Now It Concerns Us!

July 7, 2016

Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx threatened to shut down the DC Metro subway system when an electrical fire at one of the stations caused a day-long shutdown. It reminded me of the old Jimmy Stewart movie “Shenandoah,” in which a southern family tries to stay out of the Civil War, the patriarch continually asserting that […]

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Which Kilowatt Would You Like?

July 7, 2016

Americans have tried for more than a generation to wean ourselves from fossil fuels, and shift to renewable energy. Since the 1990s we have provided tens of billions in major tax subsidies for wind power. By 2005 we were spending enormous resources to develop hydrogen cars. Under President Obama, we have “invested” more than $200 […]

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Heads I Win, Tails You Lose

July 7, 2016

In April the U.S. Senate passed the first comprehensive energy policy bill in nearly a decade, and will now try to negotiate a compromise with a similar House bill passed earlier. One section was of particular interest to people concerned about the massive growth of environmental lawsuits. It reinstates a requirement for federal agencies to […]

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A Little Push-Back

June 26, 2016

In May, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed into law a bill designed to give the federal government something it has needed for a very long time, a shot across the bow. Federal attempts to own and control the water in western states have been a raspberry seed in our wisdom tooth for years, but when […]

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Who Will Be Next?

May 9, 2016

Twice I have written about the growing attempt to silence debate about climate change. Both times I’ve been bombarded with comments from readers with a different opinion, some of them in a very bad mood about it. One wonders if they appreciate the irony of their right to dissent – a right that some of […]

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99 and 44/100ths Percent Pure Guesswork

May 9, 2016

University of Delaware climatologist Dr. David R. Legates recently wrote that he felt the same pressure as many colleagues who disagree with the supposed consensus that climate change is both manmade and dangerous. He mentions the usual professional criticism by environmental pressure groups, and also what he calls harassment from media, government, and his own […]

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When is a Decision a Decision?

May 9, 2016

You can’t sue somebody for doing something that did not actually hurt you. However outrageous someone’s behavior might be, unless it directly hurts you in some way, courts will say it is none of your business. That is one of the oldest principles of law, referred to by lawyers and judges as “standing.” You do […]

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A Fine Feathered Frenzy

May 9, 2016

A new book called Nature Unbound (Independent Institute) recounts the story of a landowner whose property was surrounded on all sides by federal (BLM) land. The 1.5 mile driveway leading to the property had been maintained by the family for generations, but had become overgrown with trees on both sides. He sought BLM permission to […]

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Need More Water, Not More Meetings

May 9, 2016

Several recent events have drawn national attention to something Westerners deal with all the time – water. We have always known that problems of both water supply and water quality can affect millions of lives and cost billions of dollars. Water is usually not the hottest topic in politics, but the record-breaking drought in California, […]

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Off With His Head!

March 28, 2016

When Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as the nation’s third President in 1801, much of the civilized world was shocked. The aristocracy of Europe, still mocking the quaint American concept that common people could govern themselves, never thought they would see it. It was said that never before in world history had a government left […]

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