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Biomass: Comparison of Definitions in Legislation Through the 111th Congress

Description: The use of biomass as an energy feedstock is emerging as a potentially viable alternative to address U.S. energy security concerns, foreign oil dependence, rural economic development, and diminishing sources of conventional energy. Biomass (organic matter that can be converted into energy) may include food crops, crops for energy, crop residues, wood waste and byproducts, and animal manure. Most legislation involving biomass has focused on encouraging the production of liquid fuels from corn. F… more
Date: March 7, 2012
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi & Gorte, Ross W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Policy: 113th Congress Issues

Description: This report discusses the energy policy in the United States that is focused on three major goals: assuring a secure supply of energy, keeping energy costs low, and protecting the environment.
Date: March 21, 2014
Creator: Behrens, Carl E.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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China and the United States—A Comparison of Green Energy Programs and Policies

Description: This report looks at the laws, programs, and policies encouraging development of wind, solar, and biomass power in the China and the United States. While hydropower is the most developed source of renewable electricity in both China and the United States, additional development of conventional hydropower is not currently a major focus of energy policy in the United States.
Date: March 30, 2011
Creator: Campbell, Richard J.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Gasoline Prices: New Legislation and Proposals

Description: This report discusses policy options for Congress regarding gas prices. The high price of gasoline was an important consideration during the debate on major energy legislation, which ended August 8 as the President signed the Energy Policy Act of 2005, H.R. 6 (P.L. 109-58). However, prices continued to surge, spiking at the end of August when Hurricane Katrina shut down refining operations in the Gulf of Mexico. The continuing crisis renewed attention to some issues that were dropped or comprom… more
Date: March 3, 2006
Creator: Behrens, Carl E. & Glover, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Is Biopower Carbon Neutral?

Description: This report discusses some of the most relevant factors to take into account when considering whether or not biopower is carbon neutral. It does not discuss carbon accounting for other bioenergy pathways.
Date: March 24, 2011
Creator: Bracmort, Kelsi
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Clean Energy Standard: Design Elements, State Baseline Compliance and Policy Considerations

Description: This report evaluates design elements of previous Clean Energy Standards (CES) proposals, summarizes the Administration’s CES policy framework, provides state-level baseline CES compliance analysis, and presents several policy options that Congress might consider as part of a CES debate.
Date: March 25, 2011
Creator: Brown, Phillip
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Policy: The Continuing Debate

Description: Concern about national energy policy remains high amidst high prices for oil products and natural gas during the winter of 2003 and oil inventory levels that have been observed to be at historic lows. On February 28, 2003, Representative Joe Barton, chairman of the House Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee, released a draft omnibus energy bill that includes a number of issues debated, but left unresolved, in the 107th Congress. The Senate has indicated its intention to introduce omnibus energy … more
Date: March 17, 2003
Creator: Bamberger, Robert L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS): Overview and Issues

Description: This report focuses specifically on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It describes the general nature of the biofuels RFS and its implementation, and outlines some of the emerging issues related to the sustainability of the continued growth in U.S. biofuels production needed to fulfill the expanding RFS mandate, as well as the emergence of potential unintended consequences of this rapid expansion. This report does not address the broader public policy issue of how best to support U.S. energy p… more
Date: March 14, 2013
Creator: Schnepf, Randy & Yacobucci, Brent D.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs

Description: This report describes federal programs that provide grants, loans, loan guarantees, and other direct or indirect regulatory incentives for energy efficiency, energy conservation, and renewable energy. For each program, the report provides the administering agency, authorizing statute(s), annual funding, and the program expiration date. The appendixes provide summary information in a tabular format.
Date: March 22, 2011
Creator: Cunningham, Lynn J. & Roberts, Beth A.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Tax Policy: Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: The economic rationale for interventions in energy markets helps inform the debate surrounding energy tax policy. This report begins by providing background on the economic rationale for energy market interventions, highlighting various market failures. After identifying possible market failures in the production and consumption of energy, possible interventions are discussed. The report concludes with an analysis of the current status of energy tax policy.
Date: March 28, 2012
Creator: Sherlock, Molly F. & Crandall-Hollick, Margot L.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 113-79)

Description: This report focuses on the policies contained in the 2014 farm bill that support agriculture based renewable energy, especially biofuels. The introductory sections of this report briefly describe how U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) bioenergy policies evolved and how they fit into the larger context of U.S. biofuels policy.
Date: March 12, 2014
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Agriculture-Based Renewable Energy Production

Description: This report discusses federal programs on agriculture-based renewable energy and how people associated with agriculture have reacted. Moreover, the report discusses how this reaction has been positive and taken the form of an increase in ethanol production along with wind energy.
Date: March 7, 2007
Creator: Schnepf, Randy
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Provisions in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (P.L. 111-5)

Description: This report discusses the energy appropriations in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA, P.L. 111-5). It includes background information, a summary of provisions, and detailed explanations of the relevant appropriations and tax provisions.
Date: March 3, 2009
Creator: Sissine, Fred; Andrews, Anthony; Folger, Peter; Kaplan, Stan M.; Morgan, Daniel; Stine, Deborah D. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Policy Act of 2005: Summary and Analysis of Enacted Provisions

Description: This report provides a section-by-section summary of the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Discussions of legislative background and policy implications are provided for bill titles and subtitles that address unified programs or policy areas.
Date: March 8, 2006
Creator: Holt, Mark & Glover, Carol
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Administering Green Programs in Congress: Issues and Options

Description: This report discusses "green" programs and the higher profile they have gained since the 110th Congress. "Green" programs are those designed to create an environmentally friendly work environment and conserve energy. This report discusses initiatives and policy options that would improve the "greening" process on Capitol Hill.
Date: March 11, 2011
Creator: Straus, Jacob R.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Legislation in the 109th Congress

Description: This report reviews the status of energy efficiency and renewable energy legislation introduced during the 109th Congress. Action in the second session has focused on appropriations bills; the first session focused on omnibus energy policy bill H.R. 6 and several appropriations bills. this report describes several major pieces of legislation, including the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Transportation Equity Act. For each bill listed in this report, a brief description and a summary of actio… more
Date: March 24, 2006
Creator: Sissine, Fred
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Keeping America’s Pipelines Safe and Secure: Key Issues for Congress

Description: This report covers ways in which the 112th Congress can introduce relevant legislation to safeguard pipelines that transport natural gas, oil, and other hazardous liquids across the United States. While an efficient and fundamentally safe means of transport, many pipelines carry materials with the potential to cause public injury and environmental damage; the networks are also widespread and vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attack.
Date: March 17, 2011
Creator: Parfomak, Paul W.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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The Quadrennial Energy Review

Description: This is the first Quadrennial Energy Review (QER) report with focus on U.S. energy infrastructure, specifically transmission, storage, and distribution (TS&D), looking out to 2030.
Date: March 20, 2015
Creator: Ratner, Michael
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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