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No Surprises Here: The Geography of Ethanol Support in the Senate

The debate over ethanol subsidies rages again in the halls of Congress. Today the Senate voted 73-27 in favor of repealing a $6 billion tax credit for ethanol producers. The measure would end a 45-cent-per-gallon tax credit for ethanol refiners and a tariff of 54 cents per gallon on imported ethanol. The bill’s passage mayContinue reading “No Surprises Here: The Geography of Ethanol Support in the Senate”

The Prius Premium and Other Sensible Nonsense

Photo: Toyota As this working paper by Steven and Alison Sexton explains, there is a substantial, and important, price premium that Toyota Prius buyers are willing to pay to drive a Prius. They are clearly buying something other than mere transportation. To some—indeed many—this waste of resources seems silly. To others it seems wonderful. TheContinue reading “The Prius Premium and Other Sensible Nonsense”

Fast Food Nation?

by Paul Schwennesen According to Eric Schlosser, of Food Inc. fame, “The American people are becoming really, really unhealthy and this is an issue we can’t just leave to individuals deciding to bicycle instead of drive their car. We need governments worldwide to be taking action to reverse the problem.” We need government action toContinue reading “Fast Food Nation?”

Why California may not have to close its parks

ABC’s Radio International interviewed PERC’s very own Laura Huggins last week about the planned closure of 70 state parks in California later this year. Rather than close the parks, Laura recommends turning over operations and management to private companies through leasing arrangements. Listen here. For more, see a list of the planned park closures [PDF] orContinue reading “Why California may not have to close its parks”

Angling for Utah’s Waters

Image by Angus Mackie/Creative Commons via flickr PERC fellow Randy Simmons appeared on RadioWest last week to discuss stream access in the West. A summary from KUER at the University of Utah: The Utah Stream Access Coalition has filed two lawsuits disputing a 2010 law limiting access to streams crossing private property. The coalition saysContinue reading “Angling for Utah’s Waters”

Dim whitted light bulb policy

Check out Virginia Postrel’s new column at Bloomberg about U.S. federal light bulb regulation. After reading this you might want to stock up on incandescent bulbs at the supermarket this weekend. If you want to know why so many Americans feel alienated from their government, you need only go to Target and check out theContinue reading “Dim whitted light bulb policy”

Think Local: When and for Which Environmental Problems?

Matching the size of government to the size of the problem

Cheap water, deadly water

Waterborne diseases are responsible for 20 percent of deaths in children under the age of five. Microbes such as E. coli found in fecal matter cause diarrhea that kills by dehydrating its victims. Such organisms are routinely found in the springs, wells, lakes, and rivers used as water sources in the developing world. Naturally-occurring springs,Continue reading “Cheap water, deadly water”