Environment
Blog
California’s Great Gasoline Panic of ‘25
“California’s Refinery Rethink” Politico Pro, Oct. 22 “Newsom Courts Big Oil as Gas Prices Threaten Political Ambition” Bloomberg, Sept. 29 “Faced with looming gasoline shortage, California’s governor backs off oil companies” Le Monde, Oct. 11 “Gas Price Map Shock: Why Gas Is $4.60 in California but $2.60 in Oklahoma?” Autoblog, ...
Commentary
Restricting Capital Investment Is A Losing Energy Strategy
The U.S. energy grid stands at a crossroads. It is facing an unprecedented rise in electricity demand driven in no small part by the growth of artificial intelligence and high-tech manufacturing. Simultaneously, supply is being curtailed by growing power plant retirements. It doesn’t take an advanced degree in economics to ...
Blog
State Lawsuit Latest Effort to Rid State of Plastic Bag Convenience
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Oct. 17 that four manufacturers and the state had reached a settlement that will require them to pay more than $1.7 million for allegedly violating a 2014 law that requires carry-out plastic bags in grocers and other retailers to be recyclable. They have also agreed ...
Agriculture
U.S. beef prices don’t need “fixing”
The comments came recently while the president was flying from Florida to Washington D.C., according to several reports. The plan to drive down the cost of American beef prices by purchasing Argentinian beef and dropping it into the American market has sparked outrage since the news broke. According to the ...
Commentary
Will EV market survive without subsidies?
Sept. 30 was the last day of the generous, sales-boosting federal subsidies for electric-vehicle purchases. It was also the final day that EVs could access carpool lanes with only the driver in the car. For years, various low- and zero-emission automobiles have been the darlings of policymakers, such as Gov. ...
Agriculture
Read the latest on how tariffs hurt employers and workers
Soybean squabble points to larger ag problems to come
During the first Trump Administration Americans were asked to adopt the motto, “short term pain for long term gain.” During the current Trump Administration, the tariff war was kicked off with “Liberation Day.” With harvest season upon ag country, soybeans are taking center stage in the current trade war. China ...
Blog
Learn about the impact of the latest refinery fire
How Much Will Gas Prices Rise After So Cal Refinery Fire?
Producing 269,000 barrels a day of useful fossil fuels, the El Segundo facility is second in the state only to Marathon’s Los Angeles refinery, which puts out 365,000 barrels a day, good for 22.5% of state’s capacity. The Chevron site provides 20% of motor vehicle fuel in California and 40% of the ...
Agriculture
Ag labor myths persist, posing challenges to reform
The national average for the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is $17.33/hr., with individual states being held to a fluctuating rate. California’s current federally mandated AEWR is $19.75/hr., making it one of the top five highest in the nation. However, wage rates are not the only cost associated with the ...
Agriculture
Livestock showing, public policy are more similar than it seems
As a veteran livestock exhibitor – rabbits, market lambs, and cattle – and as someone now involved in public policy, drawing parallels between the two was easy. Here are three things required in livestock showing and public policy: Patience If you’ve ever tried to train a wild animal, you know ...
AI
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Cities should rethink their zeal for subsidizing AI data centers
Kate Gallego has had it. In her 2025 State of the City address, Phoenix’s mayor called on lawmakers to eliminate Arizona’s special tax treatment for “new data centers.” Calling it “a holdover from a time before our economy was the magnet for job growth that it is today,” Gallego declared ...
California’s Great Gasoline Panic of ‘25
“California’s Refinery Rethink” Politico Pro, Oct. 22 “Newsom Courts Big Oil as Gas Prices Threaten Political Ambition” Bloomberg, Sept. 29 “Faced with looming gasoline shortage, California’s governor backs off oil companies” Le Monde, Oct. 11 “Gas Price Map Shock: Why Gas Is $4.60 in California but $2.60 in Oklahoma?” Autoblog, ...
Restricting Capital Investment Is A Losing Energy Strategy
The U.S. energy grid stands at a crossroads. It is facing an unprecedented rise in electricity demand driven in no small part by the growth of artificial intelligence and high-tech manufacturing. Simultaneously, supply is being curtailed by growing power plant retirements. It doesn’t take an advanced degree in economics to ...
State Lawsuit Latest Effort to Rid State of Plastic Bag Convenience
Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Oct. 17 that four manufacturers and the state had reached a settlement that will require them to pay more than $1.7 million for allegedly violating a 2014 law that requires carry-out plastic bags in grocers and other retailers to be recyclable. They have also agreed ...
U.S. beef prices don’t need “fixing”
The comments came recently while the president was flying from Florida to Washington D.C., according to several reports. The plan to drive down the cost of American beef prices by purchasing Argentinian beef and dropping it into the American market has sparked outrage since the news broke. According to the ...
Will EV market survive without subsidies?
Sept. 30 was the last day of the generous, sales-boosting federal subsidies for electric-vehicle purchases. It was also the final day that EVs could access carpool lanes with only the driver in the car. For years, various low- and zero-emission automobiles have been the darlings of policymakers, such as Gov. ...
Read the latest on how tariffs hurt employers and workers
Soybean squabble points to larger ag problems to come
During the first Trump Administration Americans were asked to adopt the motto, “short term pain for long term gain.” During the current Trump Administration, the tariff war was kicked off with “Liberation Day.” With harvest season upon ag country, soybeans are taking center stage in the current trade war. China ...
Learn about the impact of the latest refinery fire
How Much Will Gas Prices Rise After So Cal Refinery Fire?
Producing 269,000 barrels a day of useful fossil fuels, the El Segundo facility is second in the state only to Marathon’s Los Angeles refinery, which puts out 365,000 barrels a day, good for 22.5% of state’s capacity. The Chevron site provides 20% of motor vehicle fuel in California and 40% of the ...
Ag labor myths persist, posing challenges to reform
The national average for the Adverse Effect Wage Rate (AEWR) is $17.33/hr., with individual states being held to a fluctuating rate. California’s current federally mandated AEWR is $19.75/hr., making it one of the top five highest in the nation. However, wage rates are not the only cost associated with the ...
Livestock showing, public policy are more similar than it seems
As a veteran livestock exhibitor – rabbits, market lambs, and cattle – and as someone now involved in public policy, drawing parallels between the two was easy. Here are three things required in livestock showing and public policy: Patience If you’ve ever tried to train a wild animal, you know ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Cities should rethink their zeal for subsidizing AI data centers
Kate Gallego has had it. In her 2025 State of the City address, Phoenix’s mayor called on lawmakers to eliminate Arizona’s special tax treatment for “new data centers.” Calling it “a holdover from a time before our economy was the magnet for job growth that it is today,” Gallego declared ...
