Grist Confirms IER Warnings on Carbon Tax Swap Deal
The Institute for Energy Research (IER) recently released my study on the dangers of a carbon “tax swap” deal. This is the idea, championed even by many conservatives, that a new carbon tax might be...
View ArticleDavid Frum Ignores Economics in Support of Carbon Tax
David Frum, one-time speechwriter for George W. Bush who has now been embraced by progressives for his willingness to throw former comrades under the bus, recently came out with a CNN article arguing...
View ArticleWhy Some Critics Won’t Accept U.S. Energy Independence
For decades, the proponents of so-called green or alternative energy sources have bemoaned the United States’ alleged “dependence on foreign oil” as a chief rallying cry to fire up the average citizen....
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Post-Mortem: The Fiscal Cliff Deal
For those interested in free markets in general and free-market energy policy in particular, the recent deal to avoid the dreaded “fiscal cliff” is quite disheartening. For one thing, the so-called...
View ArticleHeritage Foundation Weighs Impact of Carbon Tax
In this forum, we have been discussing the serious problems with a carbon tax for years. For example, here is my study showing the weakness in the standard academic case for a carbon tax, and here is...
View ArticleNational Climate Assessment Draft Embraces Non-Solutions
Last Friday the government released the draft of the third National Climate Assessment public comment. As so often happens in these episodes, the report is full of scientific diagnoses of a problem,...
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Energy Affordability: Short- and Long- Term Trends
Energy is a crucial ingredient in every aspect of our lives, whether at home, school, or work. Fortunately, over the long-term, energy has become more affordable for Americans, measured in various...
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CFR Wants to Tax Oil Because Right Now It’s Too Expensive
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently released a study by Daniel Ahn and Michael Levi showing how a new tax on oil—which would ultimately raise pump prices by $1.20/gallon—might benefit...
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New NERA Study Shows Economic Dangers of a Carbon Tax
A new study by NERA Economic Consulting, prepared for the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), documents the economic dangers of a federal carbon tax. The study is very conservative in its...
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Boxer-Sanders Carbon “Fee” Relies on Huge Bait-and-Switch
A recent story in EnergyGuardian (sub. req’d) centered on Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s (D-R.I.) support for the carbon “fee” bill introduced by his colleagues Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Bernie...
View ArticleMURPHY: Brookings Study Misleads on Carbon Tax
An old joke says that if you laid all the world’s economists end to end, you wouldn’t reach a conclusion. We see that truth in the policy debates over a carbon tax. Just when NERA released its study...
View ArticleAdministration’s Half-Truths on Carbon Policy
In the latest Economic Report of the President, the Obama Administration devotes an entire chapter to its policies on climate change. As usual with such matters, the narrative begins with defensible...
View ArticleSenator Whitehouse’s Duplicitous Carbon Tax Amendment
Last weekend the Senate rejected an amendment to the FY 2014 budget that would have enacted a carbon tax. For those interested in affordable energy and job creation, this was a good thing. Still, it’s...
View ArticleThe IMF’s Outlandish Claims About Energy Subsidies
Last week the IMF released a report that called on governments around the world to stop subsidizing energy. Initially we were shocked—as proponents of letting the market determine the allocation of...
View ArticleWhite House Budget Taxes Producers, Subsidizes Inefficiency
The White House has released its FY 2014 Budget Proposal. It is a mix of massive tax hikes on the most productive segments of our economy, and a continuation of wasteful subsidies to sectors that fail...
View ArticleMURPHY: Ethanol Proponents Mislead on Gas Prices
In their recent op-ed on the ethanol mandate and gas prices, Tom Buis and Bob Dinneen greatly misled Politico’s readers with both contradictory claims and withholding crucial facts. Both the...
View ArticleEarth Day and Capitalism
On Monday millions of people around the world celebrated Earth Day. Although there are always exceptions, it’s safe to say that the vast majority of these people are in favor of more government...
View ArticleThe Domestic Energy Bonanza and the Economy
A recent commentary on the Washington Post’s “Wonkblog” illustrates the ability of professional economics to collide with common sense. The article seeks to pooh-pooh the idea that America’s oil and...
View ArticleMURPHY: Using the CBO Report to Critique a US Carbon Tax
The advocates of a US federal carbon tax are in an awkward position. They have stressed to the public that the majority of natural scientists believe human-caused carbon emissions are at least...
View ArticleMURPHY: Assessing the “Five Circles of Carbon Tax Hell”
The George C. Marshall Institute has released a new study from James DeLong outlining what it refers to as “the five circles of Carbon Tax Hell.” The study is very readable and concise (only 34 pages...
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