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In Depth Articles

See the NRDC Policy Solutions section for more expert analysis of environmental issues. You may also wish to view the working materials in the NRDC Document Bank

Lowering the Cost of Play
Issue Papers: Today, more than 40 percent of all homes in the United States contain at least one video game console. Recognizing that all that gaming could add up to serious demand for electricity, NRDC and Ecos Consulting performed the first ever comprehensive study on the energy use of video game consoles. In this November 2008 issue paper, NRDC provides recommendations for users, video game console manufacturers, component suppliers and the software companies that design games for improving the efficiency of video game consoles already in homes as well as future generations of machines yet to hit the shelves.
"All of the Above" Proposal Won't Solve Energy Woes
Report: Special interests in Congress are pushing for dirty fuels, reckless drilling and billions in subsidies -- while neglecting clean energy solutions
Efficiency Can Lower Natural Gas Prices Faster and Cheaper than Drilling
Fact Sheet: Natural gas efficeincy costs less than drilling and can increase gas supplies in the short term
Finding the Balance
Issue Papers: This October 2008 issue paper discusses how investments in natural gas efficiency cost less and can bring benefits to the market faster than trying to increase supplies through drilling. The paper also provides recommendations for policy solutions that can provide short-term benefits and long-term energy solutions by incentivizing energy efficiency and supporting development of renewable energy sources.
Fighting Oil Addiction
Issue Papers: To curb America's addiction to oil, we need effective government policies that will increase the availability and use of efficient vehicles and clean fuels and that will promote smart growth and public transit. This July 2008 issue paper identifies the states that are most vulnerable to spikes in oil prices—and those states that are doing the most to break their addiction to oil.
Testimony of Nathanael Greene, Director of Renewable Energy Policy, on Biofuels and the Renewable Fuel Standard
Testimony: In this testimony presented before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, Nathanael makes the case for protecting key environmental safeguards in the RFS and proactively addressing the food vs fuel debate through reforming the biofuels tax credits and import tariffs by making them performance based and technology neutral.
The Real Solution to High Gas Prices
Index: As many Americans are feeling the real pain of high gas prices, oil companies and the Bush administration are peddling a "drill everywhere" remedy that would not have a significant impact on domestic energy production or prices for at least a decade. The only real solution is to develop alternative sources of energy and to use energy more wisely. Congressional support for clean energy technologies, expanded public transportation and greater efficiency for the vehicles of tomorrow -- and those on the road right now -- will take us down the closest and fastest road to relief.
Congressional Testimony of Deron Lovaas, Vehicles Campaign Director: Future Federal Role for Surface Transportation
Testimony: In this testimony, delivered before the Senator Environment and Public Works Committee, Lovaas discusses the role of the federal government in determining transportation policy. With high gas prices at the pump affecting families across the country, he offers an in-depth analysis of policy prescriptions to lessen our addiction to oil, and create a more economically and environmentally sustainable transportation sector.
Protect Our Friendly Skies
Fact Sheet: The aviation industry should not use dirty fuels and should instead focus on emission reduction techniques
Statement on the Amended Renewable Fuel Standard
Testimony: Testimony by Nathanael Greene before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality on the importance of the minimum lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions standards and land and wildlife safeguards in the recently amended renewable fuel standard.
Compact Fluorescent Lights Are Safe for Your Home
Fact Sheet: CFLs are safe, and can help your family save energy and money
Putting Biofuels on the Right Track
Fact Sheet: RFS safeguards can ensure that biofuels are done right, and don't just become another dirty fuel
Don’t Support Dirty Fuels
Fact Sheet: Congress must stop oil and gas companies from opening up our Western lands to dirty fuels like tar sands, oil shale, and liquid coal
Testimony on the Environmental and Health Impacts of Oil and Gas Exploration and Production
Testimony: Testimony of Amy Mall, Senior Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), on the applicability of federal requirements that protect public health and the environment to oil and gas development. Presented to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, United States House of Representatives, October 31, 2007.
Testimony on Implementation of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS)
Testimony: Testimony by NRDC Senior Policy Analyst, Nathanael Greene, before the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, October 24, 2007. This testimony address the environmental promises and challenges of biofuels, the general policies needed to get biofuels right and the changes to the proposed expanded renewable fuels standard needed to drive the market for the best biofuels technologies.
Coal Is Hazardous to Your Health
Index: Burning coal releases enormous amounts of harmful pollutants into the air and water, with serious health consequences. Waste generated by coal-fired power plants contains hazardous pollutants that can contaminate our drinking water and cause cancer, birth defects and reproductive problems. This index of fact sheets describes the health hazards of our continued reliance on coal.
Getting Biofuels Right 4-pager
Fact Sheet: Biofuels can help wean America off oil--but they must be done right
Driving It Home: Choosing the Right Path for Fueling North America's Transportation Future
Report: North America faces an energy crossroads. With the world fast approaching the end of cheap, plentiful conventional oil, we must choose between developing ever-dirtier sources of fossil fuels -- at great cost to our health and environment -- or setting a course for a more sustainable energy future of clean, renewable fuels. This June 2007 report explores the full scale of the damage done by attempts to extract oil from liquid coal, oil shale, and tar sands; examines the risks for investors of gambling on these dirty fuel sources; and lays out solutions for guiding us toward a cleaner fuel future.
Biofuels: The Growing Solution to Energy Dependence and Global Warming
Index: In the fight to stop global warming and break our addiction to oil America needs to employ all our ingenuity. We need more efficient vehicles and we need a clean and renewable alternative to oil. The good news is that biofuels, especially ethanol made from biomass such as switchgrass, can make a tremendous contribution to ending our dependence on oil but we must produce it and use it responsibly and it's not a silver bullet. The following studies provide NRDC's assessment of the sustainable potential for biofuels and answers to many of the most pressing questions about these fuels.
Ethanol: Energy Well Spent
Literature Review: America’s oil dependence threatens our security, economy, and environment. In the face of these concerns, ethanol is earning increasing attention as a cleaner, renewable and domestically produced alternative to fossil fuels for transportation. This February 2006 literature review of existing research on ethanol production concludes that ethanol does successfully capture and deliver renewable energy and can indeed help us reduce our dangerous addiction to fossil fuels.
A Hydrogen Future?
Issue Papers: Hydrogen is being touted as the fuel of the future, but how it is produced matters. This NRDC issue paper identifies current and possible future sources of hydrogen, and examines the cost and environmental impacts of different methods of hydrogen production. The least expensive and most developed methods in use today are not necessarily environmentally sustainable. The analysis suggests that hydrogen will not provide an immediate solution to America’s energy and climate crises.
Position Paper: Commercial Nuclear Power
Issue Papers: This October 2005 paper examines the issues that prevent nuclear power from becoming a leading means to combat global warming pollution. In its present state, the nuclear power industry suffers from too many security, safety and environmental exposure problems, not to mention excessive costs, to be a viable alternate energy source.
Bringing Biofuels to the Pump
Issue Papers: Biofuels -- fuels made from plant materials -- could virtually eliminate America's demand for gasoline by 2050 and benefit our national security, economy and environment. This July 2005 issue paper outlines an aggressive plan to develop a cellulosic biofuels industry that would make biofuels an affordable and sustainable alternative to petroleum while supporting American farmers.
In the Tank: How Oil Prices Threaten Automakers' Profits and Jobs
Report: This July 2005 report from NRDC and noted auto industry analysts says that sales, profits and American jobs are at risk if Detroit's three big automakers continue with their SUV-reliant business strategy in the face of higher oil prices.
Energy Use in Consumer Products and Opportunities for Energy Savings
Index: Home energy consumption will rise unless manufacturers take steps to improve energy efficiency for electronics such as big-screen televisions, cable boxes and digital video recorders. NRDC studies measure the energy use of commonly owned electronics to see how much energy could be saved through product innovation. This index of NRDC information by product category presents research on energy saving options and policy recommendations.
Growing Energy: How Biofuels Can Help End America's Oil Dependence
Issue Papers: The United States does not have to rely on oil to drive our economy and quality of life. We can replace much of our oil with biofuels -- fuels made from plant materials grown by American farmers. This December 2004 report lays out an aggressive plan for how biofuels can become cost-competitive with gasoline and diesel, slash global warming emissions, improve air quality and allow us to invest our energy dollars at home.
Archive of NRDC Diesel Policy Materials
Index: The ill effects of diesel's soot emissions include elevated rates of asthma attacks, lung disease, heart disease, cancer and even premature death. Stringent new federal standards for diesel fuel and emissions will provide significant health benefits.
Smoke Out: Three Measures for Cleaning Up Diesel Air Pollution in New York City
Issue Papers: This April 2005 NRDC paper outlines the current health threat posed by diesel-powered trucks, buses and construction equipment in New York City, and recommends three critical measures for how the city council, Bloomberg administration, MTA bus fleets, state legislature and Governor Pataki can clean up the city’s diesel pollution problem.
A Responsible Energy Plan for America
Report: America's dependence on the polluting energy technologies of the past threatens our nation's economy, health, and security and contributes to the most urgent environmental and public health crisis of our time: global warming. But clean energy solutions exist today. This April 2005 NRDC paper details an energy policy that would enhance our national security, reduce air and water pollution, curb global warming, create jobs, and protect wildlands and wildlife.
Cleaning Up Today's Dirty Diesels
Issue Papers: Stringent new federal standards for diesel fuel and emissions will provide significant health benefits. But these benefits will not be fully realized for 20 years unless effective programs are put in place to replace and retrofit today's fleets of dirty diesel vehicles. The most effective such programs will concentrate on urban areas, where people are exposed to more vehicle pollution, and on cleaning up the oldest, dirtiest vehicles first. This November 2004 NRDC issue paper details compelling arguments for instituting retrofit and replacement policies today and provides a roadmap for getting started.
California Sets Nation's Most Aggressive Energy Saving Goals
Fact Sheet: The California Public Utilities Commission's targets will save electricity and natural gas through programs that help customers use energy more efficiently.
America's Oil Policies
Index: This index contains detailed analyses of the failings and consequences of current U.S. oil policy as well as NRDC's recommendations for energy policies that will reduce U.S. oil use while safeguarding our security and our economy.
Hybrids and the Future of Detroit
Presentation: Presented before the 2005 Automotive News Congress by Roland Hwang, vehicles policy director with NRDC's air & energy program, on January 18, 2005.
Creating the California Cleantech Cluster
Issue Papers: Cleantech is a relatively new industry that uses innovative technology to create economically compelling, environmentally friendly products and services -- everything from alternative energy generation and wastewater treatment to "green" consumer products. This September 2004 paper by NRDC and Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) demonstrates that a cleantech cluster can be a major driver for investments and job growth in California. It offers concrete recommendations for making California a leading center for the cleantech industry.
Energy Down the Drain
Report: In the western United States, there is a close connection between water and power resources. Water utilities use large amounts of energy to treat and deliver water, and even after utilities deliver water, consumers burn more energy to heat, cool and use it. This August 2004 report from NRDC and the Pacific Institute shows how water planners in California have largely failed to consider the energy implications of their decisions, and suggests a model for how policymakers can calculate the amount of energy consumed in water use. Integrating energy use into water planning can save money, reduce waste, protect our environment and strengthen our economy.
Is Hydrogen the Solution?
Issue Papers: Global warming pollution and dependence on foreign oil are urgent problems, and hydrogen and hydrogen fuel cells vehicles have received much attention as potential solutions. This April 2004 NRDC policy paper outlines some dangers in leaning heavily on a "hydrogen economy" in the near term, and details other solutions that will be crucial to addressing energy security, air quality, and efforts to stop global warming over the next few decades.
NRDC Strongly Supports the EPA's Proposal to Clean up Heavy, Nonroad Diesel Engines
Fact Sheet: The EPA's proposal for cleaning up heavy, nonroad diesel engines by reducing sulfur levels in diesel fuel could dramatically reduce health problems associated with particulate pollution.
Hearing on Future Options for Generation of Electricity from Coal
Testimony: Presented before the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality, by David Hawkins, director of NRDC's climate center, on June 24, 2003.
Is Landfill Gas Green Energy?
Issue Papers: This May 2003 NRDC paper looks at the health impacts from burning landfill gas, the sustainability of landfill gas, and the ability of the subsidies to promote landfilling over recycling.
Energy Efficiency Leadership in California: Preventing the Next Crisis
Report: California's energy crisis of 2001 would likely have been much more painful and protracted had not the state's residents and businesses, nonprofit organizations, government and utilities united behind the most successful statewide energy conservation campaign in history. And today, instead of slipping back into old habits, Californians are sustaining much of the conservation seen during the crisis, even accounting for the dampening effect of a slower economy. This April 2003 report from NRDC and the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group details how California has modeled some of the best possible ways that states can protect their economies and environments by working to reduce demand for electricity. The report also spotlights untapped savings that California should also be reaching for.
Environmental Characteristics of Smart Growth Neighborhoods
Issue Papers: These studies, published in October 2000 and February 2003 for NRDC in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, suggest that the environmental benefits of smart growth are real and can be measured.
Improving Appliance Efficiency
Index: This index collects NRDC documents outlining policies and practices that will promote appliance efficiency.
Fueling the Future: A Plan to Reduce California's Oil Dependence
Report: California's demand for gasoline is expected to grow by 30 percent by 2020, a pace the state's refineries will not be able to keep up with. This September 2002 report says that motorists will face higher prices and volatility at the gas pump unless the state reduces petroleum demand through a combination of fuel efficiency, advanced vehicle technologies, public education and smart growth.
The Cheney Energy Task Force Records
Index: In the spring of 2002, under order from a federal judge, the U.S. Department of Energy released to NRDC roughly 13,500 pages relating to previously secret proceedings of the Bush administration's energy task force. The records, available here in their entirety, show that government officials sought extensive advice from utility companies and the oil, gas, coal and nuclear energy industries, and incorporated their recommendations, often word for word, into the energy plan.
Green Diesel: Fact or Fiction?
Fact Sheet: This March 2002 analysis separates fact from fiction on so-called "green" diesel trucks and buses. While two new studies appear to show that "green" diesel is as clean or even cleaner than compressed natural gas, the studies don't offer a true apples-to-apples comparison. The truth is that today's exhaust-control technology still doesn't eliminate all the air pollution and ill effects of diesel combustion, and it hasn't yet been tested under real world conditions.
Subtracting Sulfur: Reducing Diesel Sulfur Levels to Reduce Urban Pollution
Issue Papers: NRDC's Dump Dirty Diesels Campaign is calling on countries around the world to cut sulfur levels in diesel fuel to near zero by the end of the decade. Sulfur contributes to the ill effects of diesel's soot emissions -- effects that include elevated rates of asthma attacks, lung disease, heart disease, cancer and even premature death. At the same time, sulfur impairs emission-control devices that can remove most of the pollution from diesel cars, trucks and buses on the road today. This February 2002 report not only shows why cleaning up "dirty diesel" makes so much sense -- it also outlines how this can be achieved and the likely economic benefits of stripping sulfur from worldwide diesel supplies.
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Policy Reports and Analyses
Fact Sheet: In-depth information on the controversy over opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, from NRDC's lawyers, scientists and analysts.
Clean Getaway
Report: No one chooses a vehicle because it gets poor gas mileage. Rather, we buy our cars and trucks to get to work, to school, to play, and to get there safely. This July 2001 NRDC report describes how proven automotive technologies now make it possible to dramatically increase the fuel economy of cars and light trucks without compromising safety, performance, or consumer choice. It also explains how raising the corporate average fuel economy (CAFÉ) standards will benefit consumers' pocketbooks, the public's health, and the nation's economy.
Slower, Costlier and Dirtier
Report: This May 2001 NRDC report is an extensive analysis of the Bush administration energy plan that was released on May 17. NRDC's energy experts found it heavily biased in favor of the most polluting fossil fuels -- coal and oil -- at the expense of the environment and public health. Furthermore, the plan would have no impact on energy prices, and no practical effect on U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil. The fact is that the United States can meet its energy needs without undermining environmental safeguards or ruining the last remaining pristine wilderness areas in the country.
Testimony on Proposed Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards and Highway Diesel Fuel Sulfur Control Requirements, Sept. 2000
Testimony: Presented before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear Safety, by Richard Kassel, NRDC senior attorney, September 2000.
No Breathing in the Aisles: Diesel Exhaust Inside School Buses
Report: This February 2001 study from NRDC and the Coalition for Clean Air shows that children who ride a diesel school bus may be exposed to up to four times more toxic diesel exhaust than someone traveling in a car directly in front of it. The study found that excess exhaust levels on school buses were 23 to 46 times higher than levels considered to be a significant cancer risk according to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and federal guidelines.
Testimony on Proposed Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards and Highway Diesel Fuel Sulfur Control Requirements, June 2000
Testimony: Presented before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency by Richard Kassel, NRDC senior attorney, June 2000.
Diesel-Electric Hybrid Buses
Issue Papers: A paper addressing the technical and public health issues related to diesel-electric hybrid buses.
Exhausted by Diesel: How America's Dependence on Diesel Engines Threatens Our Health
Report: This report describes the impacts of diesel exhaust on human health, makes recommendations and includes success stories about alternatives to diesel fuel.
Risky Business: Hidden Environmental Liabilities of Power Plant Ownership
Report: A ranking of the "environmental liability" for all major U.S. utilities.
Appliance Efficiency Standards
Testimony: Presented before the House Commerce Committee's subcommittee on Energy and Power by David B. Goldstein, Ph.D., NRDC energy program director, July 25, 1996.