This Hits Us Where We Live

November 9, 2018

I have a friend who is always very forthcoming with opinions on almost any subject, although when talking politics he often ends with, “It doesn’t really affect me one way or the other.” We all feel that way sometimes, because our political system can be completely paralyzed by excruciating details of the most inconsequential issues. […]

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Without Just Compensation

October 27, 2018

When the Supreme Court ruled gun bans in DC and Chicago unconstitutional, some gun activists advocated government simply buying up all the ammo. Guns would be worthless, they reasoned, if no bullets were available. That would be like giving phones to teenagers, but withholding all the batteries. That same concept is behind Colorado’s current debate […]

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Where Things Come From

October 19, 2018

Several times I have enjoyed speaking to school classes about various natural resources issues, and am invariably surprised at how poorly they understand where things come from. Water miraculously appears from the faucet, and gas from the pump, just as everything from milk and furniture to clothing and computers simply come from the store. They […]

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Getting Rich on Other People’s Money

October 12, 2018

Here’s how our scheme will work. I am a federal regulator, and want to make a new regulation. However, the legal rulemaking process is complicated and time-consuming. Even worse, most people are actually against it, so it might not get done through the regular process, because that requires public involvement and lots of pesky people […]

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This Change Should Worry No One

October 5, 2018

The story begins with an ominous picture of something about to go deeply wrong: “In a move that’s welcomed by Western conservatives but worries environmentalists, [Interior secretary Ryan] Zinke has directed…” We have seen literally dozens of articles in the past couple years with similar leads. Some environmental reporters might have those words permanently on […]

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That’s a Big Dam Battery

September 28, 2018

I recently participated in a teleconference discussing Colorado energy issues. Over half my home State’s electricity comes from coal. The oil and gas sector supports 213,000 jobs and contributes $25 billion to Colorado’s economy. Still, a majority of our population longs for the day we wean ourselves, relying entirely on renewable energy. That means wind […]

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But What Will Take Its Place?

September 21, 2018

In high school and college I competed in debate tournaments across the state and country, and remember many occasions when a debate team’s plan would include abolishing some government program. Inevitably, the opponents would ask, “What will you replace it with?” Only once did I hear any debater respond with, “Nothing. Nothing at all. Government […]

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We Must All Sacrifice for the Environment (But I Meant You – Not Me!)

September 14, 2018

Have we become a society of people who want to regulate others, but not ourselves? We laugh at those who object to some policy that seemed perfectly OK, when they thought it only applied to others. We make fun of Al Gore proposing the end of fossil fuels, while jetting around the world in his […]

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Darting From Fish to Snail

September 7, 2018

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has inflamed emotions for 45 years since its enactment, and everywhere there are strong feelings, on both sides. The argument usually comes down to whether some species is more important than jobs, or whether all species are equally valuable. Most people venerate bald eagles above power plants, but how about […]

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Oh, the Humanity!

August 28, 2018

How we long for the good old days! That is the tone of some environmental industry leaders who are screaming bloody murder (literally, not figuratively) about the Interior Department’s interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. One writer carped that “cruelty without consequence” is “the heart of the Trump era.” The new rule, she wrote, […]

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