Ending ‘Sue-and -Settle’ Extortion

Last week, federal Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive aimed at reducing “sue-and-settle” lawsuits. For those who like voters to have input in the creation of environmental regulation, this is a great move. For decades, environmental advocacy groups have exerted outsized influence—and profited financially—from “friendly” lawsuits against the EPA. These lawsuits have

Ending ‘Sue-and -Settle’ Extortion Learn More »

Time to End Ethanol Mandate and Subsidies

Seven years ago Indur Goklany, an economist formerly with the U.S. Department of the Interior and associated with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change since its inception in 1988 as an author, expert reviewer, and U.S. delegate to the organization, concluded a thorough analysis of the effect of American biofuels policy on the world’s poor with these words:

Time to End Ethanol Mandate and Subsidies Learn More »

You’ve Been Fooled! Elixir of Life Is No Scary Toxin!

Since coming to live in Delhi and attending various government functions related to environment and climate, I’ve been struck by the government’s repeated emphasis that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. For a well-informed mind, this shouldn’t be a surprise. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that enables all life forms to flourish on earth.

You’ve Been Fooled! Elixir of Life Is No Scary Toxin! Learn More »

Two Cheers for Trump Infrastructure Permitting Order

One of the biggest barriers to investment in infrastructure all across the United States is the long, costly, and unpredictable permitting process. If you have any doubts, just consider the Keystone XL pipeline extension. Proposed by TransCanada in 2008, approved by the Canadian government and the state of South Dakota in 2010, it floundered around

Two Cheers for Trump Infrastructure Permitting Order Learn More »

Climate Science Is Changing from Alarmism to Realism

Climate science is about to make a tectonic shift. Here is why. Lately, political groups have heavily influenced climate science. Carbon dioxide emissions from anthropogenic sources such as coal plants and industries have been accused of causing a dangerous increase in global temperature. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)—alarmists’ preferred source for the scientific understanding

Climate Science Is Changing from Alarmism to Realism Learn More »

The future of nature may not be all that bad

INHERITORS OF THE EARTH: HOW NATURE IS THRIVING IN AN AGE OF EXTINCTION, by Chris D. Thomas (PublicAffairs, $28, 320 pages), reviewed by Anthony J. Sadar. The future isn’t all bleak for the natural world. Just ask ecologist Chris D. Thomas, professor of conservation biology at the University of York, U.K. Mr. Thomas‘ new book, “Inheritors of

The future of nature may not be all that bad Learn More »