A Free-Market Energy Blog

On the Big Energy and Environmental Picture (good reading Sunday)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 22, 2009

I have in front of me the recent Cato Handbook for Policymakers (2008). The Cato Institute advertises it as follows:

Now in its seventh edition, the Cato Handbook for Policymakers sets the standard in Washington for real cuts in federal spending, taxes, and power. It offers an issue-by-issue detailed blueprint for reducing the federal government to the limits intended by the Founding Fathers. Providing both in-depth analysis and concrete recommendations, Cato’s Handbook is an invaluable resource for policymakers and anyone else interested in securing liberty through limited government.

Energy. Chapter 43, “Energy Policy,” prepared by Cato senior fellows Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren, has the following summary:…

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Progress Report: MasterResource (1Q–2009)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 21, 2009

MasterResource is nearing its three-month anniversary. Our total views have exceeded 50,000–not bad for a start-up, energy-focused blog. We have had as many as 3,200 views on a day and now have a base daily viewership of around 500.

We have had 111 posts (at least one per day!) from 21 different authors. Our post categories exceed 50. Nearly 500 comments from more than 150 individuals have been received, and more comments are being added to different posts. We welcome critical comments so long as they are made in good faith and in good taste.

Our most popular posts (and comments on posts) to date have been:…

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“Optimistic” Obama Distances Himself from “Malthusian, woe, Chicken Little, the earth is falling”

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 20, 2009

President Obama had a realism moment last week when he responded, off-script, to a question posed to him at a meeting with the Business Roundtable in Washington.  In response to a challenge to costly carbon-dioxide (CO2) regulation by Weyerhaeuser President Daniel Fulton, Obama opined:

I’m not somebody who — I’ve never bought into these Malthusian, woe, Chicken Little, the earth is falling — I tend to be pretty optimistic. I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t pretty optimistic. But I think this is–the science is overwhelming. This is a real problem. It will have severe economic consequences, as well as political and national security and environmental consequences.

Well, here is a little secret that should be brought out in the open. …

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CO2 Regulation under the Clean Air Act: Economic Train Wreck, Constitutional Crisis, Legislative Thuggery

By -- March 19, 2009
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The Validity of Man-made Atmospheric CO2 Buildup (Part I in an occasional series challenging ‘ultra-skeptic’ climate claims)

By Chip Knappenberger -- March 18, 2009
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Greenish Politics in the Emerald Isle (an energy item for St. Patrick’s Day)

By Michelle Foss -- March 17, 2009
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Are Depressions “Green”?

By -- March 16, 2009
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Robert Bryce on James Hansen’s Anti-Coal Crusade (worth reading Sunday)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 15, 2009
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Still Dreaming in California (all pain and no gain from carbon rationing policy)

By Chip Knappenberger -- March 14, 2009
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Sound Science for Thee, but Not for Me (does ethanol analysis apply in Obama’s new science world?)

By Jerry Taylor -- March 13, 2009
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