Common Resources

The New CAFE Standards: Are They Enough on Their Own?

The new CAFE standards may require complementary policies to meet the ambitious goals of reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In a new RFF discussion paper, I examine the new footprint standards, their implications for changes to the size mix of vehicles, and the role of credit policies on compliance and cost-effectiveness of the […]

The Limits of a Gasoline Tax

In a recent New York Times Sunday magazine “It’s Your Money” column, journalist Adam Davidson bemoaned his gridlocked commute from New York City to New Jersey, writing that he would have “happily paid whatever it cost to persuade some other drivers that it wasn’t worth it for them to be on the road.” Mr. Davidson […]

Senate Stares Down Europe on Aviation Carbon

Early last Saturday morning, the U.S. Senate stepped squarely into the debate over global aviation emissions, unanimously passing a bill that would give the Secretary of Transportation the power to prohibit U.S. airlines from complying with a new European law that require all airlines flying to or from Europe to participate in the European cap-and-trade […]

RFF Feature: Gasoline Taxes: Implications for Public Transit and Rural Areas

Two new RFF discussion papers highlight the effects of gasoline taxes in metropolitan and rural areas, examining outcomes for public transit and welfare impacts. Click here to read the full paper.

Aviation, Carbon, and the Clean Air Act

Can the Clean Air Act be used to reduce emissions from the aviation sector? Sam Grausz and I looked at that question in a recent short paper we wrote in cooperation with the Center for American Progress, as part of their Blue Skies project. This post summarizes that work. See the paper here and full legal analysis here. International […]

From Resources Magazine: Why Fuel Taxes aren’t Always Regressive

The current issue of Resources magazine focuses on balancing environmental protection with economic growth in developing countries. Obviously, distributional issues are extremely important, especially where the goal of poverty alleviation starts to conflict with environmental policy. It turns out that fuel taxes, a potentially important method of achieving environmental goals, don’t disproprotionately hurth the poor - […]

High-Speed Rail Passions

Despite differences of opinion on various societal-environmental dilemmas, worsening urban congestion is a near-universal American complaint, often reaching despair. But despair does not translate into support for potentially effective policy solutions. For example, neither the imposition of a carbon tax nor an increase in the 18.4 cents/gallon gasoline tax (which, in real terms has declined […]

Advanced Technology Vehicles: The Chicken and Egg Conundrum

Over the past 30 years, the government has spent billions of dollars in attempting to promote the adoption and utilization of advanced-technology vehicles, including those that use alternative fuels (such as the ethanol fuel blend E85 and natural gas), hybrid and battery electric vehicles, and fuel-celled vehicles. The extensive list of policies includes tax credits […]

Straight Dope on Cars and Waistlines

At RFF, we like to think of ourselves as somewhere to go for the straight dope on energy, environmental, and natural resource issues, so it’s nice to see that validated by a mention from the legendary Cecil Adams in his most recent Straight Dope column.

Improving Fuel Economy In Heavy-Duty Vehicles: What To Expect From The New Regulations

In November 2010, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) jointly proposed new federal regulations mandating improvements in fuel economy among heavy-duty commercial vehicles (HDVs)—i.e. heavy-duty trucks, buses and vans. This industry is no stranger to government regulation in many different policy areas. NHTSA has for many years regulated […]