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Addressing Water Quality through Nutrient Management
This fact sheet by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute examines the impact of agricultural nutrient runoff—specifically nitrogen and phosphorus—on water quality in the United States, focusing on the Upper Midwest, the Great Lakes, and the Gulf of Mexico. It details the environmental consequences of eutrophication and hypoxia, the legal and regulatory landscape including the Clean Water Act's exemptions for irrigated agriculture, and the role of the USDA's Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) in funding voluntary conservation efforts to reduce pollution.
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Document type: Fact sheet
To drill or not to drill? Obama’s offshore drilling dilemma
A statement by Friends of the Earth urging President Obama to implement a moratorium on all new offshore oil and gas leasing and drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf to prevent climate disruption and protect marine wildlife.
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Document type: Statement
Assessing the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Impact of New Fossil Fuel Infrastructure
This briefing analyzes the divergent methods used to quantify the GHG emissions impact of new fossil fuel infrastructure. It contrasts the 'literalist' view (full combustion emissions), the 'fatalist' view (zero net impact due to displacement), and the 'economist' view (increased consumption due to lower prices). The authors conclude that a net-zero impact is highly unlikely due to market responses and systemic 'lock-in' effects.
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Document type: Briefing
Greenhouse gas emissions implications of the Keystone XL pipeline
This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions implications of the Keystone XL pipeline, specifically focusing on how the infrastructure might increase global oil consumption by lowering prices through increased supply.
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Document type: Research paper
A Good Environment for Jobs
This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the relationship between energy and environmental policies and job creation in the United States. Through a survey of 36 existing studies and original analysis using IMPLAN 2009 data, the authors argue that shifting investments from fossil-fuel to non-fossil-fuel industries generally leads to net employment gains. The report provides a quality checklist for job impact studies and demonstrates these principles by modeling a transition to a coal-free energy sector by 2050.
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Document type: Report
Regulation of Cooling Water Intake Structures at Existing Facilities
The Stockholm Environment Institute critiques the EPA's cost-benefit analysis for cooling water intake regulations, arguing that monetized benefits are severely underestimated due to the exclusion of non-use values and errors in baseline mortality data. The authors suggest that when benefits are properly calculated and costs are reassessed, the regulations yield positive net benefits with minimal impact on electricity rates and a positive effect on employment and GDP. They strongly advise against site-specific calculations, recommending instead a national standard with a higher threshold for compliance.
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Document type: Statement
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE RIGHT TO DEVELOPMENT
This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the Right to Development (RTD) is essential for guiding a non-carbon development path in a climate-constrained world. It posits that the RTD provides a moral and ethical framework to transform economic structures, promote technology transfer to developing nations, and ensure that climate mitigation and adaptation measures do not violate fundamental human rights.
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Document type: Briefing
The American Power Act of 2010
Friends of the Earth criticizes the 'American Power Act,' a cap and trade bill drafted by Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman, arguing that it undermines existing environmental protections and benefits industrial polluters.
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Document type: Statement
ciel_brief_deep-trouble-the-risks-of-offshore-carbon-capture-and-storage_june2023-12245f6fc55d6793.pdf
This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an unproven and risky strategy that delays the transition from fossil fuels. It highlights that proposed projects in areas like the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea face significant leakage risks due to legacy oil and gas wellbores and a history of poor offshore infrastructure monitoring. The document asserts that CCS often fails to meet emission reduction targets, frequently serves enhanced oil recovery, and relies on public subsidies that divert funds from renewable energy.
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Document type: Policy brief
The Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative
The Mississippi River Restoration & Resilience Initiative (MRRRI) is a proposed federal framework to restore the Mississippi River and protect the $500 billion economy and 20 million people who depend on it. The initiative seeks to address severe ecological decline, including a $6.2 billion flood impact from 2019 and an $82 million annual loss in the Gulf of Mexico due to nitrate-driven dead zones. Managed by the EPA, MRRRI would provide grants for restoration and resilience projects, prioritizing at-risk Indigenous, rural, and low-income communities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
sei-pb-2016-us-fossilfuel-leases-climate-cd4cc4b1ffd6dd46.pdf
This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the climate implications of ending the issuance and renewal of U.S. government leases for fossil fuel extraction on federal lands and offshore waters. The analysis suggests that such a policy could significantly reduce global CO2 emissions and align U.S. production more closely with the goals of the Paris Agreement and a 2°C warming pathway.
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Document type: Policy brief
Finding Balance
This briefing by the World Resources Institute analyzes the environmental impacts of harvesting corn stover for cellulosic ethanol production in the United States, highlighting risks to soil carbon, nutrient pollution, and erosion, while evaluating the effectiveness of agricultural best management practices (BMPs) to mitigate these effects.
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Document type: Briefing