A Free-Market Energy Blog

1Q-2010 MasterResource Activity Report: Continued Progress

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 10, 2010

MasterResource’s growth and influence continues. First quarter visits of 115,000 were the highest in our five quarters of existence, and our total visits will exceed a half-million this quarter.

MasterResource is a top 25 “green blog” according to Technorati. We are currently #21 out of 2,172 qualifying blogs as of 4/10/2010, and we have reached as high as #14.

Our one-per-day posts are now regularly picked up by other blogs such as Tom Nelson and Junk Science, but also from time-to-time by the megablogs WattsUpWithThat? and Climate Depot.

MasterResource, the free market energy blog, is now a very top energy blog. Our scholarly and well categorized posts will remain relevant for many years to come. Each of us writes for the day but also for the record.

New Principal: Kent Hawkins

MasterResource is ‘owned’ by its principals, not any individual or organization.…

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Atomic Dreams (Nuclear power not ready for prime U.S. time)

By Jerry Taylor -- April 9, 2010

Last week I was on John Stossel’s (most excellent) new show on Fox Business News to discuss energy policy — in particular, popular myths that Republicans have about energy markets.  One of the topics I touched upon was nuclear power.

 My argument was the same that I have offered in print: Nuclear power is a swell technology but, given the high construction costs associated with building nuclear reactors, it’s a technology that cannot compete in free markets without a massive amount of government support.  If one believes in free markets, then one should look askance at such policies. 

As expected, the atomic cult has taken offense. 

Regulation to Blame?

Now, it is reasonable to argue that excessive regulatory oversight has driven up the cost of nuclear power and that a “better” regulatory regime would reduce costs. …

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U.S. EPA’s Adventures In Arithmetic: A Look at the CO2 Car Standards

By Donald Hertzmark -- April 8, 2010

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed to effect a reduction in CO2 releases in the U.S. by raising the required fuel economy standards for new cars in 2014 and again in 2016.  The current standard, now at 30.2 mpg for passenger cars (everything here is about passenger cars, the analysis of light trucks will have to wait) will rise to 35.5 mpg in 2016.

EPA claims that they used a carbon price of $21/tonne to establish the appropriate increase in fuel economy.  The EPA also claims that these standards will reduce CO2 releases from the vehicle sector by 21%.  Well, at least they are not using the number 19.  This proposal will have a minute effect on CO2 levels and is unlikely to come in at the very low or “negative” cost per tonne of CO2 claimed by its proponents.…

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Case Study on Methods of Industrial-scale Wind Power Analysis (Part II)

By Kent Hawkins -- April 7, 2010
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Case Study on Methods of Industrial-scale Wind Power Analysis (Part I)

By Kent Hawkins -- April 6, 2010
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Regulating CO2 Emissions for Local Air Quality: Another EPA Bad Idea

By Chip Knappenberger -- April 5, 2010
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Energy Density is Key

By Richard W. Fulmer -- April 3, 2010
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Obama’s Offshore Drilling Misdirection (Say What, Daniel Yergin?)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 2, 2010
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Loren Steffy (Houston Chronicle) to Pew Environmental Group: “So What?” About China’s Renewable Energy Policy

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 1, 2010
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Integrating Renewables: Have Policy Makers Faced the Realities?

By Kent Hawkins -- March 31, 2010
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