Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
subject to the annual appropriations process. Some tax expenditures are enacted
on a temporary basis, providing an opportunity for scrutiny before they can be
extended.
Source: EIA.
Note: EIA projects a greater reliance on coal to generate electricity if oil prices exceed $90
per barrel by 2030 and less reliance on coal and a slight reduction in renewable energy
if oil prices are less than $30 per barrel by 2030.
Figure 2. Projected U.S. Electricity Generation by Energy Source, 2005-2030.
Currently, the United States does not regulate carbon dioxide emissions,
which contribute to global warming. In 1992, the United States ratified the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which was intended to
stabilize the build-up of greenhouse gases, but did not impose binding limits on
greenhouse gas emissions. In 1997, the United States participated in drafting the
Kyoto Protocol, which established some limits on greenhouse gas emissions but
did not ratify the protocol. Many DOE officials and industry executives told us,
however, that the federal government might begin to regulate greenhouse gas
emissions in the future to address global warming concerns. The Energy Policy
Act of 2005 authorized R and D funding for the capture and long-term storage—
or sequestration—of carbon dioxide.
