Environment
California
Becerra’s free power plan won’t be free
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has proposed giving away a couple of hours of electricity on the days that California has generated too much. It’s not a crazy idea. But it is an inadvertent admission that the current power system doesn’t make sense. Solar power is booming in sunny California. ...
Blog
How Will The Next California Governor Handle The State’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent years insisting California will end sales of new gasoline-powered cars in 2035. His successor might have other ideas. When asked if the Newsom’s mandate was the “right goal,” Republican nominee Steve Hilton has said “of course” it “has to be dismantled.” This is exactly as ...
Blog
The High Cost of Doing the Right Thing – What a Trip to the Dump Has in Common with the DMV
Oakland has become one of America’s most visible symbols of illegal dumping. Discarded mattresses line neighborhood streets. Sofas, refrigerators, tires, construction debris and bags of household garbage accumulate beneath freeway overpasses, in vacant lots and along roadsides. The consequences extend well beyond appearance. Illegal dumping attracts rodents, creates fire hazards, ...
Agriculture
ESA changes make for a robust law
The most recent revisions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are almost exclusively addressing property rights and which entity – state or federal – is responsible for the protection of land where threatened and endangered wildlife live. The federal government recently narrowed the definition of “harm” in the ESA. Citing ...
Agriculture
Beef, it’s what wolves are having for dinner in California
Researchers from the university collected scat from “wolf pack territories of the Lassen (2022 and 2023) and Harvey (2023) Packs in the Northeastern region of California),” according to the study. Samples were opportunistically collected from roadways and game/livestock trails between June and October of 2022 and 2023, then DNA sequenced ...
Agriculture
Why Are Grocery Prices Still Rising? New Study Says Washington Is Targeting the Wrong Problem
SACRAMENTO – With grocery prices continuing to climb and Americans searching for answers, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute concludes that Washington is focusing on the wrong solution. While the Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into fertilizer manufacturers, the new study by PRI senior ...
Blog
Challenge to market-based housing reforms comes up short
Several causes have been offered to explain runaway real-estate valuation. For instance, some cities face serious geographic constraints that make building a difficult proposition. I live in an area in northwest Washington that is bounded by Canada to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Cascade mountains to ...
Agriculture
Prop 12 bill is a win-win for ag
The American Meat Producers Association, a lobby group formed last year, and fronted by Holly Bice, an attorney with ties to several animal rights causes, has launched a $30 million effort to stop the repeal of Prop 12. According to association members who have adopted Prop 12 retrofits, the legislation ...
Blog
If EVs Sell Themselves, Why Are Taxpayers Paying for More of Them?
The rebates from the MyFirstEV program, which has no income cap (meaning it’s a subsidy for the wealthy), will be paid by taxpayers and participating automakers who will match the state’s contributions dollar-for-dollar. The timing is revealing. The rebate arrives just as the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that two-thirds of Californians now oppose Gov. ...
CEQA
Californians have a rare chance to rein in CEQA and support housing
Curious who‘s to blame for California’s housing crisis? Just look at who wants to kill the cure. A measure to reform the chief impediment to building homes in the state just qualified for the November ballot, and the same week, labor unions and environmental groups dumped millions into the effort ...
Becerra’s free power plan won’t be free
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra has proposed giving away a couple of hours of electricity on the days that California has generated too much. It’s not a crazy idea. But it is an inadvertent admission that the current power system doesn’t make sense. Solar power is booming in sunny California. ...
How Will The Next California Governor Handle The State’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate
Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent years insisting California will end sales of new gasoline-powered cars in 2035. His successor might have other ideas. When asked if the Newsom’s mandate was the “right goal,” Republican nominee Steve Hilton has said “of course” it “has to be dismantled.” This is exactly as ...
The High Cost of Doing the Right Thing – What a Trip to the Dump Has in Common with the DMV
Oakland has become one of America’s most visible symbols of illegal dumping. Discarded mattresses line neighborhood streets. Sofas, refrigerators, tires, construction debris and bags of household garbage accumulate beneath freeway overpasses, in vacant lots and along roadsides. The consequences extend well beyond appearance. Illegal dumping attracts rodents, creates fire hazards, ...
ESA changes make for a robust law
The most recent revisions to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are almost exclusively addressing property rights and which entity – state or federal – is responsible for the protection of land where threatened and endangered wildlife live. The federal government recently narrowed the definition of “harm” in the ESA. Citing ...
Beef, it’s what wolves are having for dinner in California
Researchers from the university collected scat from “wolf pack territories of the Lassen (2022 and 2023) and Harvey (2023) Packs in the Northeastern region of California),” according to the study. Samples were opportunistically collected from roadways and game/livestock trails between June and October of 2022 and 2023, then DNA sequenced ...
Why Are Grocery Prices Still Rising? New Study Says Washington Is Targeting the Wrong Problem
SACRAMENTO – With grocery prices continuing to climb and Americans searching for answers, a new study released today by the Pacific Research Institute concludes that Washington is focusing on the wrong solution. While the Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into fertilizer manufacturers, the new study by PRI senior ...
Challenge to market-based housing reforms comes up short
Several causes have been offered to explain runaway real-estate valuation. For instance, some cities face serious geographic constraints that make building a difficult proposition. I live in an area in northwest Washington that is bounded by Canada to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Cascade mountains to ...
Prop 12 bill is a win-win for ag
The American Meat Producers Association, a lobby group formed last year, and fronted by Holly Bice, an attorney with ties to several animal rights causes, has launched a $30 million effort to stop the repeal of Prop 12. According to association members who have adopted Prop 12 retrofits, the legislation ...
If EVs Sell Themselves, Why Are Taxpayers Paying for More of Them?
The rebates from the MyFirstEV program, which has no income cap (meaning it’s a subsidy for the wealthy), will be paid by taxpayers and participating automakers who will match the state’s contributions dollar-for-dollar. The timing is revealing. The rebate arrives just as the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found that two-thirds of Californians now oppose Gov. ...
Californians have a rare chance to rein in CEQA and support housing
Curious who‘s to blame for California’s housing crisis? Just look at who wants to kill the cure. A measure to reform the chief impediment to building homes in the state just qualified for the November ballot, and the same week, labor unions and environmental groups dumped millions into the effort ...