Climate Change, Energy,
Environment, and Transportation
Environment, and Transportation
White Papers
- Aligning Environmental, Tax, and Workforce Development Policies to Create a New Green-Collar Workforce
President Obama has outlined an aggressive national agenda to reduce carbon emissions, increase the production of renewable sources of energy, improve energy efficiency, and expand "green-collar" employment opportunities in poor, disadvantaged, and disconnected communities. Achieving this bold vision is an immensely complex undertaking requiring the coordination of a wide-range of policies across federal agencies. The purpose of this paper is to provide an initial analysis of the key questions facing policy makers in Congress and the Administration as those charged with implementation seek to align diverse agencies and policies with the "green-collar" workforce vision.
- Creating Jobs and a Sustainable Energy Future:
An Action Plan for Department of Energy's Management of Economic Stimulus Funds
With the economic stimulus bill passed, the U.S. Department of Energy and state and local governments must prepare to effectively administer large sums of money in a short period of time. This white paper proposes action steps that could be taken to greatly increase the prospects for effective and efficient use of the energy-related stimulus funds.
- Economic Stimulus and NEPA Compliance—Streamlining the Environmental Review Process
This paper explores ways that federal and state agencies can act to quickly and efficiently stimulate the economy while simultaneously complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and similar state environmental review laws, sometimes referred to as "Little NEPAs." This paper also summarizes how the NEPA environmental review process can be streamlined within the framework of existing laws and regulations.
- Greening the Housing Recovery:
Policy and Program Options for Upgrading Foreclosed and Troubled-Loan Homes
To prevent home loan delinquencies and foreclosures due to high energy costs, policymakers and program managers at the state and federal levels must enable both policy directives and program delivery mechanisms to put workable systems in place to deliver energy savings. This white paper advocates that turning this opportunity into reality can be easily achieved because key elements already exist.
- Outsourcing Energy Efficiency:
A Clean Energy Resource for the 21st Century
To meet the energy, economic, and environmental challenges of this new century, the United States needs new models for delivering energy efficiency on a larger scale and at a faster pace than ever before. This brief white paper explores three such models: infrastructure investment, market aggregation and transformation, and outsourcing.
Additional Articles and Reports
- An Analysis of the Technical and Economic Potential for Mid-Scale Distributed Wind
Prepared for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), this report examines the status, restrainers, drivers, and estimated development potential of mid-scale (10-5000 kW) distributed wind energy projects. ICF Vice President Robert Kwartin and an ICF team wrote the report.
- Securing a Clean Energy Future:
A Governor's Guide to Clean Power Generation and Energy Efficiency
Prepared for the National Governors Association (NGA) as part of the Securing a Clean Energy Future Initiative, this 2008 report identifies the two pressing electricity challenges that states face—satisfying growing demand and mitigating greenhouse gas emissions—and offers knowledge-driven advice regarding how they can strike a balance. Founded in 1908, the NGA is the collective voice of U.S. governors. ICF Vice President William Prindle was principal author of the report.