “Salmon Beyond Borders.” Run by a regional coalition of environmental organizations, indigenous tribes, local municipalities, commercial and sport fishing groups, policy experts, scientists, and concerned citizens, the Salmon Beyond Borders (SBB) campaign seeks a formal referral for International Joint Commission (IJC) involvement from the U.S. Department of State and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. SBB would like the IJC to study the cumulative impacts of mining development in the region’s transboundary watersheds and offer non-binding recommendations from which the U.S. and Canada can negotiate …

Signed Peer Reviews As A Means To Improve Scholarly Publishing, Linwood H. Pendleton

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Peer review is a necessary process with a long history of complaints, including over-solicitation of a small number of reviewers, delays, inadequate numbers of reviewers, and a lack of incentives to provide strong reviews or avoid reviews with little helpful information for the author. In the era of Web-based distribution of research, through working paper or project reports, anonymous peer reviews are much less likely. The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics will use signed peer reviews and an open communication process among authors, reviewers, and editors. This approach, to be developed over time, should lead to stronger communication of …

Initial Evaluations Of A U.S. Navy Rapidly Relocatable Gulf Of Mexico/Caribbean Ocean Forecast System In The Context Of The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Disaster, Edward D. Zaron, Patrick J. Fitzpatrick, Scott L. Cross, John M. Harding, Frank L. Bub, Jerry D. Wiggert, Dong S. Ko, Yee Lau, Katharine Woodward, Christopher N.K. Mooers

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In response to the Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill event in 2010, the Naval Oceanographic Office deployed a nowcast-forecast system covering the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent Caribbean Sea that was designated Americas Seas, or AMSEAS, which is documented in this manuscript. The DwH disaster provided a challenge to the application of available ocean-forecast capabilities, and also generated a historically large observational dataset. AMSEAS was evaluated by four complementary efforts, each with somewhat different aims and approaches: a university research consortium within an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) testbed; a petroleum industry consortium, the Gulf of Mexico 3-D Operational Ocean …

Biodigestor: Rural Power Plant, Felipe Ribeiro Bozza

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Biodigestor: Rural Power Plant

Social Policies As Subsidy For Environmental Education: A Citizen Behavioral Change Tool, Gracielle Peixoto

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Social Policies as subsidy for Environmental Education: A citizen behavioral change tool

One Tragedy, One Action, Amy Fosler

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

One Tragedy, One Action

Leveling The Financial Playing Field For Renewables, Taylor Nissen

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Leveling the Financial Playing Field for Renewables

Great Economic Growth Versus Sustainability, Maria Brandao

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Great Economic Growth versus Sustainability

It Is Always Possible, Ivan Makino

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

It Is Always Possible

Say No To Natural Gas, Alex Bruening

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Say No to Natural Gas

Iowa Does It Better: Necessary Role Model Needed To Up Nebraska’S Poor Recycling Diversion Rates, Brian Burris

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Iowa Does It Better: Necessary Role Model needed to Up Nebraska’s Poor Recycling Diversion Rates

What The Frack?, Carson Schwalbach

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

What The Frack?

Why Keystone Pipeline Xl Construction Doesn’T Matter Either Way, Melissa Allen

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Why Keystone Pipeline XL Construction Doesn’t Matter Either Way

Biofuels: Good And Bad, Megan Neve

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Biofuels: Good and Bad

A Call For Congressional Climate Action, Calvin Harman

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

A Call for Congressional Climate Action

Potential Biogas Production On Livestock Operations, Mariana Baia

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Potential Biogas Production on Livestock Operations

The Clean Power Plan – Has The Epa Got It Right…, Brooke Welsh

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The Clean Power Plan – Has the EPA Got It Right…

The Cost Of Change, Thomas Mcguire

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The Cost of Change

Nuclear Power Gateway To A Sustainable Energy Sector, Tyler Glewwe

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Nuclear Power Gateway to a Sustainable Energy Sector

Energy Race To Save The Planet, Ty Rempe

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Energy Race to Save the Planet

Corn Ethanol, A Bad Idea, Taylor Hackbart

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Corn Ethanol, A Bad Idea

The Mechanical And Social Feasibility Of Using Biogas To Fuel An Essential Oil Distillation Unit In The Rural Commune Of Ankarimbelo, Madagascar, Hannah Nesser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The rural commune of Ankarimbelo is located on the edge of the Ikongo Rainforest Corridor in southeastern Madagascar. The commune’s remote location, an increasing population, and the prohibition of farming in the rainforest corridor have contributed to extreme poverty. In an attempt to mitigate these effects, the Malagasy NGO Ny Tanintsika has implemented an essential oils distillation plant as an alternative livelihood project. While the project may provide needed income to local populations, thereby diverting destructive agriculture practices such as tavy, or slash-and-burn agriculture, the distillation of essential oils still requires that firewood be burned. Over the course of …

The Perfect Pitch: Car Commercials In The Environment, Alyssa P. Beyer, Sara Moyer

Student Publications

Car commercials, like many advertisements, tempt its viewers with comfort, capability, or safety features, as well as being well‐engineered, affordable, attractive, large or compact sized, or fuel efficient. This study examines the pitches in YouTube car commercial video clips from the 1960s until 2014. We coded a total of 263 total car commercials based on pitch, setting, narrator, decade, and country of origin. The analysis revealed that most car commercials were presented in rural settings and capability was pitched most frequently overall. Fuel efficiency was ranked third overall; however, within urban settings, fuel efficiency had the highest frequency. During the …

Noise Pollution? What's The Solution?: Understanding Traffic Noise Pollution In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Andrew F. Kapp, Joseph M. Passmore, Anika H. Schneider

Student Publications

Noise pollution can be damaging to a community by impacting its atmosphere as well as the health of its residents, local quality of life, and local economy. Our study sought to gain insight into the level of noise pollution in Gettysburg, both in-town and on the Gettysburg College campus, and how noise pollution may be affecting the local residents and students. We selected 9 sampling sites, 6 in-town and 3 on the college campus, and measured the noise pollution in dBA with portable sound meters three days a week and three times a day over a three week period. Our …

What Drives Car Attitudes: An Analysis Of How Demographics And Environmental Views Relate To Car Attitudes, Kelly M. Gross, Alexandra S. Isaacson, Brian J.B. Lonabocker

Student Publications

Successfully marketing new, clean, car technologies to consumers requires an advertising strategy that fits consumers’ priorities and attitudes towards cars. We created a survey to study how attitudes towards cars are associated with demographics and environmental views. Our study examined car preferences and environmental concerns of a sample of Gettysburg College students in comparison to a national sample obtained from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. Overall, we concluded that environmental beliefs are a significantly better prediction of car behaviors than demographics. We found that on average people would pay more for a car with a higher fuel economy, but not enough to …

Damming Brazil, Thyra Brody

e-Research: A Journal of Undergraduate Work

Hydroelectric power is often considered a safe and clean alternative to the combustion of fossil fuels. Although the consequences to the air and atmosphere are lower, damming large rivers in the jungles of Brazil have a significant impact on indigenous populations and environmental ecosystems. This article examines such fallout and calls out for equity, and social and environmental justice. As the fuel of the last century burns out the hectic scramble for a tenable alternative is becoming an increasingly serious question mark. We would do well for ourselves, and future generations, to try and solve the environmental issues associated with …

Study On Environmental Risk Assessment Of Oil Spill Accidents In Shanghai Port, Jingzhou Chang

Maritime Safety & Environment Management Dissertations (Dalian)

No abstract provided.