As Montana legislators begin another session, they’ll no doubt consider energy policy. Rather than trying to pick an energy winner, e.g., wind power, they should focus on a far simpler task: crafting policies that promote energy conservation. This will be easy—but only if consumers know the true cost of their energy use. Today’s energy regulations […]

We will soon celebrate the selection, election, inauguration, and for some the coronation, of America’s 44th president, Barack Obama. These events mark quite amazing progress in achieving ideals articulated in our Declaration of Independence, in several of Lincoln’s addresses, and by Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. America has suffered a political analogue to the doctrine […]

I have a hockey-playing buddy who is converting an old Honda Civic into an electric car. His goals are modest; he’d like it to be able to make the round trip from Bozeman to Bridger Bowl. I wish him well with this fun and constructive project, but I expect it will be some time before […]

The beginning of a new year is an excellent time to make a personally important announcement. It’s time for FREE to find a new president, and our board has begun the search. Fortunately, my good friend and colleague Pete Geddes will continue his excellent work as Executive Vice President. I’ll remain at FREE as Founding […]

I’m hopeful about this holiday season. Specifically, I hope we learn that the things economists measure best are not what matter most. Thoughtful people will understand that good friendships and the warmth that comes from helping the unfortunate are more satisfying than transitory fruits of wealth. This Christmas season is quite different from those of […]

Coal is a ubiquitous and relatively inexpensive resource. Montana holds one-third of all U.S. coal deposits, representing about 8 percent of the world’s total. The International Energy Agency reports that between 2000 and 2007, global coal use increased by 4.8 percent. That’s three times the growth of oil consumption and nearly twice the rate of […]

The Department of Energy estimates year-end domestic oil consumption will fall 5.4 percent. This is the steepest decline since 1980. Only a few months ago, seemingly relentless growth in China and India, combined with tight supplies, and a weak U.S. dollar, pushed oil to nearly $150 a barrel. Now concerns over a global recession have […]

Where I grew up in the Midwest, cars were keys. Owning one marked maturity and provided a passport to liberty. All of my friends had cars and I had some pickups, my first a 1931 Model A Ford for which I paid $35 drove 100 miles home. Presaging future problems, the first Volkswagen had just […]

Recently I spent several hours discussing environmental issues with an honors class at MSU. One of the points I emphasized was the importance of thinking beyond slogans. When seeking to craft effective environmental policies, good intentions are simply not enough. I left the class with a handout that included this quote from Mark Twain: “It […]

Controversy over the location and operation of gravel pits illustrates an exceedingly important, widely neglected, and oft misunderstood principle of economics: clear and enforceable property rights minimize conflict. Their absence or ambiguity fosters all manner of negative feelings and behavior, sometimes even violence. The Indian Wars of the 1800s, Israeli-Palestinian conflicts over settlements, and the […]