Regulation

How Worried Are Small Businesses About Environmental Regulation?

We’re heard a lot recently about the supposedly dire effect of environmental regulations on small businesses. A recent poll of small business owners by George Washington University using the Thumbtack site has some interesting findings about this. One of the questions in the survey was, “How important are the following issues to the success of …

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Golden Rules for Fracking

Well, this is embarrassing.  Kevin Drum, one of the best bloggers out there, posted a few days ago on the issue of whether hydraulic fracturing is good or bad for the environment.  Kevin covers the ground that we have here before, namely: Yes, natural gas is better than coal or other fossil fuels in terms …

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What the Convention Speeches Could Teach Economists About the Discount Rate

The economic formulas assume that people want their children and grandchildren to be as well off as they are, no better and no worse. But people actually want the future to be better than the present, and they’re willing to make sacrifices for this to happen.

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NEWSFLASH: Officials Vow to Stamp Out Recycling Fraud!!

Recycling and voting are both public goods. Just imagine if there was a campaign against fraudulent recycling like the campaign against voter fraud . . . .

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New Report on Electric Vehicle Policies & Capitol Hill Briefing Today at Noon ET (webcast available)

The environmental law centers at UCLA and UC Berkeley Schools of Law today released a new report on industry actions and federal, state, and local policies needed to stimulate long-term, mass adoption of electric vehicles.  “Electric Drive by ’25” (available from either UCLA Law or Berkeley Law) is the tenth report in our Climate Change …

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More Good News About Implementing AB32

Below I report a new announcement posted to the California Air Resources Board Webpage discussing how a small group of academic economists will be playing a new role in designing the AB32 Cap & Trade program.  Here is the announcement. My bottom line is that ARB has hired a Dream Team.  Forget Lebron James and …

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The Mythical Threat of a Regulatory Deluge

Conservatives are now spreading the myth that, if the country fails to elect Mitt Romney, the aftermath will be a deluge of federal regulations.  Republican state attorney generals are hitting the campaign trail to this fear of a coming regulatory flood in a post-Romney world. (here). This myth has been debunked by Cass Sunstein, who …

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Party Differences on Energy and Environment: A Side-by-Side Comparison

After I posted a description of the Republican platform, a reader suggested that a side-by-side comparison would be helpful when the Democratic Platform came out.  Here it is, presented as objectively as I could. Subject Democratic Platform Republican Platform Regulatory reform Give president power to reorganize agencies.   Congressional approval required for all major rules. …

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A Capitol Hill Briefing on Electric Vehicle Policies, Monday, September 10th (Webcast Available)

Legal Planeteers in the Washington DC area are invited to join the environmental law centers at Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Law as we present a lunchtime, Capitol Hill discussion on policies necessary for long-term, mass adoption of electric vehicle technologies. This free event is sponsored by Congressman Henry Waxman’s office and will also be …

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How to Protect the Environment: Views from the Right

Duke will be holding a very timely event on conservative visions of environmental law.  Everyone knows what forms of environmental protection conservatives oppose, but conservative alternatives are less widely known. This is a welcome opportunity to hear ideas about an affirmative conservative vision. (Details and registration information here.)

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