Libertarian environmentalism
Concerns about the sustainability of Maine rockweed have an easy solution: property rights. If landowners also own these plants, they will be able to express their environmental values by conserving it and have an incentive to prevent overharvesting.
Pennsylvania’s trust approach to managing public lands may give environmental groups an incentive to support productive use, to generate revenue for higher value conservation projects.
Zoning harms the economy by frustrating interstate migration and the environment by encouraging sprawl and undermining climate mitigation.
The Supreme Court’s vague definition of “property” undermines free-market environmentalism.
Last week, Interior Secretary Zinke released an interim report suggesting that the boundaries of Bears Ears National Monument should be redrawn and management of the area reconsidered. In less than a day, before knowing what the new boundaries or management would be, lawsuits were threatened. If carried out, the proposal will empower tribes, promote better stewardship, and limit unnecessary regulation.
The environment’s greatest friend is technological innovation. Human ingenuity–what Julian Simon called “the ultimate resource”–has consistently enabled us to make more with less. Yet environmental laws too often throw up roadblocks to that progress, favoring the dirty status quo over a cleaner future.
At long last, the Administration has chosen an acting leader for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—an important federal agency … More
Is EPA tied to Justice Kennedy’s mushy test for Clean Water Act jurisdiction? No. Federalism, the fact that it is a criminal statute, and Kennedy’s acknowledgment that the statute is hopelessly vague all justify EPA substantially narrowing bureaucrats’ authority.
Federalism is not a facile commitment to “states-rights” no matter what states do. EPA Administrator Pruit’s criticism of California’s attempt to regulate beyond its borders is entirely consistent with a commitment to federalism.
The possibility that we may soon be able to resurrect extinct species would allow us to hedge against the risk of extinction.
FREEcology 