Author Archives: shawnregan

          Application deadlines for PERC’s summer programs are quickly approaching. Spend part of your summer in Bozeman, Montana, with these great PERC programs: Undergraduate Colloquium Graduate Fellowship Enviropreneur Institute Lone Mountain Fellowship Julian Simon Fellowship Media Fellowship Click on the program to find out more information. All programs offer a stipendContinue reading “The Last Best Place for Summer Research”

by Chris Corbin I specialize in western water markets. Even so, I am currently working on a project in 9 eastern states. This project has made me realize the eastern United States will face some serious water challenges.  This isn’t the first time I’ve made this observation; it has just become that obvious to me.  And,Continue reading “Four reasons the east is in deep water”

by Gary D. Libecap In 2006, the California Legislature enacted AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act that directed greenhouse gas emissions in the state to be at their 1990 level by 2020. To get a sense of what that means for the state, in 2006, California’s population already was 23 percent larger and itsContinue reading “California’s Crazy Climate Policy”

by Holly Fretwell Last week the Wall Street Journal printed a debate between Peter Singer and Bjorn Lomborg discussing the potential of reducing poverty while enhancing the environment. Both ignore the reality of public choice issues. First, it is important to understand the correlation between poverty and environmental degradation. Lomborg explains this well and has spent decadesContinue reading “Prosperity, Pollution, and Public Choice”

If more public land is what the public wants, then the public land users should pay for use and maintenance through fees.

Got an e-reader? These books from PERC are now available on Kindle or Nook: Property Rights: A Practical Guide to Freedom and Prosperity by Terry L. Anderson and Laura E. Huggins: $6.40 for Kindle   You Have to Admit It’s Getting Better: From Economic Prosperity to Environmental Quality ed. by Terry L. Anderson: $6.40 for Kindle   GreenerContinue reading “Read PERC on your Kindle”

by Holly Fretwell Bison continue to raise a ruckus on the range in Wyoming and Montana. The bison that leave Yellowstone National Park eat forage on private land and are suspected of carrying brucellosis, a disease known to cause cows to abort their calves. Should the bison be free to roam the range beyond federalContinue reading “The Ruckus on the Range”

by Holly Fretwell A new EPA ruling that is supposed to reduce carbon emissions, the Tailoring Rule, may in fact increase emissions instead. The ruling regulates carbon dioxide emissions under equal standing, but not all net emissions are equal. Fuel sources from deep in the earth, such as coal and natural gas, produce a one-way flowContinue reading “Tailored to Whom?”

by Holly Fretwell Recycling is the reuse of resources. Resources are inputs used to produce the goods and services we buy. You can reuse a bag to recycle it, or you can take it to the recycling center for remanufacturing into something else, like a fleece jacket. These two very different processes have very differentContinue reading “Rubbish or Resource? Hawaii Recycling”