Environment

print friendly version

How Would "Cap and Trade" Affect Virginia's Economy? -- August 2009 How would Virginia's economy be affected by the proposed "Cap and Trade" legislation? The Thomas Jefferson Institute has re-released into one package two new reports independently released by the Beacon Hill Institute (BHI) and the Heritage Foundation demonstrate the devastating impact. The BHI study shows that by 2020 the carbon tax will cost Virginia more than $3 billion in increased energy costs, more than 65,000 in lost jobs, a loss of real disposable income of nearly $7 billion, annual investment decreases of $911 million and state and local government tax losses of more than $1 billion. The Heritage Foundation analysis concludes that between the years 2012 & 2035, the proposal will on average lower the state’s gross state product by over $8 billion, reduce personal income by over $3 billion, eliminate over 26,000 jobs, raise electricity price more than $500 per household and gasoline prices by 64 cents per gallon. Read the Report Here!

Why We Should Explore for Energy Offshore Now! On February 19th, 2009, Governor Kaine asked the Federal government to delay oil and gas exploration off the Virginia coast. Attorney General Bob McDonnell and Lieutenant Governor Bolling, in separate letters to Interior Secretary Salazar explained why it is in the interest of Virginia and the United States to maintain the current exploration schedule, a position reflecting a large majority of Virginia and U.S. citizens. As this issue has become a political matter, the Thomas Jefferson Institute's Center for Environmental Stewardship has prepared this fact sheet and powerpoint briefing to ensure the debate is based on the best information available. The Thomas Jefferson Institute is committed to sound science and careful analysis. In preparation of our original fact sheet on Virginia Off-shore Oil and Gas, the Institute made a computational error that our peer reviewers missed. An associate discovered it a few days later and that error has now been corrected. That revised fact sheet is now posted here, but despite the original computational error the important conclusion remains the same: There are significant oil and natural gas resources off our coast, and their development can not only help Virginia create new jobs but add to the state treasury. View Powerpoint View "Fact and Fiction" Briefing Paper

Geoengineering and the Four Climate Change Truths -- November 2008 At the Research Triangle Institute in November 2008, David Schnare, Director of the Jefferson Institute's Center for Environmental Stewardship, discussed climate change from a political theory perspective, with reference to geoengineering as a means to break the political roadblocks. In a thought-provoking presentation, he examines Malthusian and post-Marxist approaches to culture change as the apparent template used by climate alarmists and other environmental activists to force centralized governmental policies and eliminate traditional American entrepreneurialism from the mix of alternative approaches to climate change. The presentation discusses how geoengineering will likely break the centralized governmental response due to its low cost and the opportunity it provides for development of private sector solutions to climate change challenges. View Presentation (3.8 mb powerpoint)

Four Truths About Climate Change -- November 2008 There are four truths to the climate change policy debate that environmental activists do not really want known. The first is that greenhouse gas reduction goals, like Virginia Governor Kaine's, are both unachievable and irrelevant. In an op-ed commentary, Center for Evnironmental Stewardship Director David Schnare explains the "inside game" and exposes the stark realities of how human civilization will be forced to respond to concerns about global warming. View Commentary

The Economy and the Environment -- October 2008 In an internal analysis of the U.S. economy and federal environmental spending, Center for Environmental Stewardship Director David Schnare conducted a brief review of the relationship between the health of the economy and its effect upon environmental spending. Notably, significant changes in the former do not appear to much affect the latter. The leaderwship of the political party is correlated, but not in the manner expected. Democratic Prewsidents are slower to increase environmental spending than are Republicans. View Paper

Virginia Climate Commission Update -- August 2008 With new information frequently becoming available on the facts surrounding the debate on Global Warming, the Jefferson Institute’s Director of Environmental Stewardship. Dr. David Schnare, was asked to submit to the Governor’s Climate Change Commission, an update to his May testimony. This updated information was provided to the Commission at its August meeting. View Document

Creating a Climate-Friendly Energy Policy -- June 2008 How do you create an energy policy that combines concern about energy needs with concerns over climate change? This paper, presented to the Virginia House of Delegates, provides a policy framework for evaluating energy and climate related proposals, and suggests various programs and projects that combine into a climate-friendly energy policy. View Policy Paper

Climate Change and Geoengineering -- May 2008 By David W. Schnare, Esq., Ph.D. Why is Virginia's climate change goal neither practically achievable or necessary in order to prevent catastrophic climate effects? The Jefferson Institute's Center for Environmental Stewardship has the answer. This presentation before Governor Tim Kaine's Climate Change Commission explains how geoengineering techniques can prevent the effects of climate change and provide the time needed to shift from carbon-based fuels, without significant harm to Virginia's economy. View PowerPoint

Climate Change and the Uncomfortable Middle Ground: The Geoengineering and "No Regrets" Policy Alternative -- April 2008 This paper, delivered at the 2008 International Conference on Climate Change, offers the contours of a middle ground on the climate change issues. It calls for geoengineering as a means to put off the most catastriphic potential effects, at least for a few decades; an immediate reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) where those reductions actually save money (the "no regrets" alternatives); significantly expanded use of and research on low-cost carbon sequestration that removes GHGs from the atmosphere or reduces carbon emissions; and some breathing space within which to further assess some of the global warming theories that, if disproven, would point humanity toward lesser or greater reliance on alternative climate change responses. View Paper

The Free-Lance Star: The Economy and the Environment -- March 2008 The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star requested a commentary by Center for Environmental Stewardship Director David Schnare regarding climate change and how best to address the threat. The commentary appeared on March 16, 2008. View Commentary

Scientific Consensus on Global Warming: Results of an International Survey of Climate Scientists -- January 2008 Global warming is one of the most controversial topics of debate today. Is Earth's temperature rising? If it is, how rapid is the increase and will it benefit or harm humanity and nature? Are human greenhouse gas emissions to blame, or is the increase a natural return to temperatures that prevailed during the planet's previous warm periods? This booklet summarizes the results of international surveys of climate scientists conducted in 1996 and 2003 by two German environmental scientists, Dennis Bray and Hans von Storch. More than 530 climate scientists from 27 different countries provided numerical answers each time the survey was conducted ... and its results are an important contribution to real scientific consensus. Read the Survey Here!

Only the Market Can Clean up the Chesapeake Bay -- November 2007 There's no doubt that the Chesapeake Bay is in trouble, but a "command and control" response won't solve the problem. Here's one solution that includes trading of nutrient reduction amongst the polluters. Read the Report

Presentations to the Commonwealth of Virginia Energy and Sustainability (COVES) Conference -- October 2007 The 2007 Commonwealth of Virginia Energy and Sustainability (COVES) Conference invited David Schnare, Director of the Jefferson Institute's Center for Environmental Stewardship to present on two aspects of the then-newly released Virginia Energy Plan. His presentation on Environmental Justice documents the care the Commonwealth took to protect the interests of those traditionally left out of many private sector and governmental decision processes. His presentation on non-regulatory alternatives to the energy plan offers the first disucssion on how reduction of global temperature using geoengineering will provide the private sector sufficient time to develop non-carbon alternative sources of energy, thus obviating the need for a regulatory cap and trade or carbon tax approach. View Environmental Justice Presentation View Presentation on Non-regulatory Alternatives (9.3 mb file)

Climate Change Responses: Implications for the Chesapeake Bay -- September 2007 In testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee for the Environment and Public Works, Jefferson Institute Senior Fellow Dr. David Schnare argues that responses to climate change and the exclusive strategy of reducing greenhouse gases has significant implications for the Chesapeake Bay. Instead, he recommends examining "geo-engineering" that will lower global temperature and prevent the ocean from flooding the land around the Bay. View Testimony

Cleaning the Bay: Same Result, Less Cost -- April 2006 The Chesapeake Bay is one of the greatest natural resources in Virginia, but it suffers from modern environmental hazards. We need a concerted effort to clean it up, but it doesn't need to cost the billions the state and federal government want to spend. This report says there is an alternative. View Report

Sprawl and Sensible Growth: Weather the Politics and Myths - September 2003 One of the most controversial issues facing local communities deals with the continued development of commercial and residential properties. As families move into new developments, former farms and forest lands turn into subdivisions and shopping centers ... requiring more schools and more roads. As the debate over "sprawl" continues, the facts and reasonable compromise have at times been put back on the sidelines. The long-term consequences of actions taken without a clear understanding of facts can cause unintended problems. It is time to take a step back and look at the issues surrounding this growing debate. View PDF File.

Sensible Growth in Virginia – September 2001 Part of the Jefferson Institute’s “Campaign 2001 Briefing Book” supplied to all candidates, this paper looks at the conflicting goals of enticing new businesses into Virginia while managing that growth in a way that protects our environment, and offers proposals for realistic policies based on fact and not emotion. View PDF File.

Meeting Virginia’s Environmental Needs in Tight Money Times – September 2001 Part of the Jefferson Institute’s “Campaign 2001 Briefing Book” supplied to all candidates, this paper offers creative insight into the environmental issues facing the state of Virginia, and suggests common-sense solutions to protect our environment in ways that bring government and the private sector into partnerships rather than into conflict. View PDF File.

Sensible Growth Presentation - February 2001 This powerpoint presentation to the American Chamber of Commerce Executives is loaded with data on the myths, facts, and politics of growth, offering both sensible growth principles and emerging solutions to the challenges of metropolitan growth. Download Powerpoint File.

Sensible Growth - The Politics and Practicalities of Metropolitan Expansion - November 1999 America has the will and tools to ensure "Sensible Growth" in its cities and suburbs. Inevitably, these metropolitan regions will expand, but by applying sensible approaches we can reduce congestion, preserve open space and keep pace with demands for schools - all while providing for new economic and residential expansion. This paper provides an alternative to the radical proposals often described as "smart" growth and describes how principles of Sensible Growth can address problems in Virginia's metropolitan communities. View Executive Summary View Full Report

Preserving Virginia's Heritage: Approaches for Protecting Open Space - September 1999 Can the issue of "urban sprawl" be confronted without destroying the jobs that make our economy function and our standard of living one of the highest in the world? That question must be answered over the next few years as policymakers and decision leaders confront the issue, and this paper - originally distributed to all state legislative candidates - outlines some of the available options for preserving undeveloped land while our economy expands. View PDF File.

Environmental Policy: Moving from "Needs" to "Wants" - September 1997 This Issue Brief promotes a strategy for Virginia's environmental stewardship focusing on the devolution of environmental federalism, risk analysis, incentive analysis, problem-solving emphasis and property-based solutions. Environmental policy should reflect the diversity of the state while enhancing Virginia's scenic and natural beauty, and this brief will serve as a foundation for environmental discussions in the months ahead. View PDF File.