At any point in a typical year, scholars at Resources for the Future are engaged in more than 100 research projects, and the impact of that work manifests itself in diverse and often unexpected ways. Our research influences the policy process in sometimes unglamorous and highly technical ways, seen only by a few key policy officials or regulators, as well as in outcomes that can be highly visible and far-reaching.
Even during my relatively short stint at RFF, I have seen our work inform and influence the direction of public policies in Washington and around the globe—always characterized by an independent and objective perspective. One example: when the Office of Management and Budget began efforts to develop new procedures for performing regulatory impact analyses on all federal regulations, OMB officials came to RFF to think through the relevant issues and bring together government analysts, academics, and stakeholders to work through them.
In the arena of climate change, RFF researchers were among those who pioneered the idea of a "safety valve" to help alleviate undue economic stress on industries—as well as costs to consumers—seeking to comply with rigorous emissions standards. And in the expanding area of ecosystem management, our scholars are at the forefront of finding pragmatic indicators that can accurately gauge changes in ecosystem services. You may not read much about these quiet endeavors in the popular press, but you can be certain they will be useful to generations of policymakers.
A separate strategy for placing policy issues in higher relief is the public discourse that RFF encourages through its convening power in Washington and other major cities. Our Policy Leadership Forums, First Wednesday Seminars, and technical workshops and topical seminars provide opportunities for engagement and debate that can lead to more enlightened policymaking. Late in 2005, for example, RFF arranged a well-timed workshop on a proposed change in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to help both regulators and the regulated consider new approaches. The result? The Department of Transportation took account of many of the suggestions that emerged from that small gathering into its eventual policy.
A highlight of our public exchanges over the past year was the Energy 2050 project, a series of six Capitol Hill briefings—attracting some 500 congressional members, staff, and guests—on the long-term energy outlook, which were held as Congress was debating the eventual 2005 Energy Policy Act. Major conferences and events on emissions trading regimes related to climate policy were held in New York and Montreal in partnership with CLIPORE.
RFF research also is characterized by the breadth of our agenda—as a glance through our annual output of publications and Internet features quickly demonstrates. In addition to continuing work on climate change, energy, and electricity, seminal work is under way in a number of biological resource areas, including land and water use, oceans and fisheries, malaria abatement and antibiotic resistance, and international environmental and development issues. At the state level, RFF is providing independent analysis of a groundbreaking effort by several northeastern states to create a regional response toward climate change. Known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, this collaborative effort may become a model for other multi-state consortiums or a national policy.
RFF is at the center of these new policy prescriptions and many others. We nurture the intellectual entrepreneurship that produces new, rigorous, and pragmatic approaches to problems that will enable those in government and the private sector to better chart their courses with confidence and clarity.
To be sure, the policy process can be frustratingly prolonged and easily sidetracked—and often dependent on the interplay of timing, personalities, and external events. Over time, however, it is clear that the quiet yet purposeful work by RFF researchers has paid off in beneficial policy impacts and positive results for the environment, the economy, and the public welfare.
The year 2005 was one of transition for RFF, as the institution saw the departure of Paul Portney as president and the installation of Frank Loy as our Board chair. I want to express my deep thanks and appreciation to these individuals—as well as to outgoing Chair Bob Grady—for the legacy and vision they inspired during their leadership.
Over the past year, RFF appointed distinguished scholars to our first two academic chairs, endowed by former Board member Darius Gaskins and long-time supporter Chauncey Starr. In addition, we relaunched a better version of our vaunted Weathervane website on climate policy, and began an upgrade of our web and computer infrastructure.
Such times of transition offer the opportunity to take a fresh look at our mission and to make any necessary course adjustments. To that end, we look forward to completing a thorough strategic review of our operations in the coming year—a process that I am co-chairing with RFF Vice Chair Larry Linden. As always, our friends and supporters are invited to weigh in on this process. I invite you to let me know your ideas on our future endeavors by sending an email to [email protected]. I can assure you that your comments will be given respectful and sincere consideration.
In the pages that follow, you will find the names of individuals and institutions who have sup-ported our work through financial and other assistance in the past year. On behalf of all of us at RFF, I want to convey my gratitude for that demonstration of confidence.
Too many years ago, I had a college professor who was never completely satisfied with his students' work, whatever its merit. On the best papers, he often would write, "This is too good not to be better." Such a high standard can be difficult to meet, but it is a worthy goal for an already outstand-ing institution like RFF, which has only greater accomplishments and impacts to bring to bear on future policies.
A version of this article appeared in print in the Winter 2006 issue of Resources magazine.
