Energy Policy Commons^™

A New Nation, A Brighter Future? Strategic Norwegian Oil Development Assistance In South Sudan, Even Kvelland

The Macalester Review

Post-independence South Sudan faces numerous development obstacles and many consider oil to be a redeeming factor for the new state. This paper discusses the resource curse related to the country’s oil industry and how with proper management, the oil can largely benefit the new state. It explores Norway’s history of oil development and examines ways in which Norway can assist South Sudan in managing their oil, making it the most effective for the people. Key elements of the assistance are the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, technical support focusing on increased oil recovery, and building stronger state capacity. But …

Infrastructure Planning Of The Western North American Electricity System With High Fractions Of Wind And Solar Power, James Henry Nelson

Link Foundation Energy Fellowship Reports

The electricity system is of fundamental importance to the decarbonization of the entire energy system, as fuel switching away from oil and natural gas and towards electricity is a key decarbonization statregy. The scenarios presented here incorporate hourly electricity demand profiles resulting from the electrification of heating and vehicles, as well as from substantial energy efficiency. Even with agressive efficiency measures, WECC-wide electricity demand is likely to increase by at least 75% between present-day and 2050 due to population growth and additional demand from electric vehicles and electric heating. The results presented here should be interpreted in the context of …

Renewable Resource Extraction: Experimental Analysis Of Resource Management Policies Under Assumptions Of Resource Migration, Kevin B. Lugo

Gettysburg Economic Review

This paper presents research using a spatially explicit and dynamic common pool resource experiment to compare renewable resource extraction behavior between four treatments combining (1) open access and sole ownership institutions with (2) mobility and non-mobility of the renewable resource. The primary purpose of this research is to test the theory that introducing resource mobility into a sole ownership regime will remove the incentive for subjects to maximize the resource, instead causing them to revert to the myopic strategy predicted for the open access regime. I also test the hypothesis that open access firms are indifferent to resource dispersal. The …

Getches Wilkinson Center Newsletter, Winter/Spring 2013, University Of Colorado Boulder. Getches-Wilkinson Center For Natural Resources, Energy, And The Environment

Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment Newsletter (2013-)

No abstract provided.

Managing The Polarities Of Democracy: A Theoretical Framework For Positive Social Change, William J. Benet

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

People around the globe have embraced democracy to bring about positive social change to address our environmental, economic, and militaristic challenges. Yet, there is no agreement on a definition of democracy that can guide social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model is a unifying theory of democracy to guide healthy, sustainable, and just social change efforts. The Polarities of Democracy model consists of ten elements, organized as five polarity pairs: freedom & authority, justice & due process, diversity & equality, human-rights & communal-obligations, and participation & representation. In this model each element has positive aspects and negative aspects and …

Fossil Fuel Subsidies: Impacts And Reform Strategies, Jennifer E. Good

CMC Senior Theses

This thesis uses cross-country panel regressions to identify the effects of fossil-fuel subsidies for both oil importers and oil exporters on GDP growth, industry growth, crowding out of government expenditures in education, health, and infrastructure, government debt, carbon dioxide emissions, inequality and poverty. Fossil-fuel subsidies are found to be associated with lower levels of growth and industry growth, less government expenditure on health and education, poorer infrastructure quality, more government debt, and higher rates of carbon dioxide emissions. No relationship is found between fossil fuel subsidies and poverty and inequality. These results confirm the arguments of those that argue that …

Resilience Governance Through Serious Energy Gaming, Adrian V. Gheorghe, Dan V. Vamanu

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Physical analogies emphasizing cooperative behavior in systems are explored and integrated into so called 'serious energy games', to contribute in a better understanding, monitoring and good governance of some of the complex security issues confronting the evolvement of contemporary energy systems. It is believed that such exercises might be supportive in the necessary attempt, by the many stakeholders and actors / agents involved, to bring balance to prevailing policies of which seems to be “Go change yourself - in a resilient fashion!” An extrapolation of several findings to other than energy systems tempted to implement drastic changes based on substantial …

State Energy-Based Economic Development Policies And Examples, Juita-Elena Yusuf, Katharine A. Neill

School of Public Service Faculty Publications

States have adopted various policies and initiatives to develop and/or expand their energy industries, many of which have been driven by economic development purposes rather than specific energy or environmental concerns. Of the many reasons states have considered explicit energy policies, the direct economic benefits of stimulating the economy—creating jobs and increasing revenues—have often been at the forefront of policy decision making. This research note reviews existing policies targeted at developing the energy industry and presents two typologies of state-level energy policies. The first typology offers an organizing framework for categorizing such policies by energy source (existing vs. new) and …

A Cost-Benefit Analysis Of A 25% Rps In Michigan, Fei Li

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Michigan depends heavily on fossil fuels to generate electricity. Compared with fossil fuels, electricity generation from renewable energy produces less pollutants emissions. A Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is a mandate that requires electric utilities to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable energy sources. This thesis applies the Cost-Benefits Analysis (CBA) method to investigate the impacts of implementing a 25% in Michigan by 2025. It is found that a 25% RPS will create about $20.12 billion in net benefits to the State. Moreover, if current tax credit policies will not change until 2025, its net present value will increase …

Agenda: The Future Of Natural Resources Policy, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Moderator: Dean Phil Weiser, University of Colorado Law School

Panelists:

Jay Jensen, Associate Director for Land & Water Ecosystems, White House Council on Environmental Quality

Scott Miller, Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Colorado Law …

Background Reading: Department Of The Interior, 2013 Departmental Overview, United States. Department Of The Interior, Ken Salazar

The Future of Natural Resources Policy (December 6)

18 pages (DO-5 through DO-22).

"Background Reading"

The Future of Natural Resources Policy: This forum will provide a post-election perspective on some of the challenges and opportunities that natural resources, public lands, and energy policymakers in Washington are likely to face in the next four years. An expert panel will discuss the dynamics in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress, and how their evolving policies are likely to affect Colorado in the coming years.

Sustainable Municipal Operations: Albany, Oregon, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Ed Gallagher, Dave Rouse, Dennis Kurtz, Tanya Johnston

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Portland State University, Hatfield School of Government (PSU), and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), has formed a partnership to develop Sustainable Municipal Operations Plans that documents sustainability and energy management best practices. The goal of this partnership is to determine how a City/municipality can actively manage energy as a controllable expense by following a predetermined operation protocol. The PSU team developed a framework of best practices for sustainable municipal operations in different categories including facilities, fleet, purchasing, operations and the work environment. After identifying pilot jurisdictions, the team applied these best practices to the current operations of local governments in …

Slides: What Went Wrong At Divide Creek?, Matthew Sura

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Attorney Matthew Sura, Former Director of Western Colorado Congress, graduate of University of Colorado Law School; attorney specializing in representation of landowners and mineral owners in oil and gas transactions and disputes

17 slides

Agenda: Monitoring And Protecting Groundwater During Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Colorado Water And Energy Research Center

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

This workshop is cosponsored by the Intermountain Oil and Gas BMP Project and the Colorado Water and Energy Research Center, with financial support from the Environmentally Friendly Drilling Project and the CU-Boulder Outreach Committee.

The Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (COGCC) recently initiated a rule making process to develop new, statewide regulations for baseline sampling and monitoring of groundwater near new oil and gas wells. COGCC’s first rule making hearing was held November 14; the rule is expected to be finalized December 10. This workshop will discuss oil and gas development procedures that can impact groundwater, the current rules …

Slides: Survey Of State Sampling And Monitoring Rules, Kathryn Mutz, Josh Kruger

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenters: Kathryn Mutz and Josh Kruger, Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School

7 slides

Slides: Routes To Sustainability: Natural Gas Development And Air And Water Resources In The Rocky Mountain Region, Mark Williams

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Mark Williams, University of Colorado Boulder

14 slides

Slides: Colorado Law: Protecting Water Quantity And Quality, Alan E. Curtis

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Alan E. Curtis, White & Jankowski, LLP

23 slides

Further Information: Monitoring And Protecting Groundwater During Oil And Gas Development, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center. Intermountain Oil And Gas Bmp Project, Colorado Water And Energy Research Center

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

1 page.

"For Further Information" (URLs):

COGCC

Rules and Proposed Rules from Other Jurisdictions

Sampling Protocols

Impacts

Slides: Overview Of Colorado Aquifer Systems, Christopher J. Sanchez

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Christopher J. Sanchez, P.G., BBA Water Consultants, Bishop-Brogden Associates, Inc.

28 slides

Slides: The Role Of Groundwater Sampling/Monitoring: Cogcc Proposed Rule 609, Gene Florentino

Monitoring and Protecting Groundwater During Oil and Gas Development (November 26)

Presenter: Gene Florentino, PG, Walsh Environmental Scientists and Engineers

14 slides