A Free-Market Energy Blog

The Kochs and Public Policy: A Clarification

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- January 19, 2009

“Oh how David Koch wishes he could have donated more to the arts and medical science and less to political causes. In this regard, when will the Left demand that private foundations stop propping up climate alarmism and redirect their donations to, say, pediatric research?”

In “David Koch Steps Down from Business and Conservative Political Group,” New York Times writer Jeremy Peters misses a very important common denominator in the business and political philsophy of David Koch and Charles Koch. This error is common and cannot be corrected enough.

Below, I comment on three quotations from Mr, Peters’s article.

“Using their powerful political group, Americans for Prosperity, they ramped up their political giving during the presidency of Barack Obama, whom Charles and David saw as seriously misguided and driven by a socialistic agenda that threatened the free-market, libertarian philosophy they espoused.

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Carbon Tax or Cap-and-Trade? Don’t Forget “Neither”

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- January 18, 2009

An article in today’s Houston Chronicle, “Debate Flares over How to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions,” compares the relative merits of a carbon tax and cap-and-trade. We will be hearing a lot about these two approaches in the weeks and months ahead.

But the Chronicle article did not consider the other major alternative: neither a tax nor a cap-and-trade program.…

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“Finite” Is Not “Scarce”

By --

[A scientist was addressing a luncheon gathering and mentioned that the sun would burn out in 4 billion years.  A woman in the front, alarmed, asked him to repeat the number, which he did.  “Thank goodness!” she exclaimed, “I thought you said ‘million'”  Traditional physicist joke.]

Many of those writing on oil markets, energy security, commodity prices, and energy policy often cite, with great authority, the fact that “X is finite.” This can be seen both in the general press, such as the recent story in the New York Times on Abu Dhabi’s effort to diversify away from oil revenue, and in more detailed reports, such as the one written for the Army: “Energy Trends and Their Implication for US Army Installations.”

 In the words of Vijay Vaitheeswaran of the Economist, “So what?” …

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Wind Stimulus: Bad Green

By Glenn Schleede -- January 17, 2009
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Bush’s MMS gives the Kennedys a Parting Slap

By Kenneth P. Green -- January 16, 2009
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Obama’s Non-stimulating Stimulus

By Kenneth P. Green --
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Upon Further Review … What did ExxonMobil Really Say at the Woodrow Wilson International Center?

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- January 15, 2009
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The U.K. Fact-Checks Wind on Carbon Emissions

By -- January 14, 2009
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John Holdren Describes Energy as “Indispensable,” “Reliable,” “Affordable” (Part VI in a series on Obama’s new science advisor)

By Robert Bradley Jr. --
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Offshore Drilling: Why Not?

By -- January 12, 2009
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