President Bush has just proposed a “healthy forests initiative” aimed at reducing the fire hazard on national forest lands. This calls for thinning 2.5 million acres of national forests a year for the next ten years. The total cost could exceed $100 billion. Mr. Bush proposes to expedite this process by exempting it from environmental […]

I’ve always appreciated wind power. While growing up, both Ramona and I had windmills on our home places; Ramona’s pumped water and generated electricity. And we recently installed a small wind-powered pump on our ranch. Now I see an important educational opportunity. It compellingly demonstrates the importance and ubiquity of trade-offs. No honest, responsible Green […]

There’s general consensus in the scientific community that global average temperatures are rising. It’s also generally agreed that increased carbon dioxide is a major factor. However, there’s still a great deal of uncertainty about the amount of warming and its expected ecological and economic effects. Because of CO2’s prominent role in warming (i.e., it remains […]

Montana’s state seal proclaims “oro y plata,” gold and silver. This reflects our past. The Treasure State historically exported these commodities. Sadly, in the new economy our most valuable exports are well-educated people with strong character and high IQs. While it made sense to export precious metals and minerals, wood and wool, it’s definitely a […]