On August 4, the National Wildlife Federation released a study of oil spills, pipeline accidents, natural gas explosions and related problems.
In an August 1 article, Peterson Institute economist Trevor Houser argued that higher oil prices will fix most of our energy problems by encouraging conservation and alternative energy sources.
Also on August 1, Policy Review magazine published an article detailing the high and hidden costs of nuclear power.
On July 27, the Joint Economic Committee of Congress held a hearing on promoting clean energy.
Also on July 27, economists Richard Schmalensee and Robert Stavins published a commentary criticizing Republicans for killing cap-and-trade legislation for reducing greenhouses gases in the atmosphere. By rejecting this market-oriented approach for purely partisan reasons, the alternative will likely be less efficient and more burdensome command-and-control regulations.
A July 25 report from the National Conference of State Legislatures examined the supply and demand for electricity among the states over the next 20 years.
In a July 20 commentary, Tufts University economist Gilbert Metcalf criticized the idea of providing subsidies for clean energy. They suffer from four problems, he says. They lower the cost of energy, they play favorites with technologies, they tend to reward actions people would have taken without the subsidies, and they often interact badly with other policies. Metcalf thinks it makes more sense to raise the cost of carbon-based energy through a tax or cap-and-trade system.
A July 1 study by the Union of Concerned Scientists is highly critical of proposed new subsidies for the nuclear power industry.
Note: I previous posted items on this topic on July 20 and June 21.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Read his most recent column here. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
