January | February | March | April | June | July | September | October | November | December


December 2000

Actions Needed Now to Fund Long-Term Stewardship of Contaminated Sites, Paper Says
Hundreds of areas contaminated with hazardous substances will require “long-term stewardship” activities for decades or even centuries to come. Long-term stewardship––which includes everything from legal restrictions on land and water use to site monitoring and maintenance, information management, and emergency response––will be needed in all areas where contamination remains too high after site remediation activities have already been completed to allow unrestricted use of land or water. These issues arise at Superfund sites of all types, regardless of whether a private company or the federal government is responsible for the property.(December 7, 2000)

Nitrogen Oxide Plan Should Target Annual Reductions, RFF Analysis Finds
Reducing nitrogen oxide emissions year-round would provide higher net benefits than the summer-only plan being promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a new analysis performed by researchers at RFF. (December 1, 2000)


November 2000

COP 6 Backgrounder
This backgrounder is intended to introduce the key issues going in to COP 6. Topics addressed include the role of forests and land use in mitigating greenhouse gases, the use of flexibility mechanisms in meeting emissions reduction commitments, and how to ensure that countries comply with their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. (November 9, 2000)

The Weathervane Guide to Climate Policy: An RFF Reader (November 3, 2000)


October 2000

Electronic Democracy and Environmental Governance: A Survey of the States
A new paper by researchers at RFF says that state-level governments are in an early and experimental phase in applying the principles of electronic democracy to environmental decisionmaking. The paper describes an RFF survey examining how all 50 states use the Internet to engage citizens in environmental issues. (October 18, 2000)

RFF Questions Candidates on Environmental Issues in Latest Issue of Resources
The two major-party presidential candidates offer their views on a wide range of environmental policy topics in a question-and-answer session published by RFF. The candidates' views appear in the Fall 2000 issue of Resources, RFF’s 40-year-old quarterly publication of research and policy on natural resources and the environment. In response to questions posed to the campaigns by RFF, Republican candidate George W. Bush and Democratic candidate Al Gore spelled out their views on the role of cost-benefit analysis in environmental regulation, the future of nuclear power, the best ways to reduce carbon dioxide, and the proper approach for improving water quality.(October 10, 2000)


September 2000

U.S. Forest Service Needs a New Mission, RFF Book Says
More than at any time in its 100-year history, the U.S. Forest Service is struggling to meet the many competing demands placed on it, according to a new book by the RFF. (September 19, 2000)

July 2000

Presence of a Doctor Is Critical Factor in Reducing Disease
Having access to a doctor appears to be the single most important factor in determining whether an individual will catch an infection from another infected person who is in close proximity, according to a new study of how disease is transmitted in Cambodia. The study, conducted by RFF Fellow Ramanan Laxminarayan and Anil B. Deolalikar of the University of Washington, is among the first to probe the relative importance of several socioeconomic factors on disease transmission. Although it is focused on Cambodia, the results are applicable to other developing countries as well. (July 27, 2000)


June 2000

Michael Taylor Named Director of RFF’s Center for Risk Management
Michael R. Taylor is the new director of RFF's Center for Risk Management, and will serve as a senior fellow, RFF President Paul Portney announced today. Taylor, a lawyer who has held senior policy positions at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and was a vice president at Monsanto Company, succeeds J. Clarence (Terry) Davies, who retired earlier this month. Taylor will begin June 1. (June 1, 2000)

April 2000

Federal Steps to Reduce Oil Prices Could Harm the Economy, RFF Paper Says
Federal action to reduce oil prices, either by rolling back the federal gasoline tax or tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, "would bring little benefit to consumers and [could] do much to harm the economy," according to a new paper by RFF scholar John Anderson. (April 27, 2000)

Satellite Solar Power Faces Considerable Economic Challenges
For more than 30 years scientists have wrestled with an intriguing possibility – could orbiting satellites be used to harness solar energy for generating electricity on earth? Advocates have speculated that satellite solar power (SSP) could someday take its place among other renewable energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuels. A new report from RFF concludes that this technology is not likely to become a viable energy source in the next 20 years. (April 21, 2000)

Kopp Named RFF's Vice President for Programs; Morgenstern Named Senior Fellow 
Raymond J. Kopp, an economist at RFF, has been named RFF’s Vice President for Programs – the institution’s senior research position. Richard Morgenstern, also an economist and most recently a senior economic counselor at the U.S. State Department, has joined RFF as a senior fellow in the Quality of the Environment Division. Kopp and Morgenstern are influential figures in international climate policy. (April 5, 2000)

RFF, Brookings to Discuss Trade, Labor and the Environment at April 11^th Conference 
As the protests at the World Trade Organization meetings in Seattle showed, two of the most controversial issues on the trade agenda relate to how, if at all, future trade negotiations should take account of differences in environmental and labor standards around the world. Some assert that both issues should be considered in trade negotiations. Others argue that labor and environmental standards are internal matters for individual countries, and should not be enforced in WTO negotiations. RFF and the Brookings Institution will present a special press and public briefing to discuss these issues in advance of the upcoming meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington. (April 5, 2000)


March 2000

Environmental Impacts of Service Sector Could Be Reduced Through New Incentives for Businesses 
The service sector, which now accounts for three-quarters of the nation’s employment and Gross Domestic Product, has a major influence on environmental quality in the United States, according to a new study conducted by RFF. (March 13, 2000)

New Water Quality Regulations Will Be Difficult to Implement 
Water quality has improved dramatically in the 28 years since the Clean Water Act was passed, due largely to reductions in industrial pollution. Now, with progress leveling off, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to enforce regulations to address the last major impediment to clean water: "nonpoint" pollution that flows into waterways from roads, sewers, farms, timber operations, and other sources. EPA’s new approach is likely to spur new improvements in water quality in the United States, according to a new study by RFF Fellow James Boyd. (March 2, 2000)


February 2000

Anti-Sprawl Mortgage Program May Increase Default Rate 
A new mortgage program designed to combat urban sprawl may actually lead to higher rates of default on home loans, according to a new paper by researchers at RFF. (February 15, 2000)


January 2000

Leadership, Sharper Mission Needed to Improve Nuclear Weapons Cleanup Program 
The Department of Energy’s (DOE) massive effort to clean up contamination at its former nuclear weapons facilities has been hampered by inadequate oversight of projects and contractors, an unclear mission, and uncertainty over which facilities will have a future DOE mission, according to a new report from RFF. (January 25, 2000)