Archive for November, 2009
« Previous Entries Next Entries »Lies, damned lies and politics
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
As I warned in this post, Richard Howitt’s research into the connection between water and unemployment continues to be abused by politicians who interpret things to suit their goals.
On October 30, Rep. Nunes said [PDF]:
DISTORTION: Farm jobs have increased during the past year.
FACT: According to a May 2009 study conducted by the [...]
Catching Up
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Back home now, just trying to catch up on the energy news of note. Four stories that I want to highlight. First was POET’s announcement on their progress on cellulosic ethanol:
Poet hits ‘long shot,’ cuts cellulosic ethanol costs
WASHINGTON - The head of the world’s largest ethanol producer, Sioux Falls-based Poet, said [...]
Movember Fundraising
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
I am growing a moustache all this month as part of the Movember campaign to raise money to fight prostate cancer. Please consider making a donation on my behalf
Rating 3.00 out of 5
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Flashback: 14 — 20 Nov 2008
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
These posts are still relevant, so please comment.
BEST: Recession is Good and Fixing Credit Rating Agencies — an incentive-compatible way to reward them for good ratings. (A recent podcast I heard made it clear that “inaccurate” ratings continue b/c they allow bond buyers to buy higher risk without regulators seeing what’s up.)
BEST: [...]
Speed Blogging
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Dam Down: Rogue River flows again
Nice iceberg photos like this –>
“A Regional Finance Strategy to Restore the Health of the Great Lakes” [PDF] can perhaps give some good ideas to people trying to save the Delta.
Biofuels and water (yes, still a big mistake)
“Research is revealing a hidden structure within liquids and gases [...]
Poseidon’s Carlsbad project cost is $700 million
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Global Water Intelligence is an expensive (but worth it) source of timely and excellent analysis. This piece [$] caught my eye, and I quote heavily because it’s gated for subscribers:
Poseidon Resources’ decision to apply for an extra $50 million of private activity bonds [see this post] caught my eye. It also seems [...]
Carbon Offsets = BS
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Yet again, the NY Times is following on my lead
In this 25 Oct post, I asked
Should I offset my “carbon footprint” if I fly in an airplane that’s 1/2 full (and would have flown without me anyway)?
In this 18 Nov story, we read:
In 2002 Responsible Travel became one of the [...]
THIS is how you get people to use less water
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Aquacue is working with AQUAholics Anonymous to get UCSD students in dorms to use less water.
The strategy has three prongs:
Dormies can see their daily consumption. That’s fast feedback. (That link will disappear at the end of the month, so look now!)
Residents can compare their current consumption to their numbers from the day [...]
Why should I be an AWWA member?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I joined the American Water Works Association to participate in the water community.
The “benefits of membership” have been disappointing to me:
Although I have spoken at a few AWWA conferences, I find them to be directed at selling pumps and water treatment devices, not at improving water management.*
Their webcasts are also more about [...]
Vegas charging more… to poor people
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
The Directors of the Las Vegas Valley Water District (LVVWD) are proposing to increase monthly service charges for all customers. That means that all residential customers will pay $2 or $3/month more, no matter how much water they use.* Water use charges will not change from cheap [pdf].
That means that heavy water [...]
Bureaucrats are anti-Entrepreneurs
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Arnold Kling puts his finger on it:
I created a list of entrepreneurial temperaments and found that when I reversed them–creating an “anti-entrepreneur”–the resulting personality is in fact a typical bureaucrat, colorless and rigid.
As an (economic policy) entrepreneur, this is both familiar and enlightening.
If you want to know more about bureaucrats, read James [...]
How much do subsidies cost, anyway?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
JR asks:
What is the annual dollar value of water subsidies? I know Jimmy Carter was trying to end water subsidies and the guy who wrote Cadillac Desert [Marc Reisner] said that for every two dollars invested in water subsidies, one dollar of economic value was created. In any event, what is the [...]
CNN on The Long Recession
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
One of the themes I have been hitting during my recent presentations concerns the oil price risk hanging over our heads. My hypothesis goes something like this. The days of huge supply excesses in the oil production world are over. Those 5 million barrel per day supply cushions of 10 years [...]
Rethink the Food Processor
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
It doesn’t slice. It doesn’t dice. I use a knife for that. It crushes stuff and it will do so for the rest of my life without using one watt of electricity. Hey, I already wrote a post about my mortar and pestle. It still makes me happy.
Two other tools that I [...]
Mixing fresh and salt water to produce energy?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
SB writes in, asking about this post:
A device that gleans usable energy from the mixing of salty and fresh waters has been developed by University of Milan-Bicocca physicist Doriano Brogioli. If scaled up, the technology could potentially power coastal homes, though some scientists caution that such an idea might not be realistic.
[snip]
Instead [...]
Poll Results — Water Bill Fail
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Hey! There’s a new poll (gimme health!) to the right —>
California’s Water Bill Package…
…will fix our problems
5%
2
…will improve things
16%
6
…will do very little
47%
18
…will make things worse
32%
12
38 votes total
Bottom Line: All sound, and very little fury. Looks like more work for lobbyists!
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Buchanan’s Wisdom
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Don Boudreaux writes:
Buchanan insists that we should always look upon “politics without romance,” that we ought never to forget that all the fine campaign phrases and soaring promises issued by politicians too often disguise the selfish, sometimes sleazy, reality of political activity.
As I learn more economics, I appreciate the genius of James [...]
A short lesson on the gains from trade
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
J. Shogren gave this example of “obviously. NOT!” at a conference
Consider four sellers who value their goods at $5, 4, 2 and 1.
Consider four buyers who would value these goods (should they possess them) at $10, 8, 3 and 2.
Now, how much can we increase surplus if we allow trading?
Calculate your answer [...]
If you think I was harsh on the water bills…
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Read this interview (via DW) with State Senator Wolk (D-Davis). Here are some nice (?) quotations:
She told The Record’s editorial board Monday that, realistically, the efforts [water bills] were a waste. “It was awful, incredibly awful,” Wolk said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
She said the legislation was written by Westlands Water [...]
Entrepreneurs, brokers and liars
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I have been around for awhile. I have studied corruption, organized crime and black markets. I have worked with frauds and cheats (my evil step-father for one). I have enough economic theory and empirical evidence to understand why and how people lie, strategically maneuver, etc.
But it still amazes me when people steal [...]
Thriving in The Clean Economy [PR]
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
“Free Webcast features Coca-Cola, IBM, Nokia, and other Climate Savers partners sharing carbon-cutting innovations just weeks before Copenhagen. Discover how companies are finding innovative solutions to combat climate change and secure our energy future while increasing their bottom lines. WWF Climate Savers companies are leading by example, showing that economic growth, curbing [...]
Kill the growth zombie!
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
In my article, I discuss how the “iron triangle” of politicians, water managers and real estate developers have driven growth beyond sustainable, beyond our limited water supply.
As if on cue, we get these amazing stories:
Sacramento bureaucrats overrode control systems to issue more building permits to K. Hovnanian Homes in Natomas (my favorite [...]
Water on the moon and other fantasies
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Peter Gleick says:
I have mixed feelings about the value of the space program, and without a doubt, this is probably the most expensive water we’ve ever found. But, if we go to the moon, it could turn out to be among the most valuable as well.
Fleck calculates the price of that water [...]
Monday Morning Smile
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
And a little political truth lie truth:
Rating 3.00 out of 5
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Some more comments on the water bill (aka FAIL)
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
As I said two weeks ago, I was not pleased at the lack of progress embodied in California’s water bills. (Someone else’s critique)
Here are a few more items on that:
Senate President pro-tem Steinberg (D-Sacramento) indulged in the most blatant hypocrisy and non-leadership I’ve seen in years, by inserting a $10 million earmark [...]
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