Welcome
The Center for Energy Studies (CES) is mandated to provide energy information and analysis that responds to the needs of the legislature, public agencies, and business and civic groups. The Center maintains some unique energy data bases and is the official repository of energy information from the state and The Energy Council. Staff respond regularly to requests from a wide variety of individuals and institutions for specialized energy data and information.
CES comprises the following units:
- Radiation Safety Office
- Minerals Processing Research Division
- Oil Spill Research and Development Division
- Energy Information and Data Division
- Policy Analysis Division
- Research and Development Division
Other units affiliated with CES:
News
New Report Provides Policy Makers Guidance on Plugging and Abandoning Offshore Wells
Center for Energy Studies faculty have collaborated on a new paper that examines offshore
well plugging and abandoning (P&A) liabilities and provides guidance to federal policy
makers during the formulation of P&A programs. Part of an oil and gas research initiative
at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, the study identifies at least
three objectives of potential P&A programs: reducing future financial P&A liability
for tax payers, lowering environmental risk, and preserving or increasing employment
while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Upton, Nehiba Provide Comment on EPA's Proposed RFS Small Refinery Exemption Decision
In December 2021, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to deny
more than 60 pending small refinery exemption (SRE) petitions from small refineries
that were requesting an exemption from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program.
The RFS is a federal program that requires transportation fuel sold in the United
States to contain a minimum amount of renewable fuels, such as ethanol, blended into
the fuel purchased by consumers.
Associate Professor-Research Greg Upton and Assistant Professor-Research Cody Nehiba provided an opinion on two specific claims made by the EPA in its proposal. Their expert opinion was submitted to the EPA in Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0566.