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Daily Archives: April 18, 2016

Report – Proxy Carbon Pricing

Center for American Progress – Proxy Carbon Pricing, A Tool for Fiscally Rational and Climate-Compatible Governance, By Alison Cassady and Gwynne Taraska. April 2016.

“As the world unites to fight climate change, more and more countries are turning to carbon pricing as a means to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. By putting a price on carbon, governments can correct the market’s failure to account for the climate costs of burning fossil fuels; in so doing, carbon pricing mechanisms encourage polluters to find cleaner, lower-carbon processes. Some countries have adopted emissions trading systems and carbon taxes to establish an explicit price on carbon, while others have turned to nonmarket regulatory policies that establish an implicit price on each ton of pollution. It is reasonable to expect these trends to continue as nations endeavor to fulfill the national and global goals to curb climate change that they established through the Paris agreement in 2015…”

Total U.S. energy production increases for sixth consecutive year

EIA Report – April 18, 2016: “Total U.S. energy production increased for the sixth consecutive year. According to data in EIA’s most recent Monthly Energy Review, energy production reached a record 89 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), equivalent to 91% of total U.S. energy consumption. Liquid fuels production drove the increase, with an 8% increase… Continue Reading

GAO reports – Counterterrorism, CFTC Leasing Guidance, DoD and mental health, national flood insurance, VA health care

Counterterrorism: DOD Should Enhance Management of and Reporting on Its Global Train and Equip Program, GAO-16-368: Published: Apr 18, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 18, 2016. Federal Real Property: Commodity Futures Trading Commission Needs Better Leasing Guidance to Improve Cost-effectiveness, GAO-16-434: Published: Apr 18, 2016. Publicly Released: Apr 18, 2016. Foreign Aid: USAID Generally Complied with… Continue Reading

Poynter – Winners of the 2016 Pulitzer Prizes

Poynter Institute: “The recipients of the 2016 Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday. We’ve collected the winners below, along with reactions from newsrooms across the country.” Please note – via Margot Williams, The Intercept – “Congratulations to all the researchers who have contributed so much to winning and finalist stories! I am so proud of you.… Continue Reading

Google Books case ends as Supreme Court will not intervene

WSJ.com: “The Supreme Court on Monday declined to intervene in a case examining whether Alphabet Inc.’s Google engaged in copyright infringement when it scanned millions of books and made them searchable online, a final blow to authors who sued the company. The justices, in a brief written order, said they won’t take up an appeal by the… Continue Reading

ProPublica Wins Third Pulitzer Prize for ‘An Unbelievable Story of Rape’

Via ProPublica: “Christian Miller, a senior reporter for ProPublica, and Ken Armstrong, a writer for The Marshall Project, won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting for “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” their harrowing account of the hunt for a serial rapist. The award is the third Pulitzer Prize for ProPublica, and the first for… Continue Reading

Six of the Government’s Best Mobile Apps

“There’s an app for everything in this digital age, including hundreds developed by the federal government. Here are six apps that we found especially useful. Smart Traveler – Planning a trip out of the country this year? Smart Traveler by the State Department is great for all your trips abroad. Get the latest travel alerts… Continue Reading