The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is currently developing performance standards to limit carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power sector, and refineries may one day face similar regulations. A new Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions policy brief identifies key differences between the electric power and refining industries, highlighting their possible significance for regulating the refining industry. A companion working paper more deeply examines policy design as well as options for maximizing cost effectiveness while accounting for differences among refineries.

The broad economic, environmental and societal implications of the EPA's proposed regulation for existing power plants will be discussed 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., July 14, in Washington, D.C. The event, co-sponsored by the Nicholas Institute and the Environmental Law Institute, will explore the practical and legal implications of this significant regulatory undertaking in an interactive format. Registration is required, but the event is open to the public.

Reducing emissions of agricultural greenhouse gases (GHGs), such as methane and nitrous oxide, and sequestering carbon in the soil or in living biomass can help reduce the impact of agriculture on climate change while improving productivity. A new article in a special focus issue of Environmental Research Letters synthesizes the current findings on the state of and capacity for agricultural GHG quantification. It concludes that strategic investment in quantification can lead to significant global improvement in agricultural GHG estimation in the near term. 

Job openings at the Nicholas Institute provide opportunities for selected candidates to play a role in the leading environmental debates of our time. Current openings include Ocean and Coastal Policy Program Director, Climate and Energy Program Policy Associate and Student Communications Assistant. 

Amy Pickle, director of the State Policy Program at the Nicholas Institute, was elected to serve as vice chair of the North Carolina Mining and Energy Commission. Her one-year term begins Aug. 1 and ends July 31, 2015.

In the June issue of EM Magazine, the Nicholas Institute's Brian Murray and Jonas Monast write that although climate change is a global environmental problem, actions to mitigate it through GHG controls are local, bringing non-federal levels of government into action, particularly in the United States. Although necessary, local implementation introduces a great deal of complexity and potential inefficiency. 

State Policy Program Director Amy Pickle served as one of the guest speakers for WakeUp Wake County's community forum "Clean Water More Valuable Than Oil: State Actions Affecting Your Water." The event focused on whether water regulations harm the economy or create jobs and highlighted two recent legislative actions: a halt to clean-up plans for Jordan Lake and a requirement to review every water rule and regulation in North Carolina over the coming year.