scholarly journals Soil Carbon Regulating Ecosystem Services in the State of South Carolina, USA

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Elena A. Mikhailova ◽  
Hamdi A. Zurqani ◽  
Christopher J. Post ◽  
Mark A. Schlautman ◽  
Gregory C. Post ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Low Country ◽  
Pee Dee

Sustainable management of soil carbon (C) at the state level requires valuation of soil C regulating ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (ED). The objective of this study was to assess the value of regulating ES from soil organic carbon (SOC), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), and total soil carbon (TSC) stocks, based on the concept of the avoided social cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the state of South Carolina (SC) in the United States of America (U.S.A.) by soil order, soil depth (0–200 cm), region and county using information from the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database. The total estimated monetary mid-point value for TSC in the state of South Carolina was $124.36B (i.e., $124.36 billion U.S. dollars, where B = billion = 109), $107.14B for SOC, and $17.22B for SIC. Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for SOC were: Ultisols ($64.35B), Histosols ($11.22B), and Inceptisols ($10.31B). Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for SIC were: Inceptisols ($5.91B), Entisols ($5.53B), and Alfisols ($5.0B). Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for TSC were: Ultisols ($64.35B), Inceptisols ($16.22B), and Entisols ($14.65B). The regions with the highest midpoint SOC values were: Pee Dee ($34.24B), Low Country ($32.17B), and Midlands ($29.24B). The regions with the highest midpoint SIC values were: Low Country ($5.69B), Midlands ($5.55B), and Pee Dee ($4.67B). The regions with the highest midpoint TSC values were: Low Country ($37.86B), Pee Dee ($36.91B), and Midlands ($34.79B). The counties with the highest midpoint SOC values were Colleton ($5.44B), Horry ($5.37B), and Berkeley ($4.12B). The counties with the highest midpoint SIC values were Charleston ($1.46B), Georgetown ($852.81M, where M = million = 106), and Horry ($843.18M). The counties with the highest midpoint TSC values were Horry ($6.22B), Colleton ($6.02B), and Georgetown ($4.87B). Administrative areas (e.g., counties, regions) combined with pedodiversity concepts can provide useful information to design cost-efficient policies to manage soil carbon regulating ES at the state level.

scholarly journals Vulnerability of Soil Carbon Regulating Ecosystem Services due to Land Cover Change in the State of New Hampshire, USA

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-225
Author(s):  
Elena A. Mikhailova ◽  
Lili Lin ◽  
Zhenbang Hao ◽  
Hamdi A. Zurqani ◽  
Christopher J. Post ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
New Hampshire ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Evergreen Forest ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Land Covers

Valuation of soil carbon (C) regulating ecosystem services (ES) at the state level is important for sustainable C management. The objective of this study was to assess the value of regulating ES from soil organic carbon (SOC), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), and total soil carbon (TSC) stocks, based on the concept of the avoided social cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the state of New Hampshire (NH) in the United States of America (USA) by soil order and county using information from the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) database. The total estimated monetary mid-point value for TSC stocks in the state of New Hampshire was USD 73.0 B (i.e., 73.0 billion U.S. dollars, where B = billion = 109), USD 64.8 B for SOC stocks, and USD 8.1 B for SIC stocks. Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for SOC were Histosols (USD 33.2 B), Spodosols (USD 20.2 B), and Inceptisols (USD 10.1 B). Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for SIC were Inceptisols (USD 5.8 B), Spodosols (USD 1.0 B), and Entisols (USD 770 M, where M = million = 106). Soil orders with the highest midpoint value for TSC were Histosols (USD 33.8 B), Spodosols (USD 21.2 B), and Inceptisols (USD 15.9 B). The counties with the highest midpoint SOC values were Rockingham (USD 15.4 B), Hillsborough (USD 9.8 B), and Coös (USD 9.2 B). The counties with the highest midpoint SIC values were Merrimack (USD 1.2 B), Coös (USD 1.1 B), and Rockingham (USD 1.0 B). The counties with the highest midpoint TSC values were Rockingham (USD 16.5 B), Hillsborough (USD 10.8 B), and Coös (USD 10.3 B). New Hampshire has experienced land use/land cover (LULC) changes between 2001 and 2016. The changes in LULC across the state have not been uniform, but rather have varied by county, soil order, and pre-existing land cover. The counties that have exhibited the most development (e.g., Rockingham, Hillsborough, Merrimack) are those nearest the urban center of Boston, MA. Most soil orders have experienced losses in “low disturbance” land covers (e.g., evergreen forest, hay/pasture) and gains in “high disturbance” land covers (e.g., low-, medium-, and high-intensity developed land). In particular, Histosols are a high-risk carbon “hotspot” that contributes over 50% of the total estimated sequestration of SOC in New Hampshire while covering only 7% of the total land area. Integration of pedodiversity concepts with administrative units can be useful to design soil- and land-cover specific, cost-efficient policies to manage soil C regulating ES in New Hampshire at various administrative levels.

scholarly journals Land Cover Change and Soil Carbon Regulating Ecosystem Services in the State of South Carolina, USA

Earth ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 674-695
Author(s):  
Elena A. Mikhailova ◽  
Lili Lin ◽  
Zhenbang Hao ◽  
Hamdi A. Zurqani ◽  
Christopher J. Post ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Land Cover Change ◽  
Social Cost ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Barren Land ◽  
Percent Change

Integration of land cover change with soil information is important for valuation of soil carbon (C) regulating ecosystem services (ES) and disservices (ED) and for site-specific land management. The objective of this study was to assess the change in value of regulating ES from soil organic carbon (SOC), soil inorganic carbon (SIC), and total soil carbon (TSC) stocks, based on the concept of the avoided social cost of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions for the state of South Carolina (SC) in the United States of America (U.S.A.) by soil order (Soil Taxonomy), land cover, and land cover change (National Land Cover Database, NLCD) using information from the State Soil Geographic (STATSGO) and Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO) databases. Classified land cover data for 2001 and 2016 were downloaded from the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC) website. The total estimated monetary mid-point value for TSC in the state of South Carolina was $124.42B (i.e., $124.42 billion U.S. dollars, where B = billion = 109) with the following monetary distribution in 2016 and percent change in value between 2001 and 2016: barren land ($259.7M, −9%) (i.e., $259.7 million U.S. dollars, where M = million = 106), woody wetlands ($33.8B, −1%), shrub/scrub ($3.9B, +9%), mixed forest ($6.9B, +5%), deciduous forest ($10.6B, −7%), herbaceous ($4.8B, −5%), evergreen forest ($28.6B, +1%), emergent herbaceous wetlands ($6.9B, −3%), hay/pasture ($7.3B, −10%), cultivated crops ($9.9B, 0%), developed, open space ($7.0B, +5%), developed, medium intensity ($978M, +46%), developed, low intensity ($2.9B, +15%), and developed, high intensity ($318M, +39%). The percent change in monetary values was different from percent change in areas because different soil orders have different TSC contents. The percent changes (between 2001 and 2016) both in areas and monetary values varied by soil order and land cover with $1.1B in likely “realized” social cost of C mostly associated with Ultisols ($658.8M). The Midlands region of the state experienced the highest gains in the “high disturbance” classes and corresponding SC-CO2 with over $421M for TSC, $354.6M for SOC, and $66.4M for SIC. Among counties, Horry County ranked first with over $142.2M in SC-CO2 for TSC, followed by Lexington ($103.7M), Richland ($95.3M), Greenville ($81.4M), York ($77.5M), Charleston ($70.7M), Beaufort ($64.1M), Berkeley ($50.9M), Spartanburg ($50.0M), and Aiken ($43.0M) counties. Spatial and temporal analyses of land cover can identify critical locations of soil carbon regulating ecosystem services at risk.

Governance models of public utility commissions in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Howe
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Political Action ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
The State ◽  
Public Utility ◽  
Political Action Committees ◽  
Special Interest Groups ◽  
Governance Model

Regulation of utilities at the state level in the United States is undertaken by a commission on which anywhere from three to seven commissioners sit and must vote on virtually all significant utility actions, including rate requests, resource plans, acquisitions and mergers, and financing mechanisms. Public utility commissions (PUCs) are, in a very real sense, courts with adjudicatory responsibility over the area of state utility laws. In hearing a utility case, they must follow the state’s statutes and court rules. The commissioners function as judges in this court of public utility law. In a majority of states, commissioners are appointed by the state’s governor with the advice and consent of the state legislature. In a significant minority of states, commissioners are elected by popular vote. However, recent changes in US election law have made it easier for corporations and special interest groups, called political action committees, to influence elections through donations targeting direct voter outreach on behalf of specific candidates. This chapter examines what the entry of political spending in PUC elections means, and whether elected commissioners can adjudicate in the public interest, or will adjudicate for special interests. The chapter concludes that while both the appointment and election governance model can produce both “good” and “bad” commissioners, it is the elected commission that is most at risk of selecting commissioners that will not be truly independent and objective arbiters of the law.

scholarly journals Crisis Standards of Care Implementation at the State Level in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 599-603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colton Margus ◽  
Ritu R. Sarin ◽  
Michael Molloy ◽  
Gregory R. Ciottone
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Pediatric Care ◽  
Standards Of Care ◽  
Institute Of Medicine ◽  
Full Spectrum ◽  
The Us

AbstractIntroduction:In 2009, the Institute of Medicine published guidelines for implementation of Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) at the state level in the United States (US). Based in part on the then concern for H1N1 pandemic, there was a recognized need for additional planning at the state level to maintain health system preparedness and conventional care standards when available resources become scarce. Despite the availability of this framework, in the years since and despite repeated large-scale domestic events, implementation remains mixed.Problem:Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) rejuvenates concern for how health systems can maintain quality care when faced with unrelenting burden. This study seeks to outline which states in the US have developed CSC and which areas of care have thus far been addressed.Methods:An online search was conducted for all 50 states in 2015 and again in 2020. For states without CSC plans online, state officials were contacted by email and phone. Public protocols were reviewed to assess for operational implementation capabilities, specifically highlighting guidance on ventilator use, burn management, sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, pediatric standards, and reliance on influenza planning.Results:Thirty-six states in the US were actively developing (17) or had already developed (19) official CSC guidance. Fourteen states had no publicly acknowledged effort. Eleven of the 17 public plans had updated within five years, with a majority addressing ventilator usage (16/17), influenza planning (14/17), and pediatric care (15/17), but substantially fewer addressing care for burn patients (9/17).Conclusion:Many states lacked publicly available guidance on maintaining standards of care during disasters, and many states with specific care guidelines had not sufficiently addressed the full spectrum of hazard to which their health care systems remain vulnerable.

Peak Car Travel in the United States: Two-Decade-Long Phenomenon at the State Level

2015 ◽  
Vol 2531 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Garceau ◽  
Carol Atkinson-Palombo ◽  
Norman Garrick
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
State Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
National Scale ◽  
Peak Car ◽  
Car Travel

Peak car travel is an international phenomenon that became evident in the United States on a national scale in 2004. Potentially related to peak car travel is the decoupling of economic growth from driving levels. A wealth of research has addressed these phenomena on a national scale in the United States and other developed countries. Yet few studies have been undertaken on other geographic scales, especially the statewide scale in the United States. This study investigated U.S. state-level driving and economic patterns from 1980 to 2011 to understand occurring changes. The research results showed that peak car travel first occurred at the state level as early as 1992 in Washington State, whereas another 10 states peaked in 2000. By 2011, 48 of the 50 states had peaked. The longevity of this phenomenon at the state level provided evidence that peak car travel in the United States was a more permanent phenomenon than previously thought. In addition, the decoupling of economic growth from driving was evident at the state level. In the 1980s, these indicators were positively correlated at the state level. A significant change occurred by the 2000s, however, when any significant connection ceased for most states. For four of the earliest peak car travel states, the relationship between economic growth and driving turned negative. This finding showed that decreases in driving were not associated with negative economic consequences. Rather, in several states, driving reductions were now associated with increased, rather than decreased, economic growth.

Changes in soil carbon and soil nitrogen after tree clearing in the semi-arid rangelands of Queensland

2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 639 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. P. Harms ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
A. P. Cramp
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Woody Debris ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Clay Content ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Soil N ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Stocks

Changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks following tree clearing were estimated at 32 rangeland sites in central and southern Queensland by using paired-site sampling. When corrected for soil bulk-density differences at each site, average soil C across all sites decreased after tree clearing by 8.0% for 0–0.3-m soil depth, and by 5.4% for 0–1.0-m depth; there were corresponding declines in soil C of 2.5 and 3.5tha–1, respectively. Mean soil C stocks (excluding surface litter, extractable roots and coarse charcoal) at uncleared sites were 29.5tha–1 for 0–0.3-m soil depth, and 62.5tha–1 for 0–1.0-m depth. Mean soil C stocks (0–0.3m) were 41% of the mean total C for the soil–plant system (soil + litter/woody debris + stand biomass) at uncleared sites. Soil C decline (0–0.3m) accounted for approximately 7% of the average total C lost because of land clearing across all sites. Soil C stocks at uncleared sites were correlated with tree basal area, clay content and soil phosphorus (P) content. Changes in soil C after tree clearing were strongly correlated to initial soil C contents at the uncleared sites, and were associated with particular vegetation groups and soil types. Changes in soil N were strongly correlated with changes in soil C; however, the average change in soil N across all sites was not significant. Given the size of the C and N pools in rangeland soils, the factors that influence soil C and soil N dynamics in rangeland systems need to be better understood for the effective management of C stocks in these soils.

Inequality and growth in the United States: is there asymmetric response at the state level?

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 1074-1092 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Bahmani-Oskooee ◽  
Amid Motavallizadeh-Ardakani
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
State Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
The State ◽  
Asymmetric Response

State Law on the Nomination, Election, and Instruction of Presidential Electors

1948 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 523-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth C. Silva
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Vice President ◽  
The United States ◽  
State Legislature ◽  
The State ◽  
Electoral College ◽  
State Laws ◽  
Southern States ◽  
Legal Fiction ◽  
Fair Employment

The Constitution of the United States provides that each state shall appoint, in such manner as its legislature may direct, a number of presidential electors equal to the number of Senators and Representatives to which the state is entitled in the Congress. The Supreme Court has ruled that this clause gives the state legislature exclusive power to decide the manner of choosing electors. Before 1832, several legislatures themselves selected the members of the state's electoral college, a practice followed by South Carolina until the Civil War. As every student of American government knows, in the period from 1788 to 1832, the popular selection of electors was established and real discretion on the part of electors in choosing a President and Vice President became a legal fiction. For a century, the practice has been for the electorate to choose a set of electors, who, it is understood, will legally confirm the decision already made at the polls.The automatic operation of the electoral college as a device for translating popular votes into electoral votes is now challenged, however, with the projection of the possibility of eighty “unpledged electors.” The governors of seven Southern states recently agreed that if the Democratic national convention nominates a presidential candidate advocating anti-segregation, anti-lynching, anti-poll tax, and fair employment practices legislation, they will attempt to keep the Democratic electoral votes of their states from being cast for such nominee. This possibility makes state laws regulating the nomination, election, and instruction of presidential electors of utmost interest and importance.

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