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From Terra Rossa (where conservatives consider a new energy future):
One of the most common concerns raised by opponents of cap & trade is it will cost a lot of Americans their jobs. Given folks’ anxiety about the state of our economy today those concerns, whether true or not, have an impact.
Continue reading "I'm more reasonable than the cap & trade fear-mongers" »
EPA Announces Results of the Sixteenth Annual Sulfur Dioxide Auction:
(3/27/08) On March 25, 2008, EPA held the acid rain auction giving private citizens, brokers and power plants the opportunity to buy and sell sulfur dioxide (SO2) allowances, as part of the cap and trade program to reduce acid rain. When fully implemented in 2010, the Acid Rain Program will have cut SO2 emissions by 50 percent from 1990 levels. ...
The auction includes two types of allowances: 125,000 offered for use in 2008 and 125,000 additional allowances offered seven years in advance to help provide stability in planning for capital investments. These advance allowances will be available for use in 2015. The number of allowances a source purchases will not permit them to emit SO2 at a level that would violate the health-based national ambient air quality standard. The weighted average of winning bids for 2008 is $389.91.
32 of the 125,000 bids in the spot market were purchased by various groups (e.g., Acid Rain Retirement Fund, Bates College Environmental Economics) for the purposes of taking a ton of SO2 off the market.
From the inbox:
We had an impressive win last night. We mercy ruled the team who at that point was 7-0. Final score was 58-34. I think they were a good team but some nights your shots just don't fall, just ask Jerry about that!!! With that win, we are now in the Final Four! Our next game is this sunday 3/30 at 7:30 pm. Be there!!!!!!!!
It's going to be hard to focus on basketball with all of the final 4 hoopla going on around me.
In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon. That figure will be even higher for less fuel-efficient vehicles that go fewer miles on a gallon to start with...
Engineers at Consumer Reports magazine tested this theory by driving a Toyota Camry sedan and a Mercury Mountaineer SUV at various set cruising speeds on a stretch of flat highway. Driving the Camry at 75 mph instead of 65 dropped fuel economy from 35 mpg to 30. For the Mountaineer, fuel economy dropped from 21 to 18.
Over the course of a 400-mile road trip, the Camry driver would spend about $6.19 more on gas at the higher speed and Mountaineer driver would spend an extra $10.32.
So my inner economist asks: Is it worth it to drive 10 mph slower to save $6.19-$10.32?
This would be so cool (Officials want to extend Boone Greenway to Todd):
The Watauga County Tourism Development Authority is exploring a regional trail-mapping project that’s designed to capitalize on the tourism value of scenery and outdoor recreation. ... “We’ve already identified a lot of the trails and this will take it to the next level,” TDA chairman Rob Holton said.
“We’re looking at resources like Elk Knob and other conservation easements and how to connect them, along with other areas like the Watauga River.” ... Regional trail networks were also augmented with waterway connections to show kayak, tubing, swimming and other resources that are often tied in with trails.
“Our concern is that we’re fast losing access that people traditionally had to a lot of these areas,” Holton said. “We also want to figure out how to get the town of Boone greenway to Brookshire Park and all the way down the New River to Todd.”
My willingness to pay is $47 per year. Now that I think it is going to happen and I feel entitled to it, my willingness to accept it not happening is three to four times greater than my willingness to pay. My preferences are so, so weird.
So, I asked her (A. Foreigner), how many points is a free throw worth? She says, what is a free throw? I tell her. She says, hmmmm 3 points? This is what we are up against.
-- B. Chicken, married to A. Foreigner.
A. Foreigner leads our NCAA pool. B. Chicken doesn't.
I'm sitting by the pool watching my kids bug the crap out of vacationers hoping for peace and quiet, while I wait to take a tour of some of the most beautiful land formations I've ever seen. Yesterday I stood at the edge of the most impressive natural wonder I've ever seen. Two days ago I was standing on top of one of the most impressive feats of human engineering I've ever seen--the Hoover Dam. In short, I've been amazed by this vacation. Amazed by the ability of land to inspire awe in me, and amazed by the ability of humans to do the same. But as I stood atop that dam I couldn't help but wonder: Could this ever happen today?
Grand Canyon National Park charges a $25 per vehicle user fee. Fees are used for infrastructure improvements to the park, and they seem to be working. I couldn't help but think of John when I saw the sign to the right. Sorry for the picture quality. It's the best I could do while trying to inconspicuously take a picture of a restroom with a camera phone while people are streaming in and out (the sign in the middle reads UserFee: Your Fees at Work). My kids hid in shame.
Taken on a camera phone while walking back to the car from the Georgia Dome after the tornado (click on the thumbnails for bigger images):
From the inbox:
Elite 8 baby!!!!!! An awesome game last night. Another overtime win for us. The score was 53-53 at the end of regulation. Final score was 58-55 in OT. I think that was our 3rd overtime game. For us old guys, we seem to be coming on strong at the end of each game. I think last night was probably the best all round game for everyone. Everybody seemed to play really well and hit their shots.
So, that means.......Game tonight at 7:30. Do we have enough energy for back to back games?
My reply: Back to back games? That wasn't in my contract.
About 43 seconds left in regulation and we're trying to hang on for a win, I'm fouled and am at the line for a one and one. I was money at the line in the first playoff game last week* so I felt good about it, even cocky. I went through my normal routine and? Clank. A miss on the front end of a one and one is like missing two! Choke. Argh! I couldn't sleep last night ...
*Note: The first playoff game went unreported at env-econ.net since I didn't receive an email from coach. I'm trying, trying hard, to keep my boasts indirect.
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