Energy
What foie gras and low carbon fuels have in common
Many of you may have heard of California’s ban on foie gras. The ban was signed into law in 2004 by that notorious hippie, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but did not take effect until 2012. Fewer of you may be aware of the current litigation over California’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS) program. Litigation concerning both …
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CONTINUE READINGEnergy and Environment in the Wisconsin Senate Race
The Wisconsin Senate race pits Tammy Baldwin (D) against Tommy Thompson (R) — Tammy versus Tommy, as the newspapers are fond of saying. In the environmental area, the two are as different as day and night. Baldwin champions environmental protection, while Thompson is in love with fossil fuels.
CONTINUE READINGThe Environmental Impact of Cloud Computing
The NY Times has a long article and a Room for Debate piece about cloud computing energy demand. Basic economics tells us that these data centers are likely to locate in places where electricity is cheap but the article doesn’t tell us the geography of where these data centers locate. Internet companies will ignore the …
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CONTINUE READINGPrice Implications of the California 33% RPS as the Federal Government Cuts Green Subsidies
Frank Wolak is quoted in today’s LA Times about the electricity price implications of California’s pursuit of a 33% RPS by the year 2020. He argues that electricity prices will rise as a consequence of this regulation. At the same time that California is ratcheting up its RPS standard, the Federal Government is …
CONTINUE READINGWarren versus Brown on Energy and Environment
At the debate between Elizabeth Warren and Scott Brown last night, there was a brief discussion of energy issues. Brown defended subsidies for oil companies but criticized Warren for trying to tie him to Jim Inhofe. Unlike Inhofe, Brown does believe in climate change (at least right now — he seems to have waffled over …
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CONTINUE READINGSubsidizing Fossil Fuels While the Wind Sector Bleeds Jobs
Yesterday, Jonathan Zasloff wrote a post on Senator Alexander and Representative Mike Pompeo’s Wall Street Journal op-ed opposing the wind energy tax credit, which is set to expire at the end of 2012 barring Congressional action. Yesterday’s post raised the question of how traditional fossil fuel subsidies compare to renewable energy subsidies. A 2009 Environmental …
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CONTINUE READINGMore Idiocy from the Wall Street Journal Op-ed Page
A few years ago, a friend of mine suggested starting a blog entitled something like, “Why The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Was Idiotic Today.” You’d never run out of material for posts! Certainly that was the case today, as Senator Lamar Alexander and Representative Mike Pompeo, both Republicans, make a case against the wind …
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CONTINUE READINGGreen Tradeoffs
The NY Times reports that Japan and France are phasing out their reliance on nuclear power. As an environmentalist, should this make me happy? It doesn’t. How confident are you that renewables such as wind and solar can replace nuclear power at roughly the same cost? In the short run, GHG emissions in …
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CONTINUE READINGSetting the Record Straight on Obama and the Environment
We shouldn’t underestimate Obama’s environmental achievements.
CONTINUE READINGOcean-based renewable power starts to get real
As drilling for oil in the Arctic begins to pick up, and while each of the U.S. presidential candidates tries to convince voters that he is the one who could approve more offshore oil permits, what has become of the dream of mining our vast offshore renewable energy resources — wind, waves, and tides? According …
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