Environment
Blog
What’s in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,” and “free range.” It is easy to get caught up in the virtuous marketing of ...
Pam Lewison
August 22, 2022
Blog
California Push to Expand Wind Power Swaps One Set of Problems for Another
Is there anything that can stop or even slow the runaway train of green energy in California? Maybe there’s a break coming in the fairly near future and it probably won’t be the one most people are expecting. The California Energy Commission last week “adopted a report establishing offshore wind ...
Kerry Jackson
August 17, 2022
Blog
Ag Already Doing Its Part to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The United States Senate recently passed an energy spending bill that would, in part, funnel billions toward agriculture to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from livestock and soil tillage. The goal of this legislation is to bring the U.S. in line with its promised GHG emissions reduction target of 50 ...
Pam Lewison
August 15, 2022
Blog
Enviros Try to Stop Proper Forest Management in Decarbonization Push
Just a few weeks ago, there was a grim possibility that California could lose some of its prized giant sequoias to the Washburn fire. But a miracle happened. They were saved. Well, not a miracle. It was a conventional method of wildfire management that kept the trees alive. “A forest-thinning ...
Kerry Jackson
August 11, 2022
Blog
Despite Promises, New Round of EV Tax Credits Will Likely Only Benefit Upper-Income Drivers
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden As they furiously work to jam the Inflation Reduction Act through Congress, congressional Democrats are acting like the family of mice living in fear of a cat. They continually propose grand solutions that, just like the mice’s chances of putting a bell on the ...
Pacific Research Institute
August 10, 2022
Commentary
Dubious findings about food from the ‘Nutrition Researchers Guild’: How can we learn from this unscientific manipulation of statistics?
By Henry Miller and Stanley Young Are you confused about conflicting “research” findings on certain foods’ effects on our health? It would hardly be surprising. First, butter is the enemy; then, it’s solid margarine. Is caffeine good or bad for your heart? For a time, beta-carotene supplements are thought to prevent ...
Pacific Research Institute
August 9, 2022
Blog
California Continues to Push Renewables Despite Energy Storage Problem
Gov. Gavin Newsom deserves credit for recognizing that California’s irrational leap toward a fully renewable electricity grid by 2045 was moving far too fast. At the same time, he deserves criticism for continuing to aggressively push the transition. Newsom has recently backed delays in retiring four natural gas plants as ...
Kerry Jackson
August 4, 2022
Blog
Wildfire needs holistic approaches to be extinguished before it begins
A fire in Paso Robles was recently stopped after just an acre burned. The quick stop was credited to the use of sheep and goats for “fuel abatement.” After catastrophic wildfires have burned valuable land across the west in recent years, the deployment of grazing livestock to minimize fuel loads ...
Pam Lewison
August 2, 2022
Commentary
Bad Piled on Bad
By Henry Miller & Andrew Fillat Less than a month after the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA, the White House is reportedly contemplating declaration of a “national climate emergency.” On July 20, at a former coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts, President Biden said, “Climate change is an emergency. And in the coming ...
Pacific Research Institute
July 27, 2022
Climate Change
When it Comes to Food Safety, ‘Organic’ Can Be a Risky Business
By Henry Miller and Kathleen Hefferon Many consumers are committed to organic products for reasons that are more emotional than logical. They frequently define their purchasing choices in terms of what they consider to be “wholesome and natural,” which often translates to the absence of “synthetic” inputs such as fertilizer ...
Pacific Research Institute
July 18, 2022
What’s in a name? Chicken labeling can be confusing for consumers
My husband and I recently got into a discussion about the differences in the labeling of chicken. He saw a post on social media outlining the supposed differences between “pasture raised,” “cage raised,” “cage free,” and “free range.” It is easy to get caught up in the virtuous marketing of ...
California Push to Expand Wind Power Swaps One Set of Problems for Another
Is there anything that can stop or even slow the runaway train of green energy in California? Maybe there’s a break coming in the fairly near future and it probably won’t be the one most people are expecting. The California Energy Commission last week “adopted a report establishing offshore wind ...
Ag Already Doing Its Part to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The United States Senate recently passed an energy spending bill that would, in part, funnel billions toward agriculture to address greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from livestock and soil tillage. The goal of this legislation is to bring the U.S. in line with its promised GHG emissions reduction target of 50 ...
Enviros Try to Stop Proper Forest Management in Decarbonization Push
Just a few weeks ago, there was a grim possibility that California could lose some of its prized giant sequoias to the Washburn fire. But a miracle happened. They were saved. Well, not a miracle. It was a conventional method of wildfire management that kept the trees alive. “A forest-thinning ...
Despite Promises, New Round of EV Tax Credits Will Likely Only Benefit Upper-Income Drivers
By Tim Anaya and Wayne Winegarden As they furiously work to jam the Inflation Reduction Act through Congress, congressional Democrats are acting like the family of mice living in fear of a cat. They continually propose grand solutions that, just like the mice’s chances of putting a bell on the ...
Dubious findings about food from the ‘Nutrition Researchers Guild’: How can we learn from this unscientific manipulation of statistics?
By Henry Miller and Stanley Young Are you confused about conflicting “research” findings on certain foods’ effects on our health? It would hardly be surprising. First, butter is the enemy; then, it’s solid margarine. Is caffeine good or bad for your heart? For a time, beta-carotene supplements are thought to prevent ...
California Continues to Push Renewables Despite Energy Storage Problem
Gov. Gavin Newsom deserves credit for recognizing that California’s irrational leap toward a fully renewable electricity grid by 2045 was moving far too fast. At the same time, he deserves criticism for continuing to aggressively push the transition. Newsom has recently backed delays in retiring four natural gas plants as ...
Wildfire needs holistic approaches to be extinguished before it begins
A fire in Paso Robles was recently stopped after just an acre burned. The quick stop was credited to the use of sheep and goats for “fuel abatement.” After catastrophic wildfires have burned valuable land across the west in recent years, the deployment of grazing livestock to minimize fuel loads ...
Bad Piled on Bad
By Henry Miller & Andrew Fillat Less than a month after the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA, the White House is reportedly contemplating declaration of a “national climate emergency.” On July 20, at a former coal-fired power plant in Massachusetts, President Biden said, “Climate change is an emergency. And in the coming ...
When it Comes to Food Safety, ‘Organic’ Can Be a Risky Business
By Henry Miller and Kathleen Hefferon Many consumers are committed to organic products for reasons that are more emotional than logical. They frequently define their purchasing choices in terms of what they consider to be “wholesome and natural,” which often translates to the absence of “synthetic” inputs such as fertilizer ...