Environmental policy

Bad News for the Natural Gas Suppliers, but Good News for Natural Gas Consumers

Michael Giberson I’ve been meaning to remark on natural gas prices for several days, especially since a regular reader pointed out that natural gas prices have reached their lowest levels in a decade. But now, in what may be a first, I’ll just outsource the discussion by favorably linking to a post on the Climate …

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Epa Fines Companies for Not Doing the Impossible

Michael Giberson If you read Jonathan Adler’s post at the Volokh Conspiracy (and reposted at PERC’s Percolator blog), it makes the EPA seem a little silly for insisting on fining companies when it would be impossible for companies to comply with the law. But don’t blame the EPA, which is just implementing a law that Congress passed and …

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Giberson Calls for One-year Moratorium on Hospital Admissions Pending Analysis of Risks Associated with Nosocomial Infection

Michael Giberson I read recently that as many as 99,000 deaths per year in the United States are linked to nosocomial infection (also known as hospital-acquired infection). I’m outraged, obviously, and relying on the precautionary principle I am calling for a minimum one-year moratorium on hospital admissions so the healthcare industry can bring an end to nosocomial-linked …

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Loss of Ethanol Subsidy Boosts Gasoline Prices a Little, E85 Prices a Lot

Michael Giberson The basic math is pretty simple: most gasoline in the U.S. has about 10 percent ethanol, so the the 45 cents/gallon VEETC subsidy reduced the price of gasoline about 4.5 cents. The subsidy expired at the end of 2011, so one reason gasoline prices have gone up a few cents since New Year’s …

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Marc Gunther on the Brewing Solar Pv Trade Wars

Michael Giberson Marc Gunther asks, “Should we worry about Chinese government subsidies to its solar industry? Or send the Chinese a thank-you note?” The issue is a “dumping” complaint filed by several U.S. based manufacturers with the U.S. International Trade Commission alleging China so subsidizes its solar PV production that the PV panels are being sold …

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Coal Company to Epa: Regulate Me, Please

Michael Giberson It looks like a “man bites dog” headline in the New York Times: “A Coal-Fired Plant That Is Eager for U.S. Rules.” As operators of coal-fired power plants around the country welcome a court-ordered delay on tighter pollution rules, the owner of a retrofitted plant here says that the rules cannot come too soon. …

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The “First Feel-good Sustainability Story of 2012,” So Long As You Ignore the Costs

Michael Giberson Consider the claim in the headline, “How One Man’s Roof Paid for His Car.” Here’s the introduction: It’s the first feel-good sustainability story of 2012. A man in Orlando, Florida installed solar panels on the roof of his home, sold the excess power back to the grid, and then used that money to …

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Cheap Natural Gas Undermining Solar Dreams

Michael Giberson NPR reports from Pennsylvania how low natural gas prices have helped put the damper on some solar power dreams: Barbara Scott had 21 solar panels installed last March on her house in Media, Pa. Scott’s family was the first in the community, and she was prepared to evangelize, “We can have open houses …

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Ethanol Industry Allows Its Politicians to Permit Expiration of Its Tax Credit and Tariff

Michael Giberson The Des Moines Register has one version of the story – the agribusiness industry decided it could do without the subsidy since the renewable fuels mandate seemed securely in place: So established is corn-fed ethanol that the industry allowed the expiration of the 45 cents-per-gallon tax credit for ethanol production, as well as the …

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Natural Gas is Too Cheap and Too Plentiful

Michael Giberson Russel Smith thinks we should use government power to limit natural gas production in order to boost gas prices. Why? Because he is the executive director of the Texas Renewable Energy Industries Association and cheap and plentiful gas is cutting into the business opportunities of renewable energy companies. “The price is so low, there’s so much …

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