Through the use of a new modeling tool, researchers at the Nicholas Institute
for Environmental Policy Solutions examined the options for and costs of sourcing biogas from landfills in North Carolina. The study found that biogas production is possible throughout many existing landfills in the state, but the economic viability of producing biogas at these locations depends on the cost of collecting and conditioning the gas and either using it to produce electric power onsite or transporting it into the existing natural gas pipeline network. In most cases, both the pipeline injection and electricity generation scenarios are more costly than conventional sources in the gas and electricity markets. The state's Renewable Energy and Efficiency Portfolio Standard might offer renewable energy credit payments to help these projects compete. 

The Nicholas Institute welcomes two new members to its Board of Advisors, William Rosenberg and Douglas Wheeler. Wheeler, an environmental lawyer focused on federal regulatory issues; and Rosenberg, president of E3 Gasification, will serve the board through December 2015.

A new study in the journal Marine Pollution Bulletin looks at whether improving the environmental quality of coastal areas through policy intervention has an effect on the way people use these areas. It found Southern California beaches with storm drain diversion systems attract millions more people annually. 

Dozens of Duke researchers, including staff from the Nicholas Institute, recently presented their ongoing energy work and findings at a daylong Energy Research Collaboration Workshop sponsored by the Energy Initiative. Topics ranged from energy modeling to emerging energy policies. 

Billy Pizer, faculty fellow at the Nicholas Institute, was among the panelists at the 39th Annual AAAS Forum on Science and Technology Policy. There, experts focused on how misconceptions about the effect of environmental regulations on the economy and jobs are complicating federal efforts to create sound environmental policies.

The Nicholas Institute will be one of the first to have a Bass Connections team of Duke faculty and students who will spend the next year collaborating on key societal issues. The project will center on U.S. climate policy options.