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Articles by Pat Mulroy
Sustainable solutions needed to navigate the water crisis in the West
Editor’s note: As he traditionally does around this time every year, Brian Greenspun is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. Today’s guest is Pat Mulroy, the former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. She is currently president and CEO of Sustainable Strategies, a senior fellow at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law and a member of the Wynn Resorts board of directors.
Failure to act to save the Colorado means we all lose
By Pat Mulroy Editor’s note: As he traditionally does around this time every year, Brian Greenspun is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. Today’s guest is Pat Mulroy, former general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, currently president and CEO of Sustainable Strategies and a member of the Wynn Resorts board of directors. The year was 2002 … it marked the moment when Southern Nevada’s water reality changed forever.
Why the wiring of our brains makes it hard to stop climate change
Houston has barely begun to dry out from Hurricane Harvey, and Florida faces a massive rebuilding effort after the Irma catastrophe. These two storms, among the most powerful in American history, are typical of the extreme weather events that are likely to become more common as the planet warms. A third hurricane, Jose, waits offshore and the storm season is far from done.
The fantasy of quick and easy renewable energy | Brookings Institution
Most experts believe that it will be expensive and challenging to shift from today’s energy system, which is largely based on fossil fuels with their associated greenhouse gas emissions, to a new zero-carbon energy system. The size of this challenge is why changes in government policy have been slow to develop, while greenhouse gas emissions continue apace. But a vocal and growing number of analysts believe that decarbonizing the energy system will be surprisingly easy and free.
The next energy revolution: The promise and peril of high-tech innovation | Brookings Institution
The technology revolution has transformed one industry after another, from retail to manufacturing to transportation. Its most far-reaching effects, however, may be playing out in the unlikeliest of places: the traditional industries of oil, gas, and electricity. Over the past decade, innovation has upended the energy industry. First came the shale revolution.
The galvanized world response to Trump’s Paris Agreement decision | Brookings Institution
President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement is bad for the U.S. and bad for the world, but has galvanized global commitments to the goals of climate stabilization and to the agreement itself. The decision itself is a major error.
Transportation investment is a matter of (local) perspective | Brookings Institution
After a boom-and-bust decade, the return of consistent macroeconomic growth and low interests rates makes it a great time to invest in infrastructure. Larry Summers, one of infrastructure’s chief advocates, often focuses on the country’s shrinking investment rates. My colleague David Wessel built on those arguments by showing that federal infrastructure investment barely keeps up with long-term maintenance needs.
The H-1B visa race continues: Which regions received the most? | Brookings Institution
Major league baseball’s opening day is still a few days away, but this week marks another opening day for America’s businesses: H-1B visa cap season. Every April 1st, employers submit applications to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services for temporary employment visas for foreigners in specialty occupations. And every year businesses report frustration with both the limited number of visas and the first-come first served system for allocation.
The Search for Skills: Demand for H-1B Immigrant Workers in U.S. Metropolitan Areas | Brookings Institution
UPDATE: Click here for a detailed response to methodological issues raised in an October 2014 Washington Post article (PDF). Get daily updates from Brookings An analysis of the geography of H-1B visa requests — particularly in the metropolitan areas with the highest demand between 2001 and 2011 — reveals that: Demand for H-1B workers has fluctuated with economic and political cycles over the last decade and reflects a wide range of employers’ needs for high-skilled temporary workers.
An innovation district grows in Chattanooga | Brookings Institution
In the past, my colleagues and I have highlighted Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass. as an emblematic innovation district. Anchored by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and home to dozens of technology and life sciences companies, the district may be the most innovative ZIP code in the country. But not every city can replicate Kendall Square, because, frankly, not every city has an MIT. Get daily updates from Brookings A recent visit to Chattanooga, Tenn.
Cities and the presidential tech agenda | Brookings Institution
One curiosity of this presidential campaign is that the candidates—with one exception—have largely ignored issues related to cities and communication technology, even though all claim economic growth as a top priority. This is patently short-sighted. Digital technologies like broadband, smartphones, and sensors could be core enablers of future economic growth if we confront gaps in broadband adoption and outdated infrastructure.
Tackling the ‘Water Problem’: Challenges facing U.S. regulation, sustainability, and global geopolitics | Brookings Institution
Climate impacts on water are felt at every corner of the globe. From drought in California and a shrinking Colorado River to limited access to safe and clean drinking water in emerging economies, concerns about water are increasingly urgent. Addressing the water crisis facing the United States and other nations requires innovative, bipartisan ideas for how to alleviate water challenges, bolster resource security, and foster sustainable economic growth.
Challenges, recommendations for meeting 2017 norms for air pollution from thermal power plants in India | Brookings Institution
In this Brookings India IMPACT Series paper, Rahul Tongia and Deborah Seligsohn discuss the challenges for India in meeting the upcoming 2017 standards for air pollution from thermal power plants. While these new environmental norms are a welcome step in reducing emissions and are in line with global standards, gaps still remain in their viability and implementation.
No such thing as a perfect renewable energy contract | Brookings Institution
India’s 175 GW renewable energy (RE) targets by 2022 are ambitious, to say the least. Compared to RE targets in Europe, China, or California that require 4-5% growth in RE capacity annually, Indian targets require 25% growth. This translates to enormous capital investment (well over $100 billion), including from global investors. RE investors used to complain that dealing with India was like dealing with 30 countries; each state had its own norms.
Middle class prosperity can save the planet | Brookings Institution
“The best things in life are free,” says the old song. When it comes to the global commons – clean air, healthy oceans, conservation of diverse species – this is no longer true. We’ve abused the great systems of our planet for centuries and now it’s time to pay the bill. There are two ways of protecting the commons. The first is to reduce the human footprint. This was the early message of the Club of Rome in its famous The Limits to Growth (pdf) treatise, published in 1972.
Can President Trump roll back the Obama emissions and fuel efficiency standards for light-duty vehicles?
In the waning days of the Obama administration, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) surprised many observers by expediting the ongoing review of its landmark carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and fuel efficiency standards for light-duty vehicles. The standards, a centerpiece of the Obama Climate Action Plan, had been issued in 2012. At the time, the EPA committed to a mid-term evaluation (MTE) of the technological feasibility and costs of the emission limits for Model Years (MY) 2022-2025.
A driverless future for our cities | Brookings Institution
Editor’s Note: This piece was originally published in the Financial Times opinion pages. Last week in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, mayor Bill Peduto became the first ride-hailing customer to summon and ride a driverless taxi, marking yet another milestone in the rapid development of “autonomous vehicle” technology. Get daily updates from Brookings As Uber’s pilot program kicks off there, leaders in cities around the world must ask two important questions.
AdiEU: The impact of Brexit on UK cities | Brookings Institution
The market volatility and financial uncertainty that has gripped the United Kingdom after the Brexit referendum is a major concern for the U.K.’s cities. As a new report by Metro Dynamics, “AdiEU: The Impact of Brexit on U.K. Cities,” makes clear, it is critical that city and metro leaders have a significant voice within their national government both during exit negotiations with Brussels and in the creation of a new national budget.
Hardwiring urban innovation: RD&D partnerships for 21st century cities | Brookings Institution
Smart meters and streetlights. Autonomous vehicles. Air quality sensors. These and other “smart city” innovations have the potential to generate vast quantities of data for cities and their residents, and universities are stepping up by investing in new efforts to catalyze the research, development, and deployment (RD&D) of such urban technologies.
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