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Duke Experts Discuss Hurdles, Benefits
of Electric Vehicles
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The electric vehicle movement recently had a moment when President Joe Biden took a new, electric Ford F-150 for a highly publicized test drive in touting his plan to invest $174 billion in incentives for that technology. While electric vehicles are growing in popularity, they still face hurdles as they head toward mainstream acceptance among drivers.
Two Duke scholars— Jen Weiss, senior policy associate at the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions, and Timothy Johnson, professor of the practice of energy and the environment at the Nicholas School of the Environment—discussed the benefits and challenges of electric vehicles during a virtual briefing with journalists. |
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New Stakeholder Initiative Seeks Solutions for Energy Insecurity in the Southeast |
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The Southeast Energy Insecurity Stakeholder Initiative is a new effort from the Nicholas Institute, in partnership with Appalachian Voices and the North Carolina Justice Center, to facilitate a broad, collaborative discussion that explores opportunities for reducing energy insecurity in the Southeast. Energy insecurity is understood as the impacts stemming from the inability to pay one's energy bill. Families impacted by this prevalent issue are often forced to make choices between energy and other essential expenses, such as food, housing, and healthcare.
The Initiative kicked off with a workshop on May 27 featuring North Carolina state Senator DeAndrea Salvador and Reverend Leo Woodberry discussing the importance of addressing energy insecurity in the Southeast. It was followed by interactive small group discussions of the energy insecurity challenges facing the region and solutions to overcome them.
The Initiative seeks various people and organizations to be represented in the stakeholder process to inform the solutions developed. This might include: people who have had trouble paying their energy bills; those working with individuals who are directly impacted; utility representatives; state and local decision-makers; representatives from state and local weatherization programs; religious, nonprofit and community leaders; and others impacted by energy insecurity. If you are interested in participating, please email Nicholas Institute policy associate Allie Garrett. |
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Electricity Market Scholars to Discuss
Outcomes and RTO Governance
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Join three leading energy market scholars and a top practitioner from the clean tech industry on Wednesday, June 2, at 1 p.m. EDT for a conversation about decisions that affect the cost and type of electricity that powers American homes and businesses.
This webinar is hosted by RTOGov, a research initiative to evaluate how decisions are made in U.S. electricity markets and whether these governance processes impact real-world outcomes such as price, customer choice, air quality, and innovation. Core partners for RTOGov are:
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Duke in DC Goes "Beyond Talking Points" to Explore
Policy Solutions for Environmental Justice
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The Biden administration has made clear its goals to address the climate crisis. A key component in tackling climate issues, domestic and abroad, is environmental justice. Environmental justice touches all aspects of life — from the food we put on our tables, the water in our faucets, the communities we live in, even our international affairs and much more.
In the latest round of its "Beyond Talking Points" series, Duke in DC brings together experts on a variety of topics that have direct or downstream effects on environmental justice, both domestically and abroad. Panelists will consider ways that we can improve affordability, advance sustainability, and increase access to essential resources, as well as provide their recommendations and policy considerations for Congress and the Biden administration.
Two Nicholas Institute experts will be panelists during the webinars:
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Public Agency Staff: Help IoW Better Understand Your Water Data Needs |
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The Internet of Water (IoW) is conducting a survey of public agency staff across the United States to help it better understand water data needs. The information learned from this survey will help IoW to provide public agencies with the resources they need to get the most from their water data.
If you work at a water management agency, please help by distributing this survey throughout your agency. IoW is interested in responses from all staff levels, particularly those who manage data or who use data for decision-making. This survey is confidential and will take approximately 8 minutes to complete.
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Kate Konschnik, Dr. Seth Blumsack, Mark James, and Dr. Stephanie Lenhart
These written comments were filed with the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by 10 researchers from RTOGov, to help inform the creation of an Office of Public Participation at FERC. The researchers suggested that the new Office of Public Participation could help the public — which might include new market entrants but also individuals, civil society organizations, and public sector representatives impacted by market decisions — in understanding the significance of RTOs and the opportunities to engage in their decision-making processes. This is especially important for public interests that have been historically under-represented in formal regulatory proceedings and underrepresented in RTO stakeholder engagement processes. They also proposed the creation of an RTO ombudsman position in the Office of Public Participation, and suggested that the new office could develop best practices for improving public involvement in RTO decision-making.
The RTOGov researchers who are cited within include: Dr. Seth Blumsack, Professor of Energy and Environmental Economics and International Affairs, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University; Michael H. Dworkin, JD., Professor Emeritus, Vermont Law School; Dalten Fox, Graduate Student, Boise State University; Mark James, JD., Senior Research Associate and Kevin Jones, Director, Institute for Energy and the Environment, Vermont Law School; Dr. Stephanie Lenhart, Senior Research Associate, Energy Policy Institute, School of Public Service, Boise State University; Christina Simeone, Senior Fellow, Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania; Zachary F. Teti, Graduate Student, Pennsylvania State University; and Elizabeth J. Wilson, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director, Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society, Dartmouth College.
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Professional Opportunities |
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The Energy Transitions Commission (ETC) is a global coalition of industry and policy-making leaders from across the energy landscape who are working together to develop a strategy for decarbonizing the global economy.
The Nicholas Institute is hiring a director to launch the new Secretariat for ETC's United States branch. The director will build the ETC effort in the U.S. by recruiting membership and developing U.S.-specific analysis and recommendations.
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