unintended consequences

Europe Wood. Wood You?

Michael Giberson From The Economist, “Wood, The fuel of the future“: WHICH source of renewable energy is most important to the European Union? Solar power, perhaps? (Europe has three-quarters of the world’s total installed capacity of solar photovoltaic energy.) Or wind? (Germany trebled its wind-power capacity in the past decade.) The answer is neither. By …

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Europe is Burning More American Coal

Michael Giberson Natural gas production is booming in the United States. The resulting low natural gas prices are helping the fuel displace other energy sources, most particularly the use of coal to produce electric power. As U.S. demand for coal falls, so has its price and as a result international coal buyers are increasingly turning …

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Anecdotal Evidence on Employment Effects from Stimulus Spending

Michael Giberson From Aguanomics: I was talking to a friend, and he mentioned that he’d hired an extra guy under the stimulus program. “Yeah, they are paying 80 percent of his wages and overhead. It’s a win-win for him and me…” “…but then I fired another guy; he just cost too much compared to the …

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Administration Abandons Airport Landing Slot Auction

Michael Giberson From the New York Times City Room, “U.S. Won’t Auction Airport Landing Slots“: The United States Department of Transportation has canceled a plan to auction landing slots at New York City’s three airports, officials announced on Wednesday, bringing an end to a widely criticized effort by the Bush administration to use market incentives …

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