One of the lessons of the recent government shutdown (and expected near miss on a second one) is that there … More
Category: federalism
Detroiters against free trees?
In 2014, a nonprofit tried to give thousands of trees to Detroit residents, but many declined the offer. A recent … More
Prospecting for conservation: federal mining law encourages environmental conflict rather than free-market negotiation
After President Trump reduced the size of Utah’s Bears Ears National Monument, environmentalists feared the lands would be opened up … More
Environmental restoration requires better incentives
A driving force behind technological innovation and prosperity is “creative destruction.” Old enterprises and technologies are constantly replaced by new … More
How far upstream should federal regulation extend?
Yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers published their proposed rewrite of the “waters of the United … More
Property rights can resolve conflict over Chesapeake Bay oysters
The Chesapeake Bay is the nation’s largest estuary, with a watershed that includes six states. Because of its size and … More
Can a president both shrink a national monument and create a new one?
President Trump’s decision last year to shrink Bears Ears National Monument and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument remains controversial and is … More
Transaction costs matter
Will Harris, a free-range chicken farmer in Georgia, recently learned first hand the importance of transaction costs. In the last … More
Can states inject more local knowledge into water permitting?
Many federal environmental laws seek to leverage local knowledge by inviting states and local governments to participate in the federal … More
Building a groundwater market from the bottom up
California epitomizes the adage, often attributed to Mark Twain, that “whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting over.” Even … More
