Environment
Blog
Read about wind energy's latest challenges
Should California Go Full Steam Ahead on Offshore Wind Farms? Latest Evidence Says No
One, the concept is untried on an industrial scale. Floating offshore wind turbines, which California believes will provide a full quarter of the state’s electric power by 2045, “is largely underdeveloped in the United States,” host Kevin Sliman says in an interview with two Penn State University Institute of Energy and ...
Kerry Jackson
December 18, 2024
Blog
California’s Next Crime Wave – Fuel Theft
Here are a few examples: On September 27, an Inland Empire resident drove away from her job at an area hospital when her pickup truck puttered to a stop. An investigation showed her tank had been drilled and emptied. A Valero Station in Fremont lost tens of thousands of gallons ...
Steve Smith
December 9, 2024
Commentary
Learn more about California's water wars
Trump Victory Will Lead to New Battles in California’s ‘Water Wars’
California has been lately in the business of blowing up dams. So a decision to actually raise one is big news. In a deal approved by eight water agencies as well as the federal government, the San Luis Reservoir between Gilroy and Los Banos, the fifth-largest reservoir in the state, will ...
Kerry Jackson
November 26, 2024
Blog
When Ambition And Ideology Outpace Reality And Prudent Policymaking
Turns out the electric trucks aren’t selling well, so manufacturers will be able to build more diesel trucks than regulations were allowing them to. Yet again, the state tacitly acknowledges that its net-zero ambitions are unrealistic. It was a lesson learned late, though. Several states that followed the California model ...
Kerry Jackson
November 20, 2024
Blog
Desert Push for New Solar Farm Threatens Worker Health, Local Water Supply
In California’s never-ending effort to retain its self-awarded climate MVP trophy, thousands of acres near Desert Center, east of Palm Springs in Riverside County, will be “cultivated” to accommodate a solar farm. The Intersect Power project, centered on a 390-megawatt solar array with an adjacent battery storage site, was unanimously ...
Kerry Jackson
November 18, 2024
Commentary
Learn more about rebates
Are rebates the best use of tax dollars?
Californians who meet specific income thresholds may be eligible to receive rebates of $4,000 and up to $8,000 if they buy electric heat pumps for their homes. But the Pacific Research Institute, a Pasadena think tank that espouses free-market solutions to policy matters, questions whether the rebate program is a good ...
Wayne H Winegarden
November 15, 2024
California
Learn more about California's high gas prices
California’s Regulatory Assault On Drivers Continues
Californians already suffering from significantly higher gas prices will be dismayed to learn that the regulatory state has decided to make things worse. For the rest of the country, the changes stand as a stark warning. Last week, the California Air Resources Board, known as CARB, voted to increase the ...
Wayne H Winegarden
November 13, 2024
Commentary
Learn more about how the LCFS will hurt families
Changes to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Will Cost Families Dearly
The California Air Resources Board should go back to the drawing board rather than expand a policy that would raise gas prices without meaningfully lowering emissions. At issue is an upcoming vote where this group of unelected bureaucrats will update California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, effectively driving prices at the ...
Wayne H Winegarden
November 6, 2024
Agriculture
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
Pam Lewison
November 6, 2024
Commentary
Learn more about how environmental lawfare hurts consumers
Private firms, states use tobacco lawsuit playbook in energy cases
But a far more potent weapon is being deployed against energy companies: A cadre of liberal lawyers, environmental activists, and attorneys general from Democratic states and municipalities are systematically suing energy companies and demanding multibillion-dollar payouts. Their efforts have not risen to a top-tier concern in American politics, but that ...
Wayne H Winegarden
November 4, 2024
Read about wind energy's latest challenges
Should California Go Full Steam Ahead on Offshore Wind Farms? Latest Evidence Says No
One, the concept is untried on an industrial scale. Floating offshore wind turbines, which California believes will provide a full quarter of the state’s electric power by 2045, “is largely underdeveloped in the United States,” host Kevin Sliman says in an interview with two Penn State University Institute of Energy and ...
California’s Next Crime Wave – Fuel Theft
Here are a few examples: On September 27, an Inland Empire resident drove away from her job at an area hospital when her pickup truck puttered to a stop. An investigation showed her tank had been drilled and emptied. A Valero Station in Fremont lost tens of thousands of gallons ...
Learn more about California's water wars
Trump Victory Will Lead to New Battles in California’s ‘Water Wars’
California has been lately in the business of blowing up dams. So a decision to actually raise one is big news. In a deal approved by eight water agencies as well as the federal government, the San Luis Reservoir between Gilroy and Los Banos, the fifth-largest reservoir in the state, will ...
When Ambition And Ideology Outpace Reality And Prudent Policymaking
Turns out the electric trucks aren’t selling well, so manufacturers will be able to build more diesel trucks than regulations were allowing them to. Yet again, the state tacitly acknowledges that its net-zero ambitions are unrealistic. It was a lesson learned late, though. Several states that followed the California model ...
Desert Push for New Solar Farm Threatens Worker Health, Local Water Supply
In California’s never-ending effort to retain its self-awarded climate MVP trophy, thousands of acres near Desert Center, east of Palm Springs in Riverside County, will be “cultivated” to accommodate a solar farm. The Intersect Power project, centered on a 390-megawatt solar array with an adjacent battery storage site, was unanimously ...
Learn more about rebates
Are rebates the best use of tax dollars?
Californians who meet specific income thresholds may be eligible to receive rebates of $4,000 and up to $8,000 if they buy electric heat pumps for their homes. But the Pacific Research Institute, a Pasadena think tank that espouses free-market solutions to policy matters, questions whether the rebate program is a good ...
Learn more about California's high gas prices
California’s Regulatory Assault On Drivers Continues
Californians already suffering from significantly higher gas prices will be dismayed to learn that the regulatory state has decided to make things worse. For the rest of the country, the changes stand as a stark warning. Last week, the California Air Resources Board, known as CARB, voted to increase the ...
Learn more about how the LCFS will hurt families
Changes to California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard Will Cost Families Dearly
The California Air Resources Board should go back to the drawing board rather than expand a policy that would raise gas prices without meaningfully lowering emissions. At issue is an upcoming vote where this group of unelected bureaucrats will update California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard, effectively driving prices at the ...
Senate panel forgets farmers in discussion about agriculture
This oversight was never clearer than in a recent panel hosted by U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), named American Health and Nutrition: A Second Opinion. According to a description of the panel, the discussion was meant to provide “a foundational and historical understanding of the changes that have occurred over ...
Learn more about how environmental lawfare hurts consumers
Private firms, states use tobacco lawsuit playbook in energy cases
But a far more potent weapon is being deployed against energy companies: A cadre of liberal lawyers, environmental activists, and attorneys general from Democratic states and municipalities are systematically suing energy companies and demanding multibillion-dollar payouts. Their efforts have not risen to a top-tier concern in American politics, but that ...