A Free-Market Energy Blog

Ken Lay to California I: BLOCK the PROP (A.B. 32 is ‘An Ounce of Global-Warming Prevention’)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- October 4, 2010

“It’s time to stop debating the issues surrounding climate change initiatives and focus instead on simple, realistic, cost-effective solutions. This is one area where an ounce of near-term prevention will be worth considerably more than a pound of cure later on.”

– Ken Lay, “Let’s Have an Ounce of Global-Warming Prevention,” December 1997.

“An ounce of global warming prevention is worth a ton of CO2 cure.  There are no emergency rooms for a sick planet.”

– Edward J. Markey (D–MA), “Second Life Remarks to the Virtual Bali UN Climate Conference,” December 2008.

The New York Times and other media outlets have identified the principled free-market advocates Charles and David Koch as supporters of California’s Prop. 23, a measure to suspend the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32).…

Continue Reading

“Why Energy Efficiency Does Not Decrease Energy Consumption:” Comment on Harry Saunders

By Michael Shellenberger & Ted Nordhaus -- October 1, 2010

One of the most curious facts about energy is that economies continue to use more of it even as they use it more efficiently. This strikes us as strange because it has become an article of faith that making cars, buildings, and factories more energy efficient is the key to cheaply and quickly reducing energy consumption, and thus pollution.

But energy experts have never seen this as particularly mysterious. As energy historian Vaclav Smil notes, “Historical evidence shows unequivocally that secular advances in energy efficiency have not led to any declines of aggregate energy consumption.” A group of economists beginning in the 1980s went further, suggesting that increasing the productivity of energy would increase economic growth and energy consumption.

Efficiency advocates dismiss the evidence of rebound of energy use pointing to direct behavioral changes at the household or business level that are easiest to measure.…

Continue Reading

International Cap-and-Trade Taxation: U.S. Beware!

By Matthew Sinclair -- September 30, 2010

The American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454, aka the Waxman-Markey climate bill) and the American Power Act (aka Kerry-Lieberman climate bill) both contained explicit provisions to create not just a U.S.-side cap-and-trade program for carbon dioxide (CO2) but also a single, transatlantic emissions trading scheme.

The problem is that even if cap-and-trade is dead in the U.S. Senate, its advocates remain committed and have options for international action. The more this can be understood, the more the electorate can reject U.S.-side help for a futile, costly international scheme to regulate CO2 in the name of “stabilizing” climate.

A clear warning that supranational cap and trade was planned beyond the EU’s borders came in a speech last May by the European Commission official Jos Delbeke, Deputy Director General DG Environment.…

Continue Reading

Is Windpower the Ethanol of Electricity? (Part II: Environmental Issues)

By Ben Lieberman -- September 29, 2010
Continue Reading

Is Windpower the Ethanol of Electricity? (Part I: Economics)

By Ben Lieberman -- September 28, 2010
Continue Reading

Windpower: Not as Free As You Think

By -- September 27, 2010
Continue Reading

Energy and the Dodd-Frank Act: More Bad from the Party in Power (more employment for lawyers and consultants)

By Sam Van Vactor -- September 24, 2010
Continue Reading

“Why They Go Green” (WSJ editorial says much in few words)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 23, 2010
Continue Reading

What’s New About Windpower? Erich Zimmermann in 1933

By -- September 22, 2010
Continue Reading

Rethinking Climate Sensitivity: Roy Spencer Speaks

By Chip Knappenberger -- September 21, 2010
Continue Reading