Readers Want Science, Not Political Activism

February 6, 2014

News articles, however well-meaning, sometimes lead readers to inaccurate conclusions. Occasionally, the headline is to blame; often, the reporter, who cannot be expected to be an expert on every conceivable topic, lacks the time and resources to dig deeply into the story. Such is likely the case with a recent article called Chemicals Used in […]

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Lights Out!

January 10, 2014

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Four years ago I wrote an article about the bill that banned incandescent light bulbs. It has now taken full effect, and as of January 1, it is now illegal in the U.S. to manufacture or sell Thomas Edison’s invention that changed […]

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Local Elections Aside, Colorado’s Real Fracking Policy

November 29, 2013

Following this month’s elections, five northern Colorado cities now ban fracking within their city limits, though there will certainly be lawsuits challenging cities’ authority to do so (one such case is already filed). The majority votes on these ballot initiatives is ironic in light of Colorado’s national leadership for more than a decade in pursuing […]

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If a Tree Fell in an Empty Forest….

October 4, 2013

If the government shut down the forest, and nobody was there to see it, would it still be there? Would the trees still live? Would the trails still lead anywhere? Would the deer and the antelope still play? If you think so, then you are among the tens of millions of Americans who think life […]

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Taking the Fifth

September 12, 2013

Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court struck another blow for private property rights and further strengthened the Fifth Amendment prohibition against taking private property for public purposes without just compensation. Unfortunately, the Court also added to the inconsistent body of law surrounding the takings issue. The latest case, Koontz v. St. Johns River Water Management, […]

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Seeing the Forest Through the Trees

September 10, 2013

Voltaire once wrote that “men argue; nature acts.” We are seeing that action in catastrophic forest fires across the western United States, while land managers, politicians, lobbyists, foresters and environmentalists continue to argue. We watch the news about these unprecedented wildfires burning forests and destroying homes, but a central fact is rarely mentioned: These fires […]

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Renewable Energy and Polyester Leisure Suits

July 19, 2013

My generation now laughs at the fashions of the 1970s. I personally never liked bell bottoms, white belts, or double-knit polyester leisure suits. But they were all the rage; we wore them or risked appearing uncool. Fashions change, but do we? We still want to stay on top of the latest trends, however strange they […]

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Give Me Land, Lots of Land

February 12, 2013

If he really wants an acre-for-acre balance between land set aside for permanent protection and land permitted for energy production, then we have a lot of drilling to do!

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Wind Power for Us – Bill to Our Grandchildren

February 7, 2013

For 20 years, wind energy has been heavily subsidized. As 47 House members recently wrote in a letter to Speaker John Boehner, “[It] is time for the federal government to stop picking winners and losers in the energy marketplace.”

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For the Environment, or For Money?

October 25, 2012

Leaders trying desperately to restore healthy forests and rebuild the forestry economy need all the help they can get, but they may be facing another major setback instead. Part of the restoration effort requires developing new products and new markets for the millions of tons of material that must be removed from our national forests, […]

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