Politics

Fake Chamber Press Conference? Funny. Fake Reporters? Not So Much.

Michael Giberson There seemed to be a tone of mild amusement in some of the press coverage of the fake Chamber of Commerce press release and staged press conference earlier this week.  Activist group Yes Men staged an elaborate hoax, with a fake press release, website, and press conference (but fake press conference held in …

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Why Have 31 States Passed Anti-price Gouging Laws (and 19 Not)?

Michael Giberson Cale Davis, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Applied Economics at Montana State University, produced a thesis examining why some states do and others don’t have anti-price gouging laws.  The abstract of “An Analysis of the Enactment of Anti-Price Gouging Laws“: Anti-price gouging (APG) laws …

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California Adopts Feed-in Tariff for Distributed Wind and Solar Power Systems, with Nobel Prize Notes

Michael Giberson Not all of the news this week is about Nobel prize surprises. The Los Angeles Times reports that California is adopting feed-in tariffs for distributed renewable power production: Under AB 920, the state Public Utilities Commission will set a rate for utilities to compensate customers whose solar or wind systems produce more power …

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Vincent and Elinor Ostrom and Public Ownership of Natural Resources

Michael Giberson Among the news stories in response to Elinor Ostrom’s sharing of the Nobel prize for economics, an article from Alaska which mentions the important role played by Vincent Ostrom in the development of that state’s treatment of natural resources.  Both Ostroms worked on related ideas and management of natural resources was central to …

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When Good Deals Go Bad for Economic Development Planners

Michael Giberson State and local economic development agencies and assorted politicians like to trumpet their successes in using tax breaks and other incentives to induce companies to locate in their areas. Rarely does anyone report how these deals turn out in the months and years after that initial photo op. From BusinessWeek‘s Management IQ blog, …

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Judge Says Kentucky’s Anti-Price Gouging Law is Constitutional; Virginia Newspaper Says “Legalize It”

Michael Giberson Over two years ago, the state of Kentucky filed suit against Marathon Oil claiming the company engaged in price gouging in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. (Cynics noted that the lawsuit was filed shortly before a primary election in which the Attorney General at the time was running for Lt. Governor.)  …

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Does Ferc Have Jurisdiction over Installed Capacity Requirements in Wholesale Power Systems?

Michael Giberson Does the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) asserted authority over the Installed Capacity Requirement, on the ground that it is “a practice affecting rates,” contravene the Federal Power Act’s specific limits on FERC’s authority, and express preservation of State authority over generation facilities and system adequacy? That is the question for the U.S. …

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New York Politicians Want to Expand Zone Pricing Ban to Protect Wealthy Customers from Slightly Higher Prices

Michael Giberson From Newsday: Two Nassau County legislators Thursday called on the State Senate to join the Assembly in extending the ban on zone pricing for gasoline, which they said unfairly charges more in well-to-do communities than in those less so. For readers not up on their New York geography, Nassau County is the portion …

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