Green Energy
Blog
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should
Public banks, it seems, are the next wrongheaded progressive movement in state overrun with them. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted last month “to reach out to nearby jurisdictions proposing a viability study, the first step in the creation of a public bank” the Monterey County Weekly has ...
Kerry Jackson
April 6, 2020
Blog
Bankruptcy Deadline May Not Save PG&E from State Takeover
Reeling from multiple massive state wildfires that its actions likely triggered, Pacific Gas & Electric, or PG&E, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this time last year. The investor-owned utility faces a June 30, 2020 deadline to come up with a plan to come out of bankruptcy, address the estimated $25 ...
Evan Harris
February 12, 2020
Blog
Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
Evan Harris
August 8, 2019
Economy
Colorado Low Emission Vehicle Standard Would Increase Energy Poverty Without Major Emission Reductions
State Analysis Paints Rosy Picture of Impact of CLEAR on Economy, Environment New analysis from the non-partisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based free-market think tank, finds that Colorado’s proposed low emission vehicle standards would impose higher economic costs on poor and working-class communities without generating significant environmental benefits. Click here ...
Pacific Research Institute
July 22, 2019
California
California doesn’t have to be like Texas – following Florida’s lead will work
Texas, it’s been said recent years, should inspire California to recapture its lost promise, to polish its fading luster. While the Golden State grapples with a host of Blue State struggles, housing is more affordable in the Lone Star state, taxes are lower, business is welcomed rather than handcuffed, and ...
Kerry Jackson
March 27, 2019
Climate Change
Green New Deal would cause a new Depression
Democrat firebrands Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey just unveiled their “Green New Deal,” a multi-trillion-dollar effort to overhaul the energy industry and slash America’s net greenhouse gas emissions to zero within a decade. The legislation’s title is fitting. The original New Deal failed to create jobs and actually ...
Wayne Winegarden
March 13, 2019
Commentary
Free-market Environmentalism
Many of you may be unaware, but this past week was National Clean Energy Week. And, while many economically harmful policies have been proposed in pursuit of clean, efficient, and cost-effective renewable energy, the goal is worthwhile. It just matters how we get there. The Clean Capitalist Coalition (full disclosure, I participate in ...
Wayne Winegarden
September 28, 2018
Blog
Advice for Global Climate Summit-goers: Don’t Do What We’re Doing!
Today, thousands are gathering in San Francisco for a so-called “Global Climate Action Summit.” Co-hosted by Gov. Jerry Brown, several UN organizations and other leaders, it is billed as a “launchpad for deeper worldwide commitments and accelerated action from countries.” The conference will explore “transformational changes” that are the result ...
Tim Anaya
September 11, 2018
Blog
Would California Be Better Off With Part-Time Legislators Rather Than Professional Politicians?
California lawmakers have sent legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown that will allow them to live outside the districts they “represent.” To some, Senate Bill 1250 simply frees legislators to live and work in Sacramento while representing the folks back home. Others argue it lets lawmakers deceive their constituents. We see ...
Kerry Jackson
September 10, 2018
Agriculture
Shutting Down California Energy Production Would Be Foolish
Of the 50 states, only Texas and North Dakota have more proved oil reserves than California. The state should be capitalizing on the riches, shouldn’t it? But, no. That’s not the plan. California politicians want to leave crude in the ground where it doesn’t do anyone any good. And it’s ...
Kerry Jackson
September 4, 2018
Just Because You Can Doesn’t Mean You Should
Public banks, it seems, are the next wrongheaded progressive movement in state overrun with them. The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted last month “to reach out to nearby jurisdictions proposing a viability study, the first step in the creation of a public bank” the Monterey County Weekly has ...
Bankruptcy Deadline May Not Save PG&E from State Takeover
Reeling from multiple massive state wildfires that its actions likely triggered, Pacific Gas & Electric, or PG&E, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this time last year. The investor-owned utility faces a June 30, 2020 deadline to come up with a plan to come out of bankruptcy, address the estimated $25 ...
Big Government Plays Favorites with Renewable Energy, We All Pay the Difference
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) can be considered the flagship environmental policy for state government in the US. The RPS programs have been adopted by 29 states and apply to half of the national electricity market. The staple of any RPS program is mandating the use of one energy source over ...
Colorado Low Emission Vehicle Standard Would Increase Energy Poverty Without Major Emission Reductions
State Analysis Paints Rosy Picture of Impact of CLEAR on Economy, Environment New analysis from the non-partisan Pacific Research Institute, a California-based free-market think tank, finds that Colorado’s proposed low emission vehicle standards would impose higher economic costs on poor and working-class communities without generating significant environmental benefits. Click here ...
California doesn’t have to be like Texas – following Florida’s lead will work
Texas, it’s been said recent years, should inspire California to recapture its lost promise, to polish its fading luster. While the Golden State grapples with a host of Blue State struggles, housing is more affordable in the Lone Star state, taxes are lower, business is welcomed rather than handcuffed, and ...
Green New Deal would cause a new Depression
Democrat firebrands Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey just unveiled their “Green New Deal,” a multi-trillion-dollar effort to overhaul the energy industry and slash America’s net greenhouse gas emissions to zero within a decade. The legislation’s title is fitting. The original New Deal failed to create jobs and actually ...
Free-market Environmentalism
Many of you may be unaware, but this past week was National Clean Energy Week. And, while many economically harmful policies have been proposed in pursuit of clean, efficient, and cost-effective renewable energy, the goal is worthwhile. It just matters how we get there. The Clean Capitalist Coalition (full disclosure, I participate in ...
Advice for Global Climate Summit-goers: Don’t Do What We’re Doing!
Today, thousands are gathering in San Francisco for a so-called “Global Climate Action Summit.” Co-hosted by Gov. Jerry Brown, several UN organizations and other leaders, it is billed as a “launchpad for deeper worldwide commitments and accelerated action from countries.” The conference will explore “transformational changes” that are the result ...
Would California Be Better Off With Part-Time Legislators Rather Than Professional Politicians?
California lawmakers have sent legislation to Gov. Jerry Brown that will allow them to live outside the districts they “represent.” To some, Senate Bill 1250 simply frees legislators to live and work in Sacramento while representing the folks back home. Others argue it lets lawmakers deceive their constituents. We see ...
Shutting Down California Energy Production Would Be Foolish
Of the 50 states, only Texas and North Dakota have more proved oil reserves than California. The state should be capitalizing on the riches, shouldn’t it? But, no. That’s not the plan. California politicians want to leave crude in the ground where it doesn’t do anyone any good. And it’s ...