Policy Topics

Energy and environment

Showing 211 - 240 of 857 results

News

Ivacko: Challenges abound as leaders assemble for Mackinac Policy Conference

Sep 20, 2021

Many of Michigan's business, political and academic movers and shakers are gathering this week for the annual Mackinac Policy Conference after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of last year's event. While the number of people...

In the Media

Rabe addresses Illinois ban of fossil fuel electricity

Sep 19, 2021 Chicago Tribune

Illinois is banning coal- and gas-powered electricity by 2045. However, the state isn't outlawing the mining of coal within Illinois. “It’s one thing to stop importing coal into your state,” Barry Rabe, professor of public policy, said. “It’s...

News

Rabe's Brookings blog addresses methane mitigation policy

Sep 16, 2021 Brookings blog

In a recent Brookings blog, Barry Rabe discusses how the federal government may learn from successful state policies to mitigate methane emissions. "Methane appears to be enjoying its 15 minutes of fame—with even more notoriety likely on the...

Publication

A methane fee could be a first and easier step towards a carbon tax - Rabe

Sep 10, 2021

While the United States has been slow to take action on a carbon tax, there may be another avenue that holds promise to curb the emission of an even more potent climate pollutant— a methane tax. In a new Milken Institute article, “Containing Methane...

In the Media

Raimi describes hardships of renewables transition

Sep 8, 2021 Casper Star Tribune

The transition towards renewable energy is necessary, but that doesn't mean it comes without hardships. In Wyoming, where the fossil fuel industry has thrived for many years, the state must find a new area for revenue according to Daniel Raimi,...

In the Media

Federal fleet EV delays won't make much of a difference in the long run, says Rabe

Aug 27, 2021 E&E News

Supply shortages, funding roadblocks, and a slow fleet turnover has delayed the Biden Administration's goal to transition the entire federal fleet to electric vehicles. Barry Rabe spoke with E&E Climate Wire: “When you have a very welcomed buyer...

Alumni spotlight

STPP alum Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) works to impact zero-carbon energy

Aug 18, 2021

Michelle Brechtelsbauer (MPP '16) interrupted her government service to obtain her Ford School Master of Public Policy and the Science, Technology, & Public Policy Graduate Certificate Program. Now in the private sector, at the Energy Impact Center,...

News

Haverkamp reacts to UN climate change report and federal infrastructure bill

Aug 13, 2021

Days after the United Nations climate change report sounded a "code red for humanity," Jennifer Haverkamp, professor of practice and director of the Graham Sustainability Institute, said there is still time to mitigate the effects of climate...

In the Media

Hausman breaks down how the EU's carbon border tax will work on NPR

Aug 11, 2021 NPR Here & Now

The world watches as the European Union implements a carbon border tax, wondering if it will help cut down global carbon emissions. Catherine Hausman, associate professor of public policy, discusses the leakage problem, charging for pollution, and...

Alumni spotlight

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) works across differences for the environment

Aug 10, 2021

Nick Occhipinti (MPP ‘08) describes himself as “your friendly neighborhood lobbyist” — but, his job entails so much more than that. “When I win, nobody makes any more money, nobody gets a raise, but Michigan’s air, land and water get a little...

Publication

Poor urban, rural areas could bear financial burden of move from natural gas to electricity for energy needs

Aug 5, 2021

The push for consumers to go electric for their energy needs has significant environmental benefits as the world deals with the disruptive, deadly effects of climate change. Yet the economic burden of a big switch could fall more on lower income,...

News

Rabe salutes rare bipartisan climate cooperation, though less optimistic about future deals

Aug 3, 2021

As part of the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act (AIM Act), the $900 billion pandemic relief bill passed in December 2020, a rare bipartisan initiative to reduce greenhouse gasses was included. It created a significant phase down...

In the Media

Rabe explains carbon border adjustment

Jul 25, 2021 Energy Intelligence

Democrats have included a carbon border adjustment in their "climate-heavy infrastructure package." This was in response to the EU's debut of a carbon border tax. Barry Rabe, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy and Arthur...

News

Research meets journalism in new collaboration with Bridge Detroit

Jul 16, 2021

Kalena Thomhave (MPP ‘21) and Eli Gold (MPP/MS ‘21) spent much of last year working on research relevant to their academic interests—she on access to TANF cash benefits and he on utility affordability—as would be expected of any final-year MPP...

Headshots of Kelena Thomhave and Eli Gold

News

Learning and serving - P3E students report on research projects across Michigan

Jul 16, 2021

While still operating in a mostly-virtual, hybrid academic world, Ford School students were able to learn and serve during the Spring Term through the Program in Practical Policy Engagement (P3E) and its Practical Community Learning Projects (PCLP)....

News

Equity considerations must be an integral part of energy research and development, Parthasarathy tells Congressional committee

Jul 16, 2021

"We are not accustomed to thinking about equity in the context of innovation. But in recent years, we have begun to recognize that marginalized communities (including those who are low-income and those who come from historically disadvantaged...

Shobita Parthasarathy delivers testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Subcommittee on Energy

Alumni spotlight

Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) informs and supports state energy policy

Jun 28, 2021

Before she took a position at the Nuclear Energy Institute as the director of stakeholder strategy & engagement, Kristy Hartman (MPP ‘13) served as the energy program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). NCSL’s energy...

News

Raimi maps U.S. energy economy in new report

Jun 28, 2021

How will actions taken towards preventing climate change affect communities that rely on a fossil fuel economy? In a recent report titled "Mapping the US Energy Economy to Inform Transition Planning," Daniel Raimi, Ford School lecturer and fellow at...

In the Media

Rabe evaluates Biden's climate policy

Jun 15, 2021 The Christian Science Monitor

While President Biden has shown a lot of initiative for climate policy in the first months of his term, many scholars say something is missing: a carbon tax. Barry Rabe, the J. Ira and Nicki Harris Family Professor of Public Policy, provided an...

News

Chamberlin on lawmaker transparency and redistricting

Jun 13, 2021

John Chamberlin, Ford School professor emeritus of public policy and political science, says a recent controversy in Lansing calls out the need for increased transparency when it comes to lawmakers. A Michigan state representative is proposing a law...

News

Ali pushes for 'transparent revolution in cybersecurity'

Jun 13, 2021

Criminals are getting more sophisticated in their use of technology: in the past year, cyberattacks have increased 300%. Javed Ali, incoming associate professor of practice, provided some insight on these attacks. "Unfortunately, even though...

State & Hill

Building strength

Jun 10, 2021

With new leading-edge research and faces at the school, the Ford School builds depth in two key policy areas. Energy and the environment Economics, political science, psychology, and community engagement are at the roots of the Ford School’s...

News

Congratulations to Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi, both now associate professors, with tenure

May 21, 2021

Professors Natasha Pilkauskas and Kaitlin Raimi have received promotions to associate professor, with tenure, at the Ford School. Their status was approved by the U-M Board of Regents at their meeting on May 20. "Natasha Pilkauskas is deepening...

Headshots of Kaitlin Raimi and Natasha Pilkauskas

In the Media

Hanson comments on risks of Line 5 pipeline

May 19, 2021 The Globe and Mail

For years, the Line 5 pipeline through the Straits of Mackinac has been a hot topic in Michigan politics. Jonathon Hanson, a Ford School lecturer, shed light on the potential consequences of continuing to allow the pipeline to exist. “You think...

Publication

Rabe urges Biden administration to address methane reduction

May 9, 2021

"Methane has contributed one-quarter of of global warming to date," Ford School professor Barry Rabe writes in "Thought from Our Fellows" published by the National Academy of Public Administration. "The Biden Administration has an opportunity to...

In the Media

Environmental advocates should help implement Washington's cap-and-trade law, Basseches opinion

Apr 29, 2021 Washington State Wire

Washington will become second state to adopt cap-and-trade Law. But what happens next really matters Climate advocates in Washington are celebrating the passage of a second-in-the-nation economy-wide carbon pricing bill, which Governor Inslee is...

In the Media

Haverkamp says Biden's ambitious climate goals are technologically attainable

Apr 24, 2021 TRT World

"The goal is ambitious. There are several routes we can take to get there. But at the highest level what they have to do is to transform all the sectors of the economy away from their reliance on fossil fuels," Haverkamp said in an interview on TRT...

In the Media

Rabe speaks on Biden's efforts to return U.S. to credible climate policy role

Apr 23, 2021 NHK World-Japan

"The return to Paris, and then the Summit are part of an effort by President Biden, especially on the heels of the previous Trump Administration, to signal to Japan and other nations around the world that the US is back in serious engagement on...

News

Robert Hampshire appointed chief science officer at USDOT

Apr 23, 2021

Robert Hampshire will serve as the U.S. Department of Transportation's chief science officer, a role that has not been filled in more than 40 years. He was appointed assistant secretary for research and technology for the department, and will advise...

Publication

Private sector action may be linchpin to conservative support on climate change

Apr 23, 2021

Private sector initiatives may be the key to spurring climate action across the political spectrum, particularly among moderates and conservatives. That finding is based on new research by Kaitlin Raimi, an assistant professor at the Ford School...