Policy Topics

Energy and environment

Showing 241 - 270 of 861 results

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...

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...

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...

In the Media

Rabe: Kerry needs strong U.S. environmental action to be successful

Apr 22, 2021 LaCroix

“For John Kerry to do his job well, the United States needs to be exemplary at home from an environmental perspective. However, this will not be easy because there is resistance to Joe Biden's climate ambitions, particularly in states, such as...

Publication

Raimi research on economic and environmental benefits of plugging orphan wells reflected in Biden infrastructure proposals

Apr 16, 2021

Hundreds of thousands--perhaps millions--of oil and gas wells in the U.S. have been walked away from by oil and gas companies over the past 150 years. Known as “orphan wells,” they represent a threat to the environment through leaking the greenhouse...

News

Ford School students examine food waste as part of U-M Carbon Neutrality Commission

Apr 16, 2021

What is the carbon footprint for all of the food the University of Michigan consumes? And how can that footprint be reduced? That was one of the many study areas the President’s Commission on Carbon Neutrality addressed in its final report,...

In the Media

Increasing EVs will not be easy, says Rabe

Apr 15, 2021 E&E News

As the Biden administration looks to replace the federal government's fleet of cars and trucks with electric vehicles, Professor Barry Rabe commented, "This involves the entire supply chain from raw materials, including computer chips, to production...

In the Media

Despite Biden's ambitious electric vehicle plan, challenges remain, says Rabe

Apr 8, 2021 E&E News

President Biden's infrastructure plan calls for $174 billion in spending for electric vehicles. Despite this ambitious plan, experts, like Barry Rabe, say that Biden's EV plan will nonetheless be difficult to implement: "However much money is in...

In the Media

Daniel Raimi: Enbridge has strong incentive to keep Michigan's Line 5 flowing

Apr 4, 2021 Michigan Radio

"Growing opposition to new pipeline infrastructure could even protect Line 5’s profitability in the near-term by limiting the number of competitors able to transport oil from Alberta," said Daniel Raimi. [Enbridge] has a very strong incentive to...

News

Rabe discusses government's role in addressing climate change in NAPA spotlight

Apr 4, 2021 National Academy of Public Administration

Barry Rabe appeared in The National Academy of Public Administration's Fellow Spotlight to celebrate Earth Month. The full text of his interview is included below. How would you describe the government's role in the sustainable use of natural...

News

Ford School recognized again as the #1 program in social policy

Mar 30, 2021

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is recognized again as one of America’s top graduate programs in public affairs, according to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. According to the rankings, based...

In the Media

Rabe comments on immediate use of a debated climate metric

Mar 16, 2021 Bloomberg Law

The Biden administration changed a key climate change metric—the social cost of carbon—to $51 in late February, in a move that will allow regulators to write more stringent carbon emissions rules. Barry Rabe said two of Biden's priorities—cutting...

In the Media

Rabe on Senator Manchin's climate position

Mar 15, 2021 Automotive News

With a 50-50 split Senate, Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), a conservative Democrat, will play a key role in any legislation passed to promote renewable energy because, according to Professor Barry Rabe, West Virginia's economy is heavily dependent on...

In the Media

Rabe comments on oil industry "backing" carbon pricing

Mar 8, 2021 Grist

In an article in Grist about the oil industry's biggest lobbying group backing carbon pricing, Rabe says that a carbon price seems less threatening to oil and gas companies than other regulations — the European Union and Canada already have prices...

In the Media

Biden appoints new, diverse voices in climate policy posts, says Parthasarthy

Mar 5, 2021 Environment & Energy News

“I am really struck by the fact that [Biden] has done this now on multiple appointments,” said Parthasarathy. "He’s reaching out to totally different kinds of people, kinds of experts who bring a nuanced understanding of the social world when he is...

Professor Shobita Parthasarathy leads a discussion in the Betty Ford Classroom

In the Media

Hausman: Carbon tax can pay for the cost of climate damage

Mar 3, 2021 Marketplace

“You tax the person who’s taking that barrel of oil out of the ground, so they’re going to sell that oil at a higher price to the refinery,” Hausman said to NPR...

News

Ford School expert tells lawmakers: Equity needs to go hand-in-hand with innovation in energy, climate

Mar 3, 2021

Pursuing energy and climate innovations grows ever more critical, but must include the involvement and participation of marginalized, vulnerable communities from the beginning. That's the message Ford School professor and director of the Science,...

News

Rein in or win over utility monopolies, says Basseches

Mar 2, 2021 Grist

Postdoctoral fellow Josh Basseches researches the power of investor-owned utilities on state climate policy. His opinion appeared in Grist. Now that we’ve had a couple weeks to process all that went wrong in Texas, people are paying more...

News

Parthasarathy testifies about equity in innovation before key Congressional subcommittee

Feb 25, 2021

On February 25, Shobita Parthasarathy testified before the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies. The hearing included four invited experts to speak about energy and climate innovation issues....

Screen cap of Shobita Parthasarathy testimony

In the Media

Incorporating climate policy at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission like turning a battleship, says Rabe

Feb 18, 2021 Grist

Barry Rabe comments on the relatively unknown Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which plays a prominent role in overseeing the nation's pipelines, natural gas infrastructure, and more: "I would put FERC in the basket of agencies that have...

News

Raimi awarded grant from U-M's new Carbon Neutrality Acceleration program

Feb 18, 2021

The Graham Sustainability Institute’s Carbon Neutrality Acceleration Program (CNAP) announced a series of projects chosen for an initial round of funding, each with dramatic potential to help reduce net carbon emissions. The multi-year,...

News

Students address climate change migration at the U.N. in Integrated Policy Exercise

Feb 6, 2021

The United Nations General Assembly recently agreed to three resolutions addressing the rights of climate migrants and refugees. It was a landmark moment for international cooperation on an issue that will become more urgent as the effects of...

News

Ford School students named as Dow Sustainability Fellows pursue equity and people-centered solutions

Feb 4, 2021

Four Ford School students will spend the next year working to make Michigan water resources cleaner and more accessible, helping Great Lakes Bay region businesses dedicate to sustainable practices, and promoting environmentally-sensitive tourism in...

Students Kristina Curtiss (MPP ‘22), Tyler Orcutt, (MPP, MS ‘23), Anna Seifert (MPP ‘22) and Javier Piñeiro

News

Rabe comments on GM's historic move to electric vehicles

Jan 28, 2021

General Motors announced Thursday, January 28, that it would eliminate gasoline and diesel powered engines in their passenger cars, vans, and SUVs by 2035. They also pledged to make their factories carbon neutral by 2040. In an interview with...

In the Media

Rabe on climate politics: Democrats should look to Virginia and Colorado

Jan 27, 2021 The Brookings Institution

As Democrats take control of government at the federal level, albeit narrowly, Professor Barry Rabe writes that congressional Democrats should follow the lead of Colorado and Virginia -- two states with similarly narrow Democratic-controlled...

In the Media

Rabe: Biden might face "classic tough choice" on international pipeline dispute

Jan 26, 2021 MLive

The Canadian government and corporate leaders are disputing Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's plan to revoke the operating license of the Enbridge Line 5 oil line crossing that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. If the challenge is...

In the Media

Hanson highlights expected message of Biden inaugural address, early policy objectives

Jan 20, 2021 Yahoo News / WXYZ

"First and foremost, I think he wants to send a message of unity. Americans have been more divided in the last four years than we've been in a long time. The first thing Biden would like to do is bring us back together," said Hanson. Among early...

In the Media

Catherine Hausman comments on electrical grid changes in California

Jan 18, 2021 The San Francisco Chronicle

As California begins its transition to a battery powered electrical grid, Catherine Hausman comments that "these large-scale batteries can bring a real boost to grid reliability, and they can support zero-carbon electricity's integration into the...

In the Media

Rabe on Trump's push for midnight regulation

Jan 5, 2021 The Detroit News via The Omaha World-Herald

"This would not be the first administration to do it, but the sheer range of things that they are trying to finish off or nail down is really pretty stunning," said Barry Rabe. Read the full Detroit News article via The Omaha...

In the Media

Rabe and Raimi review 2020 energy and environmental policy

Dec 29, 2020 Resources Radio

Barry Rabe joined Daniel Raimi on his Resources Radio podcast to review the most important energy and environmental policy developments of 2020. Rabe's take: "We can say that 2020 shows that climate change is visible. It's drawing more people in...