Environment
Blog
Spending Watch: More Debt Is More Taxes
As a recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll confirms, this approach is out of step with “most Californians (56%) [who] would prefer to pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services”. With respect to solving the current budget crisis, the poll found that “fewer ...
Commentary
Read the latest on energy reliability
Energy Transition Or Not, Permitting Reform Is Essential
A reliable energy infrastructure that embraces innovation is essential. Without it, U.S. consumers may lose the capacity to cool our homes when needed, run our appliances on demand, and even earn a living. Ensuring continued energy reliability requires reforms that lessen the burdens associated with federal energy, environmental, and permitting ...
Commentary
Electric vehicle mandate isn’t proving to be practical
When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his electric vehicle mandate, the deadline was almost 15 years away. It’s now a little more than 11 years down the road. Is there enough time to hit the target? Let’s look at the facts. Newsom’s executive order, which requires “all new cars and passenger ...
Blog
Read latest on state budget debate and climate funding
Would the Sky Fall if Newsom’s Environmental Budget Cuts Are Enacted? Reality Says No.
CalMatters reports that “an array of key climate programs – including efforts to combat rising seas and help low-income Californians buy electric cars – face significant cuts and delays as California seeks to close a $56 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years.” Newsom’s latest proposal is “a 17% ...
Agriculture
Sonoma County Measure Would Put Animal Lives at Risk
There are nearly three times as many laying hens in Sonoma County as there are people. In a testament to the care area poultry farmers give to their livestock, many of the farms are multi-generational members of the county community. Yet, a ballot measure largely funded by animal activist group ...
Climate Change
Fossil Fuel Lawsuits Are A Tax On Consumers
Announcing the state’s lawsuit against energy producers, California AG Rob Bonta claimed it is time to make energy companies pay for “the harm they have caused.” It is one of more than thirty such lawsuits around the country. As I have argued here, here, and here, these lawsuits are not heroic efforts to safeguard the ...
Blog
See how California's policy agenda is affecting other states
The Commerce Clause Vs. The California Progressive Agenda
Isn’t it written somewhere that one state can’t enact policies that interfere with commerce between other states? Maybe in the Constitution? Maybe in Article I, Section 8, Clause 3? This passage, known as the Commerce Clause, says that Congress shall have the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and ...
Blog
California Soaked In EVs
As status symbols go, an electric vehicle is a cheap and easy statement for the well-off in California. There are about 28 EV registrations for every 1,000 residents, says Inside EVs, almost twice as many as the next state, Hawaii, where there are almost 16 per 1,000. But maybe the ...
Blog
Read latest on push for electric car subsidies
Embracing Green Mandates and Giveaways Isn’t Path to Conservative Success
A recent Politico article carried a provocative headline – “How California Republicans learned to buck Trump and love electric vehicles.” The article describes recent moves by legislative Republicans to support more government electric vehicle tax credits and funding for expanding and improving the state’s network of vehicle charging stations. The ...
Agriculture
Prop 12: Implementation aftereffects are just now becoming apparent
Under Proposition 12, veal calves must be provided 43 square feet of floor space, laying hens must be afforded 1 to 1.5 square feet of cage-free space either indoors or outdoors, and breeding pigs (sows) must be provided at least 24 square feet of space in a pen without touching ...
Spending Watch: More Debt Is More Taxes
As a recent Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) poll confirms, this approach is out of step with “most Californians (56%) [who] would prefer to pay lower taxes and have a state government that provides fewer services”. With respect to solving the current budget crisis, the poll found that “fewer ...
Read the latest on energy reliability
Energy Transition Or Not, Permitting Reform Is Essential
A reliable energy infrastructure that embraces innovation is essential. Without it, U.S. consumers may lose the capacity to cool our homes when needed, run our appliances on demand, and even earn a living. Ensuring continued energy reliability requires reforms that lessen the burdens associated with federal energy, environmental, and permitting ...
Electric vehicle mandate isn’t proving to be practical
When Gov. Gavin Newsom issued his electric vehicle mandate, the deadline was almost 15 years away. It’s now a little more than 11 years down the road. Is there enough time to hit the target? Let’s look at the facts. Newsom’s executive order, which requires “all new cars and passenger ...
Read latest on state budget debate and climate funding
Would the Sky Fall if Newsom’s Environmental Budget Cuts Are Enacted? Reality Says No.
CalMatters reports that “an array of key climate programs – including efforts to combat rising seas and help low-income Californians buy electric cars – face significant cuts and delays as California seeks to close a $56 billion deficit over the next two fiscal years.” Newsom’s latest proposal is “a 17% ...
Sonoma County Measure Would Put Animal Lives at Risk
There are nearly three times as many laying hens in Sonoma County as there are people. In a testament to the care area poultry farmers give to their livestock, many of the farms are multi-generational members of the county community. Yet, a ballot measure largely funded by animal activist group ...
Fossil Fuel Lawsuits Are A Tax On Consumers
Announcing the state’s lawsuit against energy producers, California AG Rob Bonta claimed it is time to make energy companies pay for “the harm they have caused.” It is one of more than thirty such lawsuits around the country. As I have argued here, here, and here, these lawsuits are not heroic efforts to safeguard the ...
See how California's policy agenda is affecting other states
The Commerce Clause Vs. The California Progressive Agenda
Isn’t it written somewhere that one state can’t enact policies that interfere with commerce between other states? Maybe in the Constitution? Maybe in Article I, Section 8, Clause 3? This passage, known as the Commerce Clause, says that Congress shall have the power “to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and ...
California Soaked In EVs
As status symbols go, an electric vehicle is a cheap and easy statement for the well-off in California. There are about 28 EV registrations for every 1,000 residents, says Inside EVs, almost twice as many as the next state, Hawaii, where there are almost 16 per 1,000. But maybe the ...
Read latest on push for electric car subsidies
Embracing Green Mandates and Giveaways Isn’t Path to Conservative Success
A recent Politico article carried a provocative headline – “How California Republicans learned to buck Trump and love electric vehicles.” The article describes recent moves by legislative Republicans to support more government electric vehicle tax credits and funding for expanding and improving the state’s network of vehicle charging stations. The ...
Prop 12: Implementation aftereffects are just now becoming apparent
Under Proposition 12, veal calves must be provided 43 square feet of floor space, laying hens must be afforded 1 to 1.5 square feet of cage-free space either indoors or outdoors, and breeding pigs (sows) must be provided at least 24 square feet of space in a pen without touching ...
