Not only do Californians pay 46 percent more for electricity than the national average, but gasoline in California cost 37 percent more until the pandemic and then it rose to 55 percent above the national average. Tim Benson of the Heartland Institute explains why and what Californians can do about it.
Search Results for: regulation
Should Pensions Make ‘Sustainable’ Investments (if They Earn Less Money)?
The Labor Department has launched a debate over ESG (environmental, sustainable, governmental) investing. In June, the Labor Department, which regulates many pensions, public and private, issued a regulation that may limit the currently fashionable trend to incorporate ESG factors into investment decisions.
Democrats’ Plan Would Kill Endangered Birds
The Democrats recently announced a major climate change plan to be adopted if they win Congress in the fall. They want “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050, which would require heavy investment in renewable energy. But their plan would kill endangered species and waste millions of acres of land, says Michael Shellenberger, writing in Forbes. “There…
What’s the Story on Green Investments?
“Green” investments and “green” bonds are here, but they are controversial. Clemson economist Bruce Yandle suggests in Regulation that libertarians and conservatives are understandably worried about the impact of the “soft regulatory power” that is being applied to companies—or threatening to do so. The world’s biggest fund manager, BlackRock, says it will consider the environmental…
Two Problems, Worlds Apart
The Economist is an impressive magazine that offers a balanced view of most topics. The topic of climate change is, however, an exception. The magazine linked the coronavirus to climate change in its May 23/29 editorial “Seize the Moment.” Its subtitle states: “The covid-19 crisis reveals how hard it will be to tackle climate change—and…
The Environmental Harm of Big Batteries
By H. Sterling Burnett I recently wrote about the impossibility of relying on giant storage batteries to enable the nation to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy. Physics tells us batteries can store only a minuscule amount of the power we would need for backup. A recent Heartland Institute study by Paul Driessen gives us…
Reflections on Earth Day. . .’Degrowth’ . . .
A new anti-capitalist movement: ‘Degrowth’. The success and failure of Earth Day 1970, by Steve Hayward. Forest Service returns to quick fire suppression policy due to coronavirus. New GMO rice resists high heat, produces more grain.