Although plastic bag bans do help the environment, they also create unintended consequences that might make them less desirable.…
Sweden’s Carbon Tax
Looking at Sweden’s steadily rising carbon tax, we can ask what it is, what it does, and why the people accept so high a rate.…
Law and Odor at a North Carolina Hog Farm
You have a regulatory dispute when North Carolina’s hog farmers want to use their less costly manure lagoons while neighbors, objecting to the smells, want legal limits.…
Debating Kenya’s Plastic Bag Ban
To hear a single-use plastic bag regulation debate, you could go to Kenya or NYC while Rwandans might be discussing their plastic bag black market.…
New York’s Bag Fee Fight
The arguments for and against plastic bag fees have created a heated debate about the environment, jobs, shopping and revenue.…
The Seven Ways We Pay For Free Parking
Including congestion, wasted gas, time and emissions, cheap parking creates negative externalities that variable pricing of parking spaces can eliminate.…
Could You Like a Carbon Tax?
Our Wednesday environment focus Here is my “To Do” list for reducing carbon emissions: Buy a Prius. Install solar panels. Take the train to NYC. Lower my thermostat to 60 degrees during th…
Utilities Included
In NYC, there are 250,000 housing units that use more electricity than most others. The reason? Buildings without meters for each apartment have leases that say “utilities included”. So, w…
More Taxing Decisions
Would you support a penny an ounce tax on sugar sweetened beverages? According to the NY Times and The New England Journal of Medicine, the idea is becoming increasingly attractive to many munici…