Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
and published in the President's annual budget. While the aggregate value for
energy-related tax expenditures is useful for gauging their general magnitude,
summing does not take into account interactions between individual provisions.
We excluded annual tax expenditures below $5 million because Treasury does not
report them. To review DOE's strategy for developing advanced energy
technologies, we reviewed DOE documents, including strategic plans, program
plans, and studies on each of the technologies. We also collected and analyzed
documents from industry and industry associations. In addition, we interviewed
senior DOE managers, program managers and scientists at DOE laboratories,
senior power company and industry association executives, and independent
experts.
To assess the key technological, economic, and other barriers to developing
and deploying new energy technologies, we analyzed various documents from
DOE, including program plans, energy studies and assessments, and key budget
documents, including supporting documentation justifying budget requests. We
also analyzed documents from other federal agencies; utilities; industry
associations; state utility commissions and associations; and independent experts,
including studies from the Electric Power Research Institute, the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, and the University of Chicago. We interviewed DOE and
NRC officials; program managers and scientists at DOE laboratories; executives
of utilities, manufacturers, and industry associations; public utility commissions
from various states; and selected state governments and government associations.
To examine the efforts of states to develop and deploy advanced energy
technologies, we analyzed reports and assessments from DOE, various state
governments and associations, industry and industry associations, and
independent experts. We also used the Database of State Incentives for Renewable
Energy, maintained by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, to analyze state
initiatives and select three states with successful initiatives—Texas' renewable
portfolio standards, Minnesota's ethanol program, and California's solar
programs. To assess the reliability of this database, we reviewed relevant
documentation and obtained responses from the database administrator to a series
of data reliability questions covering issues such as data entry, access, quality
control procedures, and the accuracy and completeness of the data. We
determined that the data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of this report.
In addition to the database, we collected documents and interviewed officials from
DOE; industry and industry associations; and various state organizations,
including the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Western
Governor's Association; and selected public utility commissions.
