GAO Report Released: Natural Resources and Environment: Funding for 10 States' Programs Supported by Four Environmental Protection Agency Categorical Grants

Recently, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report, titled Natural Resources and Environment: Funding for 10 States' Programs Supported by Four Environmental Protection Agency Categorical Grants GAO-13-504R (May 6, 2013). The details of the 73-page report, available here, are discussed below:

Why GAO Did This Study

In the last 10 years, appropriations for EPA's categorical grants have generally decreased from a high of $1.17 billion in fiscal year 2004 to $1.09 billion in fiscal year 2012 (in current dollars). Members of Congress and state stakeholders have expressed concerns about the adequacy of EPA categorical grant funding in light of recent economic conditions and the effects on state budgets. 

GAO reviewed four of these grants--the Water Pollutant Control, Nonpoint Source, Air Quality, and Underground Injection Control grants--that made up 60 percent of the total budget for categorical grants in fiscal year 2012. GAO also reviewed funding for state programs that use these grants in 10 states, including Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Vermont, and West Virginia. 

Why GAO Did This Study

GAO is not making any recommendations. GAO provided a draft to the agency for comment. EPA provided technical comments by e-mail, which were incorporated into the report as appropriate. GAO also provided relevant sections of the report to agency officials in the 10 states reviewed. The state agencies provided technical comments, which were incorporated into the report as appropriate.

BPC Report Released: New Dynamics of the U.S. Natural Gas Market

Recently, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), "a non-profit organization that drives principled solutions . . .  [and] combines politically-balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach," issued a report titled, New Dynamics of the U.S. Natural Gas Market (2013). The 57-page report is available here, and discusses the following:

[t]he analysis presented in this report considered the relative impact of a realistic range of supply and demand drivers that will shape future U.S. energy markets and, in particular the market for natural gas.

The scenario analysis revealed that within the suite of natural gas supply and demand assumptions considered, there are ample domestic supplies of natural gas to meet future demand without significant price increases.

Similarly, the analysis shows that the United States is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the economic, environmental, and energy security benefits of the country’s large natural gas resource base. Natural gas resources have the potential to create new market opportunities for expanded natural gas use in ways that will grow the economy and improve the environmental performance of the U.S. energy system, if the environmental challenges associated with natural gas development using horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing are addressed by industry in collaboration with state and federal regulators.

USGS Report Released: Groundwater Depletion in the United States (1900−2008)

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a report titled Groundwater Depletion in the United States (1900−2008) (USGS Sci. Investgn. Rep. 2013-5079). The 75-page report available here, authored by Leonard F. Konikow discusses the following:

[a] natural consequence of groundwater withdrawals is the removal of water from subsurface storage, but the overall rates and magnitude of groundwater depletion in the United States are not well characterized. This study evaluates long-term cumulative depletion volumes in 40 separate aquifers or areas and one land use category in the United States, bringing together information from the literature and from new analyses. Depletion is directly calculated using calibrated groundwater models, analytical approaches, or volumetric budget analyses for multiple aquifer systems. Estimated groundwater depletion in the United States during 1900–2008 totals approximately 1,000 cubic kilometers (km³). Furthermore, the rate of groundwater depletion has increased markedly since about 1950, with maximum rates occurring during the most recent period (2000–2008) when the depletion rate averaged almost 25 km³ per year (compared to 9.2 km³ per year averaged over the 1900–2008 timeframe).

NRDC Report Released: Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action

Recently, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international non-profit environmental advocacy and action group which focuses on the protection of wildlife and habitat, issued a report produced in conjunction with American Rivers titled, Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action (2013). According to the press release for the 151-page report available here, the report discusses how,

NRDC's Getting Climate Smart: A Water Preparedness Guide for State Action is a guide to assist water managers and state governments as they ready themselves for wide-ranging changes for their communities and ecosystems. Getting Climate Smart mixes practical guidance, planning tools, case studies and a holistic toolbox of strategies covering everything from agriculture, to energy, to public health and infrastructure. By following these steps, states can better prepare for future climate variability and better position themselves to tackle the inevitable challenges of a changing climate.

ACWA White Paper Released: Examples of State Innovations: Clean Water Act Compliance

Recently, the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA), "a national, nonpartisan professional organization . . . [whose] members are the State, Interstate and Territorial officials who are responsible for the implementation of surface water protection programs throughout the nation" issued a white paper titled, Examples of State Innovations: Clean Water Act Compliance (Apr. 24, 2013). The 8-page document is available here under the "New" category (ACWA White Paper: CWA Compliance Innovations 4-24-13).

USGS Report Released: Forecasting the Impact of Storm Waves and Sea-level rise on Midway Atoll and Laysan Island within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a report titled Forecasting the Impact of Storm Waves and Sea-level Rise on Midway Atoll and Laysan Island within the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument—A Comparison of Passive Versus Dynamic Inundation Models (USGS Open File Rep. 2013-1069). The 86-page report available here, authored by Curt D. Storlazzi et al. discusses the following:

Two inundation events in 2011 underscored the potential for elevated water levels to damage infrastructure and affect terrestrial ecosystems on the low-lying Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument. The goal of this study was to compare passive "bathtub" inundation models based on geographic information systems (GIS) to those that include dynamic water levels caused by wave-induced set-up and run-up for two end-member island morphologies: Midway, a classic atoll with islands on the shallow (2-8 m) atoll rim and a deep, central lagoon; and Laysan, which is characterized by a deep (20-30 m) atoll rim and an island at the center of the atoll. Vulnerability to elevated water levels was assessed using hindcast wind and wave data to drive coupled physics-based numerical wave, current, and water-level models for the atolls. The resulting model data were then used to compute run-up elevations using a parametric run-up equation under both present conditions and future sea-level-rise scenarios. In both geomorphologies, wave heights and wavelengths adjacent to the island shorelines increased more than three times and four times, respectively, with increasing values of sea-level rise, as more deep-water wave energy could propagate over the atoll rim and larger wind-driven waves could develop on the atoll. Although these increases in water depth resulted in decreased set-up along the islands’ shorelines, the larger wave heights and longer wavelengths due to sea-level rise increased the resulting wave-induced run-up. Run-up values were spatially heterogeneous and dependent on the direction of incident wave direction, bathymetry, and island configuration. Island inundation was modeled to increase substantially when wave-driven effects were included, suggesting that inundation and impacts to infrastructure and terrestrial habitats will occur at lower values of predicted sea-level rise, and thus sooner in the 21st century, than suggested by passive GIS-based "bathtub" inundation models. Lastly, observations and the modeling results suggest that classic atolls with islands on a shallow atoll rim are more susceptible to the combined effects of sea-level rise and wave-driven inundation than atolls characterized by a deep atoll rim.

CRS Report Released: U.S. Natural Gas Exports: New Opportunities, Uncertain Outcomes

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), the public policy research arm of Congress, recently issued the report U.S. Natural Gas Exports: New Opportunities, Uncertain Outcomes (Apr. 8, 2013). The 30-page report authored by Michael Ratner et al., discusses the following:

Summary

As estimates for the amount of U.S. natural gas resources have grown, so have the prospects of rising U.S. natural gas exports. The United States is expected to go from a net importer of natural gas to a net exporter by 2020. Projects to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) by tanker ship have been proposed—cumulatively accounting for about 12.5% of current U.S. natural gas production—and are at varying stages of regulatory approval. Projects require federal approval under Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. §717b), with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Fossil Energy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission being the lead authorizing agencies. Pipeline exports, which accounted for 94% of all exports of U.S. produced natural gas in 2010, are also likely to rise.

What effect exporting natural gas will have on U.S. prices is the central question in the debate over whether to export. A significant rise in U.S. natural gas exports would likely put upwards pressure on domestic prices, but the magnitude of any rise is currently unclear. There are numerous factors that will affect prices: export volumes, economic growth, differences in local markets, and government regulations, among others. With today’s natural gas prices relatively low compared to global prices and historically low for the United States, producers are looking for new markets for their natural gas. Producers contend that increased exports will not raise prices significantly as there is ample supply to meet domestic demand, and there will be the added benefits of increased revenues, trade, and jobs, and less flaring. Consumers of natural gas, who are being helped by the low prices, fear prices will rise if natural gas is exported.

Electric power generation represents potentially the greatest increase in natural gas consumption in the U.S. economy, primarily for environmental reasons. Natural gas emits much less carbon dioxide and other pollutants than coal when combusted. Other types of consumption are not likely to increase natural gas demand domestically for a long time. Use in the transportation sector to displace oil is likely to be small because expensive new infrastructure and technologies would be required. There is discussion of a possible revival of the U.S. petrochemicals sector, but the potential extent of a change is unclear.

Getting natural gas to markets where it can be consumed, whether domestically or internationally, may be the industry’s biggest challenge. Infrastructure constraints, environmental regulations, and other factors will influence how the market adjusts to balance supply and demand.

Environmental groups are split regarding natural gas use, with some favoring increased use to curb emissions of certain pollutants, while others oppose expanded use of natural gas because it is not as clean as renewable forms of energy, such as wind or solar. The use of hydraulic fracturing to produce shale gas has also raised concerns among environmental groups particularly concerned with its possible impacts on water quality.

The possibility of a significant increase in U.S. natural gas exports will factor into ongoing debates on the economy, energy independence, climate change, and energy security. As the proposed projects continue to develop, policymakers are likely to receive more inquiries about these projects. Proposals to expedite and expand LNG exports have already been raised in the 113th Congress, including in S. 192 and H.R. 580. Two other bills, H.R. 1189 and H.R. 1191, would reform the DOE’s process for determining the public interest regarding LNG exports and prohibit exports of natural gas produced on federal lands.

EPA Releases U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program 2012 Annual Report

According to a recent EPA Press Release

EPA is releasing its U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program 2012 Annual Report. The report highlights Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 accomplishments and the program's environmental, public health and economic benefits to the U.S. The border program provides access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, often for the first time, to underserved communities along the U.S.-Mexico Border. In FY 2012, the program provided 5,185 border homes with safe drinking water and 31,092 homes with adequate wastewater services. Currently the program has 24 projects under construction and supports 26 communities in the planning and development of projects for future construction. EPA's investments boost the regional and national economy through increased productivity, avoided health care and economic losses, direct and indirect job creation, enhanced ecological values, and by attracting trade opportunities and additional private investments. More information: http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/wastewater/mexican/index.cfm

• U.S.-Mexico Border Infrastructure Program 2012 Annual Report (PDF)
• U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Program 2011 Annual Report (PDF)
• U.S.-Mexico Border Water Infrastructure Successes Mexicali (PDF)

USGS Guide Released: User’s Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Water-Quality System

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a report titled User’s Manual for the National Water Information System of the U.S. Geological Survey: Water-Quality System (USGS Open File Rep. 2013-1054). The 771-page guide available here, authored by David H. Dupré et al., discusses the following:

This user documentation is designed to be a reference for the quality of water (QW) programs within the National Water Information System (NWIS). If you are a new user, the “Introduction” and “Getting Started” sections may be the right place for you to start. If you are an experienced user, you may want to go straight to the details provided in the “Program” section (section 3). Code lists and some miscellaneous reference materials are provided in the Appendices. The last section, “Tip Sheets,” is a collection of suggestions for accomplishing selected tasks, some of which are basic and some are advanced. These tip sheets are referenced in the main text of the documentation where appropriate.

NRDC Report Released: From Mutual Assured Destruction to Mutual Assured Stability Exploring a New Comprehensive Framework for U.S. and Russian Nuclear Arms Reductions

Recently, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an international non-profit environmental advocacy and action group which focuses on the protection of wildlife and habitat issued a report titled, From Mutual Assured Destruction to Mutual Assured Stability Exploring a New Comprehensive Framework for U.S. and Russian Nuclear Arms Reductions (Mar. 2013). According to the press release for the 93-page report available here, the report discusses how,

(NRDC) conducted two workshops with members of The Institute for USA and Canadian Studies (ISKRAN), Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, in Washington, D.C. in 2011 and in Moscow in 2012, to examine questions surrounding the future of U.S.–Russian arms control. Our primary goal was to describe a set of further arms control options for these two countries at a time when their national leaderships are in a period of potential change. The secondary goal was to facilitate a greater understanding of Russia's perspectives on its national security and how nuclear weapons fit into the larger picture of Russian security planning.

American Society of Civil Engineers 2013 Infrastructure Report Card Released

Recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers, a professional organization "represent[ing] . . . 140,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide" issued its 2013 Report Card for America's Infrastructure. The report card, which is produced once every four years "depicts the condition and performance of the nation’s infrastructure in the familiar form of a school report card—assigning letter grades that are based on physical condition and needed fiscal investments for improvement."  According to the press release, America's overall grade was a D+ reflecting a $3.6 trillion dollar investment to correct by 2020.

USTIC Report Released: Used Electronic Products: An Examination of U.S. Exports

Recently, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USTIC), "an independent, quasijudicial Federal agency with broad investigative responsibilities on matters of trade" issued a report titled, Used Electronic Products: An Examination of U.S. Exports (2013). According to the 250-page report available here,  the following issues are discussed:

Summary

U.S. sales of used electronic products (UEP) in 2011 were valued at $19.2 billion, and U.S. exports of such products in 2011 made up 7 percent of total U.S. UEP sales, reports the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in its new publication.

 

Completed at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative, the report is based on data collected through a nationwide survey of 5,200 refurbishers, recyclers, brokers, information technology asset managers, and other UEP handlers. The report covers the year 2011 and focuses on audio and visual equipment, computers and peripheral equipment, digital imaging devices, telecommunication equipment, and component parts of these products. The Commission's findings include:

• UEPs are collected from consumers and businesses, sorted by value, then either refurbished and resold as working electronic equipment or disassembled into working parts or scrap commodities (metals, plastics, and glass) that are resold as manufacturing inputs in the United States and abroad.
• The top five destinations for U.S. UEP exports in 2011 were Asia-Pacific countries (primarily Korea and Japan), Mexico, India, Hong Kong, and China, accounting for 74 percent of exports. Just over half of U.S. UEP exports were shipped to countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
• Whole equipment for reuse accounted for the largest share of U.S. exports by value in 2011, and tested and working products represented the majority of U.S. exports of whole UEPs.
• Refurbishing and repair enterprises accounted for the largest share of U.S. exporters of UEPs by value, followed by enterprises involved in wholesaling, brokering, or retailing.
• Measured by end-use of the products, commodity materials intended for smelting or refining accounted for the largest share of U.S. exports by weight (43 percent) in 2011.
• U.S. regulations in place in 25 states generally reduce exports by requiring electronics manufacturers to collect used products for recycling. Industry certification programs also likely serve to limit U.S. exports of UEPs. In contrast, limited U.S. capacity to process UEPs in two segments of the industry: cathode ray tube (CRT) glass and final smelting – create incentives to export CRT monitors, CRT glass, and circuit boards destined for smelting to retrieve precious metals.
• In developing countries, demand for UEPs exported from the United States is strong, but the Basel Convention and some country regulations may limit such exports, since many developing countries agree not to import nonworking UEPs from OECD member countries.

USGS Book Released: United States--Mexican Borderlands--Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges through USGS Science

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a book titled United States--Mexican Borderlands--Facing Tomorrow’s Challenges through USGS Science (USGS Circl. 1380). The 318-page book available here, edited by Randall G. Updike, Eugene G. Ellis, William R. Page, Melanie J. Parker, Jay B. Hestbeck, and William F. Horak discusses the following:

[a]long the nearly 3,200 kilometers (almost 2,000 miles) of the United States–Mexican border, in an area known as the Borderlands, we are witnessing the expression of the challenges of the 21st century. This circular identifies several challenge themes and issues associated with life and the environment in the Borderlands, listed below. The challenges are not one-sided; they do not originate in one country only to become problems for the other. The issues and concerns of each challenge theme flow in both directions across the border, and both nations feel their effects throughout the Borderlands and beyond. The clear message is that our two nations, the United States and Mexico, face the issues in these challenge themes together, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) understands it must work with its counterparts, partners, and customers in both countries.

Though the mission of the USGS is not to serve as land manager, law enforcer, or code regulator, its innovation and creativity and the scientific and technical depth of its capabilities can be directly applied to monitoring the conditions of the landscape. The ability of USGS scientists to critically analyze the monitored data in search of signals and trends, whether they lead to negative or positive results, allows us to reach significant conclusions—from providing factual conclusions to decisionmakers, to estimating how much of a natural resource exists in a particular locale, to predicting how a natural hazard phenomenon will unfold, to forecasting on a scale from hours to millennia how ecosystems will behave.

None of these challenge themes can be addressed strictly by one or two science disciplines; all require well-integrated, cross-discipline thinking, data collection, and analyses. The multidisciplinary science themes that have become the focus of the USGS mission parallel the major challenges in the border region between Mexico and the United States. Because of this multidisciplinary approach, the USGS possesses a unique set of capabilities that can address these challenges. The USGS can apply geographical, geospatial, biological, hydrological, and geological sciences to these complex issues and thereby provide insight into the area’s natural systems and their relation to human activity.       

As we come to better understand the complexities of the components of these challenge themes, we discover that each part is inextricably intertwined with other overarching issues. Because of the complex interactions of the human, ecological, political, and economic exigencies associated with this area, the status of the Borderlands has become an ever-present concern for most American citizens and for Mexican and United States Federal, State, and local governments. This circular is intended to provide you—citizen, local decisionmaker, government leader, or private entrepreneur—an overview of what the USGS considers the current and future challenges in the United States–Mexican border region and examples of how the USGS can make a difference in understanding and addressing these issues.

National Academies Report Released: Energy Reduction at U.S. Air Force Facilities Using Industrial Processes: A Workshop Summary

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report authored by Gregory Eyring, Rapporteur; and produced by the Committee on Energy Reduction at U.S. Air Force Facilities Using Industrial Processes: A Workshop; Air Force Studies Board; Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences; and the National Research Council titled, Energy Reduction at U.S. Air Force Facilities Using Industrial Processes: A Workshop Summary (2013). The 76-page report (available free with a one-time registration) discusses how,

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the largest consumer of energy in the federal government. In turn, the U.S. Air Force is the largest consumer of energy in the DoD, with a total annual energy expenditure of around $10 billion. Approximately 84 percent of Air Force energy use involves liquid fuel consumed in aviation whereas approximately 12 percent is energy (primarily electricity) used in facilities on the ground. This workshop was concerned primarily with opportunities to reduce energy consumption within Air Force facilities that employ energy intensive industrial processes—for example, assembly /disassembly, painting, metal working, and operation of radar facilities—such as those that occur in the maintenance depots and testing facilities. Air Force efforts to reduce energy consumption are driven largely by external goals and mandates derived from Congressional legislation and executive orders. To date, these goals and mandates have targeted the energy used at the building or facility level rather than in specific industrial processes. (internal footnotes omitted).

National Academies Report Released: U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report edited by Steven H. Woolf and Laudan Aron and produced by the Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries; Committee on Population; Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council; Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice; and the Institute of Medicine titled, U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health (2013). The 424-page pre-publication report available free for download (with registration) discusses how,

The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, "peer" countries.

In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings.

U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage.

USGS Paper Released: Status and Trends of Land Change in the United States--1973 to 2000

Recently, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released a report titled Status and Trends of Land Change in the United States--1973 to 2000 (2012) (USGS Professional Paper: 1794). The 336-page paper available here, "is the first in a four-volume series on the status and trends of the Nation’s land use and land cover, providing an assessment of the rates and causes of land-use and land-cover change in the Western United States between 1973 and 2000. Volumes B, C, and D provide similar analyses for the Great Plains, the Midwest–South Central United States, and the Eastern United States, respectively."

National Academies Report Released: Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters; Committee on Science, Engineering, and Public Policy; and the The National Academies titled, Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative (2012). The 244-page report is available free with a one-time registration. According to the abstract,

No person or place is immune from disasters or disaster-related losses. Infectious disease outbreaks, acts of terrorism, social unrest, or financial disasters in addition to natural hazards can all lead to large-scale consequences for the nation and its communities. Communities and the nation thus face difficult fiscal, social, cultural, and environmental choices about the best ways to ensure basic security and quality of life against hazards, deliberate attacks, and disasters. Beyond the unquantifiable costs of injury and loss of life from disasters, statistics for 2011 alone indicate economic damages from natural disasters in the United States exceeded $55 billion, with 14 events costing more than a billion dollars in damages each.

One way to reduce the impacts of disasters on the nation and its communities is to invest in enhancing resilience--the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from and more successfully adapt to adverse events. Disaster Resilience: A National Imperative addresses the broad issue of increasing the nation's resilience to disasters. This book defines "national resilience", describes the state of knowledge about resilience to hazards and disasters, and frames the main issues related to increasing resilience in the United States. It also provide goals, baseline conditions, or performance metrics for national resilience and outlines additional information, data, gaps, and/or obstacles that need to be addressed to increase the nation's resilience to disasters. Additionally, the book's authoring committee makes recommendations about the necessary approaches to elevate national resilience to disasters in the United States.

Enhanced resilience allows better anticipation of disasters and better planning to reduce disaster losses-rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for it afterward. Disaster Resilience confronts the topic of how to increase the nation's resilience to disasters through a vision of the characteristics of a resilient nation in the year 2030. Increasing disaster resilience is an imperative that requires the collective will of the nation and its communities. Although disasters will continue to occur, actions that move the nation from reactive approaches to disasters to a proactive stance where communities actively engage in enhancing resilience will reduce many of the broad societal and economic burdens that disasters can cause.

National Academies Report Released: Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future

Recently, the National Academies Press (NAP) released a report produced by the Committee on Sea Level Rise in California, Oregon, and Washington; Board on Earth Sciences and Resources; Ocean Studies Board; Division on Earth and Life Studies; and the National Research Council titled, Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future (2012). The 211-page report available here with a one-time registration, discusses how,

[t]ide gages show that global sea level has risen about 7 inches during the 20th century, and recent satellite data show that the rate of sea-level rise is accelerating. As Earth warms, sea levels are rising mainly because ocean water expands as it warms; and water from melting glaciers and ice sheets is flowing into the ocean. Sea-level rise poses enormous risks to the valuable infrastructure, development, and wetlands that line much of the 1,600 mile shoreline of California, Oregon, and Washington. As those states seek to incorporate projections of sea-level rise into coastal planning, they asked the National Research Council to make independent projections of sea-level rise along their coasts for the years 2030, 2050, and 2100, taking into account regional factors that affect sea level.

Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future explains that sea level along the U.S. west coast is affected by a number of factors. These include: climate patterns such as the El Nino, effects from the melting of modern and ancient ice sheets, and geologic processes, such as plate tectonics. Regional projections for California, Oregon, and Washington show a sharp distinction at Cape Mendocino in northern California. South of that point, sea-level rise is expected to be very close to global projections. However, projections are lower north of Cape Mendocino because the land is being pushed upward as the ocean plate moves under the continental plate along the Cascadia Subduction Zone. However, an earthquake magnitude 8 or larger, which occurs in the region every few hundred to 1,000 years, would cause the land to drop and sea level to suddenly rise.

U.S. Statement at COP17

The U.S. Statement at COP17 remarks by Todd Stern, Special Envoy for Climate Change, Durban, South Africa, dated December 8, 2011.

Reclamation: Managing Water in the West -- DOI

The report, produced by the U.S. Department of the Interior Policy and Administration, Denver, Colorado office, (dated April 2011) responds to requirements under the SECURE Water Act of 2009, and shows several increased risks to western United States water resources during the 21st century due to climate change.

"Specific projections include:
• a temperature increase of 5-7 degrees Fahrenheit;
• a precipitation increase over the northwestern and north-central portions of the western United States and a decrease over the southwestern and south-central areas;
• a decrease for almost all of the April 1st snowpack, a standard benchmark measurement used to project river basin runoff; and
• an 8 to 20 percent decrease in average annual stream flow in several river basins, including the Colorado, the Rio Grande, and the San Joaquin."