Month: August 2012
Law Schools Searching for Environmental Faculty
[Updated 8/26] I’ve been assembling a preliminary list of faculty searches. I’ll update and correct the list periodically. FSU is looking to hire an environmental/natural resources person. We are looking for either entry or lateral. Contact person, Jeff Kahn [email protected] ) Hebrew University Faculty of Law. Lecturer in Environmental Law, preferably Israel Environmental Law. Contact: …
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CONTINUE READINGLoosening Our Belts to Consume More Oil
There is a favorite saying among transportation planners that building more freeway lanes to fight congestion is like loosening your belt to fight obesity. This idea comes to mind when considering the most recent Mitt Romney plan to achieve energy independence in the United States. Romney proposes drilling our way out of foreign oil dependence despite …
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CONTINUE READINGIs Romney Building Sand Castles Based on Fantasy Oil and Gas Production?
Romney plan relies heavily on a report from Citigroup. Even the Wall Street Journal was unsure about that report and said, “Whether the report proves prescient or just another starry-eyed fantasy remains to be seen.”
CONTINUE READINGRomney Calls for a Fossil Fuel Feeding Frenzy
The Washington Post reports that Mitt Romney will announce a new energy plan centering on explosive increases in oil and gas development, combined with greater use of coal. I’ve read the staff briefing paper, and the Post’s account is an accurate summary: Mitt Romney on Thursday will outline a plan that he projects would achieve …
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CONTINUE READINGIs King Coal in Decline?
This revealing graph from Wonkblog has some important lessons. First, power plants last a long time. Most of the generation fleet is twenty to sixty years old. Second, at this point, coal is basically a legacy fuel. It exists because it pays to keep old plants open. They are grandfathered and don’t have to use …
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CONTINUE READINGShould the University of California Be Part of the AB32 Carbon Cap?
The OC Register reports that UCLA may face a large bill (over $5 million per year) for its current carbon dioxide emissions under AB32’s cap and trade. If true, will the faculty at UCLA continue to support this regulation? Several issues arise. First, UCLA is a non-profit. While UCLA is “big”, should non-profits be part …
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CONTINUE READINGThe Irony of Todd Akin
Todd Akin’s views about rape and pregnancy are crazy, and he deserves his current political plight. The irony is that Akin is by no means the most extreme of the current crop of Senate candidates. In fact, in a recent blog post, I decided not to lump him with the other tea party candidates because …
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CONTINUE READINGThe ADB’s New Essay on “Green Urbanization in Asia”
Over the last few months, I’ve been working with economists at the ADB on the annual Key Indicators Special Chapter. “Green Urbanization in Asia” was recently published. This chapter covers a lot of ground but I think it does a very good job in presenting the core issues and challenges and discussing a …
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CONTINUE READINGMore monitoring problems
Here in the Bay Area we had a nasty fire at the Chevron refinery a few weeks ago. One of the questions is what, exactly, might have been in the smoke from the fire and what kinds of health effects we might expect from that smoke. Unfortunately, state and local officials haven’t been able to …
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CONTINUE READINGGenetically Modified Foods & California’s Proposition 37: What’s All the Fuss About?
Largely lost in the shuffle of the current presidential election campaign and several more heavily-publicized state ballot measures, California’s Secretary of State recently announced that the “California Right to Know Genetically Engineered Food Act” has qualified for the state’s November 2012 election ballot, where it will appear as Proposition 37. (The text of Proposition 37 …
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