Updated Blog Theme
Lynne Kiesling I’ve tweaked the blog theme, largely because I’ve never liked how the indented quotes were formatted previously. It has some minor weirdness in the sidebar, which I’m working on. Progress, progress.
April 2011
Regulatory Inertia, Antitrust Edition
Lynne Kiesling This article in the Wall Street Journal last week got less attention than I expected (perhaps because of budget, Libya, etc. news). It’s a very good analysis of bureaucrat v. bureaucrat competition between the DOJ and the FTC on which agency will take the lead in prosecuting antitrust cases: Both agencies are charged …
Natural Gas Fracking News Update
Michael Giberson Fracking for natural gas continues to make headlines. For example, USA Today: “‘Fracking’ for natural gas also splits towns and families” and from Bloomberg, “Oil, gas companies injected toxic chemicals into ground, U.S. report shows.” These stories extend the understanding of shale gas development a little, but mostly cover familiar ground. Another angle, …
Price Gouging Interview on the Radio
Michael Giberson Last Friday, April 15, 2011, Mark Edge, of the Free Talk Live radio show, interviewed me on price gouging. Generally speaking, we discuss the recent article on price gouging appearing in Regulation magazine, and we agree that even if price hikes after emergencies are troubling, there just isn’t a better way to manage …
Gusher of BP Oil-spill Fund Creates “Spillionaires”
Michael Giberson A story reported by Kim Barker, ProPublica (a version of the story ran in the Washington Post). I’m excerpting several parts of the story, but the whole story is worth a look: The oil spill that was once expected to bring economic ruin to the Gulf Coast appears to have delivered something entirely …
Gusher of BP Oil-spill Fund Creates “Spillionaires” Read More »
Next Restaurant: Pricing and Ticketing Innovation Redux
Lynne Kiesling Last May I wrote about Next, a new restaurant in Chicago from chef Grant Achatz and his business partner Nick Kokonas. In that post I focused on the two innovations in the proposal: selling tickets concert style rather than having a reservation system, and using dynamic pricing for reservations/tickets at different times on …
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A Once-stable Price Now Responding to Demand Changes Brings Price Gouging Charge
Michael Giberson A letter to the editor of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: The Interstate 95 express lane authority is price gouging! The express lane toll increases dramatically relative to traffic congestion, roadway emergencies and increased demand by motorists. A merchant who increases his prices during a weather emergency and times of increased demand can in …
A Once-stable Price Now Responding to Demand Changes Brings Price Gouging Charge Read More »
Model Oil and Gas Resource Development Regulations for Arkansas
Michael Giberson The Arkansas Public Policy Panel, a citizen policy non-profit that has been around since 1963, has commissioned a study of recommended regulations to cover oil and gas resource development in the state. The resulting study, “Model Oil and Gas Laws, Regulations and Ordinances,” concludes that many states and localities offer stronger regulation than …
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Arizona Regulators Can Require Utilities to Buy Renewable Power Even if It Raises Consumer Rates
Michael Giberson The Arizona Court of Appeals has ruled that the Arizona Corporation Commission was acting within its authority when it decided to require utilities to secure a portion of their electric power from renewable resources. The Goldwater Institute had argued that the Commission’s authority was limited to setting rates and that the renewables mandate …
Government Shutdown: Shouldn’t We Be Asking Some Deeper Questions?
Lynne Kiesling As we contemplate an impending federal government shutdown and the restriction of government activities to “essential” services, shouldn’t we be asking deeper questions like why we spend so much taxpayer money on “nonessential” services? Jacob Sullum asks that question in Reason and provides some arguments for reducing spending (and thereby the future deficit) …
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