UNITED STATES -- ENERGY POLICY
Winter 2008-09
Belfer Center Newsletter Winter 2008-09
Newsletter
By Sharon Wilke, Associate Director of Communications
The Winter 2008-09 issue of the Belfer Center newsletter features recent and upcoming research, activities, and analysis by Center faculty, fellows, and staff on critical global issues. "What should the next president do first?" is a question raised in this issue. Belfer Center experts respond to the question with advice on what they consider priority issues of national security, climate/energy policy, and the economic crisis.
The Winter 2008-09 issue also features take-aways from the Center’s recent “Acting in Time on Energy Policy” conference hosted by the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group. In addition, it spotlights Belfer Center Faculty Affiliate Richard Clarke and new Kennedy School Professor Nicholas Burns.
Belfer Center
Winter 2008-09
"For the Next President: Center Scholars Suggest Priority Actions on Security, Climate/Energy and the Financial Crisis"
Newsletter Article, Belfer Center Newsletter
With a new president of the United States soon to be elected, Belfer Center scholars offer their suggestions to the next president on issues of national security, climate/energy policy, and the financial crisis.
Martha Stewart
September 25, 2008
"Electric Cars, 'Cap and Trade,' and More"
Magazine or Newspaper Article, Harvard Gazette
"Acting on Time on Energy" conference, held at Harvard on 18–19 September 2008, brought together business leaders, investors, academics and government officials, to discuss energy pollcy for the next U.S. Administration. Click here for photos.
July 29, 2008
New Report from Harvard Kennedy School Researchers Calls for Changes to Biofuels Incentives
News
By Henry Lee, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program, William Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy, and Human Development; Co-director, Sustainability Science Program; Faculty Chair, ENRP; and Charan Devereaux
Despite pressure from biofuel critics, governments should avoid simplistic and precipitous changes in course such as rollback or moratoria on existing biofuels mandates or incentives, according to a new report from three Harvard Kennedy School researchers. Instead, the researchers urge governments to initiate an orderly, innovation-enhancing transition towards incentives targeted on multi-dimensional goals for biofuels development.
AP Photo
Summer 2008
Hedging Against Uncertainty: US Strategy in an Interdependent World
Journal Article, National Strategy Forum Review
By William Hogan, Raymond Plank Professor of Global Energy Policy
Energy is important, but energy independence is a dangerous myth. The U.S. National Petroleum Council recently observed: "There can be no U.S. energy security without global energy security." Oil flows in a world market and events anywhere affect the price of oil everywhere. There is no escaping these oil price shocks. Even if the United States were to substantially reduce its own oil consumption, there would be no immunity from the effects of high world oil prices that would determine domestic energy prices and ripple through the world economy. Geology and politics make the world deeply interdependent and policy should be crafted to promote and secure energy interdependence. Real energy security comes from robust energy systems with diversity and flexibility, not through isolation and energy autarky.
July 16, 2008
"Running on Empty and Spreading the Blame"
Op-Ed, The Boston Globe
By Henry Lee, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program
Who is to blame for $4.00 gasoline?
June 2008
DOE Budget Authority for Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Database
Fact Sheet
By Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
This document contains June 2008 updates to a database on U.S. government investments in energy research, development, and demonstration (ERD&D). The database, in Microsoft Excel format, tracks budget requests on ERD&D from 1978-2009 and includes several charts.
AP Photo
June 2008
"Analysis of Policies to Reduce Oil Consumption and Greenhouse-Gas Emissions from the U.S. Transportation Sector"
Discussion Paper
By Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director, Energy Technology Innovation Policy and Gustavo Collantes, Former Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy Research Group/Enviroment and Natural Resources Program, 2007-2008
This study examines different policy scenarios for reducing GHG emissions and oil consumption in the U.S. transportation sector using a variant of the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS).
June 3, 2008
DOE FY09 Budget Request for Energy Research, Development & Demonstration – Commentary
Report
By Laura Diaz Anadon, Project Manager, Energy Research, Development, Demonstration & Deployment Policy, Energy Technology Innovation Policy, Kelly Sims Gallagher, Director, Energy Technology Innovation Policy and Matthew Bunn, Associate Professor of Public Policy; Co-Principal Investigator, Project on Managing the Atom
Anadon, Gallagher, and Bunn offer their insight and analysis on the President's FY09 budget request for U.S. Department of Energy spending for energy research, development, and demonstration.
May 2008
"Returns to Scale in Carbon Capture and Storage Infrastructure and Deployment"
Discussion Paper
By Jeffrey Bielicki, Research Fellow, Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group
In this Belfer Center discussion paper, Bielicki describes SimCCS, a cost-minimizing geospatial deployment model used to deploy CCS for a variety of combinations of CO2 sources and injection reservoirs. The purpose of SimCCS is to determine the returns to scale for CCS deployment and to unravel the determinants thereof.
