Environment 
Recent Research and Commentary
Will SuperFreakonmics Effect Our Approach to Climate Change?
October 31, 2009, 12:12pmPolicy Stinker of the Day: Arizona Mulls Hiking Vehicle Fees to Fund State Parks
October 23, 2009, 1:28pmAs an Arizona taxpayer, an outdoor recreationist, and transportation wonk, I'm frankly offended by the latest bad idea to craftily pick our pockets in the midst of the state's cascading budget deficits.
A Nobel Prize for Showing That Freedom Works
Why Elinor Ostrom won
October 22, 2009Ostrom's work concentrates on common-pool resources (CPR) like pastures and fisheries. Policymakers assume that such situations are plagued by free-rider problems, where all individuals have a strong incentive to use the resource to the fullest and no incentive to invest in order to enhance it. Analysts across the political spectrum theorize that only bureaucrats or owners of privatized units can efficiently manage such resources.
Few scholars actually venture into the field to see what people actually do when faced with free-rider problems. Ostrom did. It turns out that free people are not as helpless as the theorists believed.
Dishonest Attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
October 19, 2009, 1:05pmNo one can fault Apple for supporting legislation that would hurt its opponents more than its costs would go up. In fact it is good business. But passing the bills would be bad politics.
23 Firms Eyeing Indianapolis Superutility
October 6, 2009, 3:12pmIn big water privatization news, Indianapolis has received expressions of interest from nearly two dozen firms seeking to restructure the city's water and sewer systems into a massive, combined utility with a value that may top $3.5 billion.
The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal
No Impact Man fails to make an impression
October 6, 2009Directed by Laura Gabbert and Justin Schein, No Impact Man is a well-made film with good pacing, photography, and sound design. While the film accomplishes the broad goal of making the audience think twice about daily consumption habits, it falls short in at least one important way. The film starts with Beavan asking, "At the end, we will come out of it and see what were we willing to give up. What was too hard? What wasn't too hard?" Unfortunately, Beavan doesn't adequately address the questions he set out to answer. Nor does he acknowledge the many benefits of living in a capitalist, consumer-driven economy.
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- Are Hydrogen Cars Good for America?
Policy Study 363
William J. Korchinski
November 1, 2007 - The Bald Eagle's Worst Enemy: How Federal Law Pits Landowners Against Eagles
Policy Brief 64
Brian Seasholes
June 1, 2007 - The Bald Eagle, DDT, and the Endangered Species Act: Examining the Bald Eagle's Recovery in the Contiguous 48 States
Policy Brief 63
Brian Seasholes
June 1, 2007 - Detailing Foreign Management of US Infrastructure
Leonard Gilroy and Adam Summers
March 1, 2006 - Funding the National Park System
Improving Services and Accountability with User Fees
Adam Summers
April 1, 2005 - Digging Our Way Out of the ANWR Morass
A Performance-Based Approach to Protecting Habitat and Managing Resources
Michael De Alessi
March 1, 2005 - Conservation Through Private Initiative
Harnessing American Ingenuity to Preserve Our Nation's Resources
Michael De Alessi
January 1, 2005 - Catching the Aquaculture Wave
Michael De Alessi
December 1, 2004 - Western Water Wars
Efforts to Take Over San Francisco's Hetch Hetchy Systems
Brian Browne
August 1, 2004 - Overcoming Three Hurdles to IFQs in US Fisheries
Michael De Alessi, Donald R. Leal and Pete Emerson
April 1, 2004 - Alternate Framework for the US Commission on Ocean Policy
Michael De Alessi
April 1, 2004 - Frequently Asked Questions About Water / Wastewater Privatization
Geoffrey Segal and Adrian Moore
September 1, 2003 - Saving Endangered Species Privately
A Case Study of Earth Sanctuaries, Ltd.
Michael De Alessi
August 1, 2003 - Removing Muck with Markets
A Case Study on Pollutant Trading for Cleaner Water
Michael De Alessi
August 1, 2003 - Revisiting the Public Interest in Private Water
Don S. Evans
May 1, 2003 - Clearing the Air in California
Adrian Moore and Joel Schwartz
March 1, 2003 - "Pay-as-you-throw" Waste Management
Answers to frequently asked questions
Lisa Skumatz
July 1, 2002 - Variable-Rate or Pay-as-you-throw Waste Management
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Lisa Skumatz
July 1, 2002 - Long-term Contracting for Water and Wastewater Services
Robin A. Johnson, John McCormally and Adrian Moore
May 1, 2002 - Low-level Chemical Exposure Unlikely to Disrupt Endocrine System
Joel Schwartz
April 1, 2002 - Q&A About Forests and Global Climate Change
Kenneth Green
September 1, 2001 - Opening the Floodgates
Why Water Privatization Will Continue
Robin A. Johnson and Adrian Moore
August 1, 2001 - Reducing Global Warming Through Forestry and Agriculture
Steven Schroeder and Kenneth Green
July 1, 2001 - Protecting the Children
Risk Assessment, Risk Management, and Children's Environmental Health
Gail Charnley
June 1, 2001 - Managing for Results at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
A Report to the 43rd President and 107th Congress
Carl DeMaio
February 1, 2001 - Preparing for the Storm
Preserving Water Resources with Stormwater Utilities
Barrett P. Walker
January 1, 2001 - Clearing the Air in Houston
Innovative Strategies for Ozone Control and Air Quality
Kenneth Green and Lisa Skumatz
November 1, 2000 - E-brief 105
Mopping up After a Leak: Setting the Record Straight on the "New" Findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Kenneth Green
October 1, 2000 - Mopping up After a Leak
Setting the Record Straight on the "New" Findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Kenneth Green
October 1, 2000 - A Plain English Guide to Climate Change
Kenneth Green
August 1, 2000 - Phthalates and Human Health
Demystifying the Risks of Plastic-Softening Chemicals
Kenneth Green
July 1, 2000 - No Intelligible Principles
The EPA's Record in Federal Court
Jonathan H. Adler
May 1, 2000 - Privatizing Landfills
Market Solutions for Solid-waste Disposal
Geoffrey Segal and Adrian Moore
May 1, 2000 - Environmental Flexibility in Action
A Minnesota Case Study
Christopher A. Hartwell and David W. Riggs
January 1, 2000 - Rivers Among Us
Local Watershed Preservation and Resource
Michael Harrington and Christopher A. Hartwell
October 1, 1999 - Seeking Safety in a Dangerous World
Environmental Risk Reduction Framework for Policymakers
Kenneth Green
August 1, 1999 - Simplify, Simplify
Alternative Environmental Permitting at the State Level
Christopher A. Hartwell
February 1, 1999 - Climate Change Policy Options and Impacts
Kenneth Green
February 1, 1999 - Environmental Information
The Toxics Release Inventory, Stakeholder Participation, and the Right to Know - Part I
Alexander Volokh, Kenneth Green and Lynn Scarlett
December 1, 1998 - 13 Questions Asked About the Science of Climate Change
Kenneth Green
October 1, 1998 - Evaluating the Kyoto Approach to Climate Change
Kenneth Green
February 1, 1998 - Race to the Top
The Innovative Face of State Environmental Management
Alexander Volokh, Lynn Scarlett and Scott Bush
February 1, 1998 - Plain English Guide to Climate Change
Kenneth Green
December 1, 1997 - Rethinking EPA's Proposed Ozone and Particulate Standards
Kenneth Green
June 1, 1997 - Estimating Fatalities Induced by Economic Impacts of EPA's Ozone and Particulate Standards
Ralph Keeney and Kenneth Green
June 1, 1997 - Costs, Economic Impacts, and Benefits of EPA's Ozone and Particulate Standards
Anne E. Smith
June 1, 1997 - Packaging, Recycling, and Solid Waste
Lynn Scarlett
June 1, 1997 - Checking up on smog-check
A Critique of Traditional Inspection and Maintenance Programs
Kenneth Green
February 1, 1997 - Buying Green
Consumers, Product Labels and the Environment
Julian Morris and Lynn Scarlett
November 1, 1996 - Nationwide Diversion Rate Study
Quantitative Effects of Program Choices on Recycling and Green Waste Diversion
Lisa Skumatz
October 1, 1996 - Solid Waste Management
A Guide for Competitive Contracting for Collection
Lynn Scarlett and Joe Sloan
September 1, 1996 - Punitive Damages and Environmental Law
Rethinking the Issues
Alexander Volokh
September 1, 1996 - Environmental Enforcement
In Search of Both Effectiveness and Fairness
Alexander Volokh and Roger J. Marzulla
August 1, 1996 - The Environmental Impact of Soil Contamination
Bioavailability, Risk Assessment and Policy Implications
Raymond C. Loehr
August 1, 1996 - Key Issues in Environmental Risk Comparisons
Removing Distortions and Insuring Fairness
George M. Gray
May 1, 1996 - How Government Building Codes and Construction Standards Discourage Recycling
Alexander Volokh
March 1, 1996 - Restructuring America's Water Industry
Comparing Investor Owned and Government Water Systems
Kathy Neal, Patrick J. Maloney, Jonas A. Marson and Tamer E. Francis
January 1, 1996 - Defending Automobility
A Critical Examination of the Environmental and Social Costs of Auto Use
Kenneth Green
December 1, 1995 - The FDA vs. Recycling
Has Food Packaging Law Gone Too Far?
Alexander Volokh
October 1, 1995 - Recycling Hazardous Waste
How RCRA has Recyclers Running Around in CERCLAS
Alexander Volokh
October 1, 1995 - Cleaning Up Superfund
The Case for State Environmental Leadership
J. Winston Porter
September 1, 1995 - Solid Waste Recycling Costs
Issues and Answers
Lynn Scarlett
August 1, 1995 - Redesigning CERCLA Liability
An Analysis of the Issues
Kathleen Segerson
April 1, 1995 - Looking Beyond ECO
Alternatives to Employer Based Trip Reductions
Kenneth Green
March 1, 1995 - Garbage by the Pound
On the Streets
Lisa Skumatz
February 1, 1995 - Solid-Waste Management
A Guide to Competitive Contracting For Collection
Lynn Scarlett and Joe Sloan
October 1, 1994 - Municipal Wastewater Treatment
Privatization and Compliance
Holly June Stiefel
February 1, 1994 - Nuts and Bolts
The Implications of Choosing Greenhouse-Gas Emission Reduction Strategies
Steven J. Moss and Richard McCann
November 1, 1993 - Global Warming
The Greenhouse, White House, and Poorhouse Effects
Steven J. Moss and Richard McCann
September 1, 1993 - Water Marketing in California
Past Experience, Future Prospects
Richard W. Wahl
July 1, 1993 - Contracting Water and Wastewater Utility Operations
Roger Hartman
June 1, 1993 - Variable Rates for Municipal Solid Waste
Implementation, Experience, Economics, and Legislation
Lisa Skumatz
June 1, 1993 - Mandates or Incentives?
Comparing Packaging Regulations with User Fees for Trash Collection
Lynn Scarlett
May 1, 1993 - Too Little Too Late? Host Community Benefits and Siting Solid Waste Facilities
Rodney Fort and Lynn Scarlett
April 1, 1993 - Water Utility Regulation
Rates and Cost Recovery
Patrick C. Mann
March 1, 1993 - Privatizing Infrastructure
Options for Municipal Water Supply Systems
David Haarmeyer
October 1, 1992 - Commuting, Congestion, and Pollution
The Employer Paid Parking Connection
Donald C. Shoup and Richard W. Willson
September 1, 1992 - Do We Need a Federal Garbage Man?
Kenneth Chilton
March 1, 1992 - Integrated Waste Management
Rethinking Solid Waste Problems and Policy Options
Lynn Scarlett
May 1, 1991 - Managing America's Garbage
Alternatives and Solutions (Working Paper)
Lynn Scarlett
September 1, 1989 - Market Pricing for Air Pollution
An Alternative to the AQMP
Jo Ann Kwong
March 1, 1989
Out of Control Policy Blog - Environment
- Will SuperFreakonmics Effect Our Approach to Climate Change? (10/31)
- Policy Stinker of the Day: Arizona Mulls Hiking Vehicle Fees to Fund State Parks (10/23)
- Dishonest Attacks on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (10/19)
- 23 Firms Eyeing Indianapolis Superutility (10/6)
- Novato, CA Sanitary Board Privatizes Wastewater Treatment Plant (9/30)
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