Designing Policy Incentives for Cleaner Technologies: Lessons From California’s Plug-In Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
J.R. DeShazo, Tamara L. Sheldon, Richard T. Carson — 2017
Researchers assessed the performance of alternative rebate designs for plug-in electric vehicles in four categories: the number of additional plug-in electric vehicles purchased, cost-effectiveness per additional vehicle purchase induced, total program cost, and the distribution of rebate funding across consumer income classes. Which types of rebate designs work best?

The Growing Role of Transportation Funding in Regional Habitat Conservation Planning
Jaimee Lederman, Martin Wachs — 2016
Transportation agencies, struggling to comply with the Endangered Species Act, have increasingly been willing to fund regional habitat conservation plans (RHCPs) with partners. Transportation agencies mitigate their impacts and provide early and consistent financing to facilitate the planning process, help RHCPs establish initial conservation preserves, and allow RHCPs to capitalize on lower land prices during downturns in the development market. How can these partnerships create long-term success for conservation plans?

Improving Incentives for Clean Vehicle Purchases in the United States: Challenges and Opportunities
J.R. DeShazo — 2016
Federal and state policymakers ihave adopted a variety of policy incentives to induce drivers to purchase advanced clean vehicles. But recent research raises concerns about whether the incentives actually reach the intended consumers because of eligibility restrictions, salience of instruments in consumer decision making, and the impact of incentives across consumers and producers. Can the efficiency and cost effectiveness of incentives be improved by strategically targeting specific types of vehicles and consumers?

Experimentation and Innovation in Advance Mitigation: Lessons from California
Gian-Claudia Sciara, Jacquelyn Bjorkman, Jaimee Lederman, Melanie Schlotterbeck, James H. Thorne, Martin Wachs — 2015
Advance mitigation is a process through which the environmental impacts and required mitigation are assessed for one or more transportation projects early in project planning and development.  Although there have been efforts to develop programmatic mitigation initiatives and funding to support them, there is little documentation of their establishment, operation, or accomplishments. What lessons do California’s initiatives offer for external conservation planning efforts and comprehensive mitigation planning?