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December 1999

Cultural Differences Affect Environmental Progress of Former Soviet-Bloc Countries 
There are substantial differences among the countries emerging from the Soviet Bloc in their implementation of effective environmental policies ten years into the transition, says Ruth Greenspan Bell, a visiting scholar at RFF, in an essay prepared for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). (December 3, 1999)

October 1999

Emissions Trading Improves the Environment, Reduces Costs, Study Shows 
A pollution-reduction plan that allows power plants to trade, sell, or bank the right to emit sulfur dioxide has reduced concentrations of a key contributor to acid rain and saved money for power plants, says a new study co-authored by RFF Senior Fellow Dallas Burtraw and Erin Mansur of the University of California Energy Institute in Berkeley. (October 14, 1999)


September 1999

Uncertain Impact of Climate Change on Water Supply Requires Flexible Policy Approaches 
Policymakers and water resource managers should adopt flexible strategies to combat threats to the water supply brought about by global climate change, says a new report co-authored by RFF Senior Fellow Kenneth Frederick and Peter H. Gleick of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. (September 27, 1999)

RFF to Examine Pollution Control in Michigan 
RFF has been awarded two grants by the state of Michigan to study innovative uses of economic strategies to tackle the state’s environmental problems. (September 20, 1999)


August 1999

New Project Examines Funding Mechanisms For Long-Term Stewardship of Contaminated Sites 
Researchers RFF's Center for Risk Management (CRM) have launched a new project to examine innovative approaches for assuring financing and oversight of post-cleanup activities - often referred to as long-term stewardship - at contaminated sites. (August 26, 1999)

Research Gaps, Legalistic Focus Hinder EPA’s Use of Science 
Major scientific uncertainties and the political and legal constraints of a regulatory agency combine to weaken the scientific basis of decisions made by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according toScience at EPA: Information in the Regulatory Process, a new book from RFF. (August 18, 1999)


July 1999

Choosing Price or Quantity Controls for Greenhouse Gases 
Setting quantitative targets like those in the Kyoto Protocol may not be the most effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, RFF analyst William Pizer says in a new RFF Issues Brief. (July 15, 1999)


June 1999

Productivity in Natural Resource Industries: Improvement through Innovation 
The advantage the U.S. enjoyed in the natural resource industries might be expected to have declined with the depletion of resource stocks and the expansion of production in developing countries. A new RFF book, Productivity in Natural Resource Industries, finds that U.S. firms are able to remain competitive in the world markets, however. (June 8, 1999)

The Evolution of Hazardous Waste Programs: Lessons from Eight Countries 
The Evolution of Hazardous Waste Programs: Lessons from Eight Countries, a report issued today by RFF, offers insights to countries seeking to institute new hazardous waste management programs and to the public and private institutions that finance treatment and disposal facilities. (June 7, 1999)


May 1999

Project XL and the Costs of Regulatory Reinvention: RFF Researchers Publish an Analysis 
Project XL, the flagship of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory reinvention initiative, imposes high costs on both the agency and participating firms especially those that attempt innovative projects, a new study by researchers at RFF. (May 5, 1999)


April 1999

Renewable Energy Costs Keep Dropping – So Why Isn't It Used More Widely? RFF Economists Provide An Answer 
In a new study, RFF researchers examine the premise that because renewable technologies have a small market share, public sector support for renewables has been misplaced. (April 16, 1999)


March 1999

Cost of New Regulations Generally Overestimated, RFF Economists Find 
In a new study, economists at RFF find that the costs of proposed environmental and occupational safety regulations are more often overestimated than underestimated. (March 17, 1999)


February 1999

New RFF Book Addresses Issues Key to Environmental and Natural Resource Management 
A new book published by RFF provides teachers and students, the public policy community, and interested citizens with short and readable articles on a wide variety of environmental research and policy topics.(February 17, 1999)


January 1999

New Research Project Looks at Government as Both Polluter and Environmental Regulator 
In a research project at RFF, researchers in RFF’s Center for Risk Management (CRM) are examining the extent of pollution generated by government at the federal, state, and local level. (January 13, 1999)

New Briefing Paper Explores Opportunities for Developing Countries to Reduce GHG Emissions 
In a new issue brief issued by RFF, the University of Maryland's Ramón López analyzes the impacts of energy subsidies in developing countries; explains how he envisions large emissions reductions resulting from a phaseout of such subsidies; and examines biomass as a source of carbon emissions and the role that developing countries could play in limiting those emissions. (January 11, 1999)