Publications

How Do Low Gas Prices Affect Costs and Benefits of US New Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards?

The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy and greenhouse gas emissions standards will radically change the fuel economy and emissions of US light-duty vehicles. What are the implications of lower gasoline prices for the benefits and costs of the standards?

Lighting Up the Last Mile: The Benefits and Costs of Rural Electrification

The benefits of extending electricity to Philippine villages are so large that the costs are often recovered in one year.

Water Conservation Policies: Prices versus Restrictions

Mandatory water restrictions can be more effective at inducing residential conservation than price increases.

Protecting Our National Parks: New Entrance Fees Can Help

America’s national parks have been blessed—and cursed—with an overwhelming number of visitors in recent years.

Is Halting the Clean Power Plan Economically Justified?

The Supreme Court’s surprising stay of the Clean Power Plan is unjustifiable based on economic harm to the coal sector.

Goings On: Highlights from Recent Events at RFF

Ten Recommendations for Plugging the Gaps in Inactive Well Policy

The US landscape is dotted with hundreds of thousands of abandoned oil and gas wells. Improved regulation can help neutralize the environmental and financial threats they pose.

Protecting against Invasive Species: A Risk-Based Approach to Live Plant Inspection

Targeting importers with higher records of infestation can reduce the introduction of invasive species through the international trade of live plants.

Measuring Fuel Economy and Emissions in the Wake of the VW Diesel Scandal: A Look at US and EU Approaches

Historically, US and EU approaches to regulation have diverged, a trend that continues as the two regions respond to Volkswagen’s high-profile rigging of emissions tests.

Inside RFF: RFF Announces 2016–2017 Fellowship Recipients, Introduces New Fellow

Resources Magazine: 193

From the President: RFF’s Compelling Future

Commentary: Why California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Works

Q&A: Increasing Flood Insurance Take-Up for Economic Resilience: An Interview with Carolyn Kousky

In Loving Memory of Molly K. Macauley

Explaining the Evolution of Passenger Vehicle Miles Traveled in the United States

After growing steadily for several decades, passenger vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States unexpectedly leveled off in the 2000s. The underlying causes have major implications for future US oil consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; but despite speculation in the popular media, the causes are unknown.

Does Electricity Storage Innovation Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions?

While public policy and innovation in large-scale electricity storage are anticipated to reduce costs and improve performance, the effect of storage costs on greenhouse emissions depends on the supply responsiveness of fossil and renewable generators.

Preferences for Equality in Environmental Outcomes

This survey demonstrates that people are willing to accept programs that results in a higher total environmental health risks (such as risks of cancer and lung disease), as long as the risks are equally distributed across the population.

Incentives, Green Preferences, and Private Provision of Impure Public Goods

When consumers value both the overall level of environmental quality and their own contributions to that end, policymakers can encourage the optimal provision of public goods by incorporating pro-environmental preferences into regulatory design.

Migration as an Adaptation Strategy to Weather Variability: An Instrumental Variables Probit Analysis

Mind, Behaviour, and Health: A Randomised Experiment

Does Adoption of Multiple Climate-Smart Practices Improve Farmers’ Climate Resilience? Empirical Evidence from the Nile Basin of Ethiopia

Difference in Preferences or in Preference Orderings? Comparing Choices of Environmental Bureaucrats, Recreational Anglers, and the Public

Mapping Vulnerability to Climate Change of the Farming Sector in the Nile Basin of Ethiopia: A Micro-level Perspective

Trophy Hunting vs. Manufacturing Energy: The Price Responsiveness of Shale Gas

Is unconventional natural gas supply more responsive to price changes than conventional gas? This analysis suggests that the answer is yes—specifically, almost three times as responsive, due entirely to greater well productivity.