A Free-Market Energy Blog

Julian Simon’s Breakthrough: 1977, 1981, 1996

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 22, 2015

Julian Simon’s The Economics of Population Growth (1977) was hailed as a “path-breaking work” that offered “a new paradigm in the Kuhnian sense” (Joseph Spengler, quoted in Simon, 2002: 256).

The overused term “paradigm” must be applied with caution, however, because few new ideas really create paradigms, and paradigms can be wrong. Also, contra Kuhn, there are examples of science cumulatively approaching the truth short of revolution (Weinberg). Still, Simon put together the parts of an alternative worldview that continues to penetrate its way into the scientific orthodoxy, particularly in economics (Bradley, 2000: 19–20).

Simon’s extraordinary science (in Kuhnian terms) reached two major conclusions:

(1) a growing population can improve virtually all environmental welfare indicators; and

(2) scarcity measures of mineral (“depletable”) resources are not qualitatively different from that of other economic goods.…

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Smart Coal: Putting People Ahead of Climate Hysteria (Japan vs. Obama)

By Donn Dears -- September 21, 2015

“Japan is now the world’s largest supporter of coal-fired power plants in developing countries, using its advanced Ultra-Supercritical design. This clashes with the stance of the Obama administration, which has opposed the financing of coal-fired power plants anywhere in the world.”

Between 2007 and 2012, Japan provided more than $20 billion in financial support to build new advanced coal-fired power generation capacity in developing countries. This country’s Ultra-Supercritical coal-fired plants can be found in such places as Chile, Vietnam and India.

Japan is currently replacing many of its old coal plants with new advanced-design units and plans to build more than 40 new such facilities.

In short, Japan is placing the interests of its people ahead of climate change hysteria. Compare this to Obama administration’s war on coal whereby regulations are issued to prevent the use of coal and building new coal plants, even new, highly efficient Ultra-supercritical plants.…

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Dear House: Say NO to Wind PTC (10th extension crucial for Obama’s energy/climate agenda)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 18, 2015

“The wind PTC is critical to President Obama’s recently finalized carbon regulation. One of the ‘building blocks’ used to determine state targets includes significant increased installation of renewable energy—especially wind…. Without taxpayer subsidies like the PTC, the President will be unable to achieve his arbitrary renewable energy target.”

It is time for Republicans and fiscally-minded Democrats to put up or shut up on the centerpiece of Obama energy policy: the Production Tax Credit (PTC). It is high time that cronyism be replaced by an energy policy that is taxpayer-neutral and government-neutral. Obama’s climate alarmism and world government plans can only benefit from a 10th extension of this grievous government subsidy to the Enrons and GEs of the world.

This week, the American Energy Alliance, Heritage Action for America, Club for Growth, and Americans for Prosperity sent a letter in stark opposition to the PTC to the House Ways and Means Committee.…

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“The Case Against a U.S. Carbon Tax” (working paper lays out the issues)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 17, 2015
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GOP Candidates: Time to Defuse Climate Alarmism

By James Rust -- September 16, 2015
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Free Market Energy: Comments before the Georgia Public Service Commission

By Jim Clarkson -- September 15, 2015
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AWED Energy & Environmental Newsletter: September 14, 2015

By -- September 14, 2015
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F. A. Hayek on Resource Conservation

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 10, 2015
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Enron’s Export-Import Bank (‘Smartest guys in the room’ at work)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- September 9, 2015
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Obama’s Climate Alarmism Tour (contradictory data + tuned-out public = failure)

By James Rust -- September 8, 2015
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