A California appeals court upheld an ordinance enacted by the city of Turlock that prohibits the construction of supercenters. Wal-Mart had challenged the ordinance on the grounds that it illegally restricted competition. The court ruled that the ordinance was a valid use of local authority. Continue reading
April 5, 2006 – David Morris on the price of ethanol futures – Bloomberg Television Continue reading
Business Forum: ‘Givings’ could help fund LRT expansion by David Morris Originally published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 2, 2006 We’re all familiar with the “takings” movement, and its central argument. If a public action reduces the value of property, the public should compensate the owner for the loss. You’ve probably never heard of… Continue reading
Commentary: Before long, a vehicle that solves problems? by David Morris Originally published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 1, 2006 I magine driving a car without consuming petroleum, or generating pollution, or making noise. Imagine getting the equivalent of 100 to 150 miles per gallon. Imagine that every time you drove, you pumped money… Continue reading
The province of Ontario has directed two agencies to implement and develop the details and contracts for a Standard Offer Program that will make it easier and more cost-effective for businesses and entrepreneurs to sell power to the grid by setting a fixed price for small generation projects that use renewable energy.
Oregon’s Governor Ted Kulongoski told the State Sustainability Board recently that he wants new renewable electricity in Oregon to supply 100 percent of state government’s electrical needs by 2010.
The carbohydrate economy could transform agriculture as well as energy, reviving producer co-ops, and giving farmers a hedge against voilatile commodity prices. For the first time in 60 years, the carbohydrate economy is back on the public-policy agenda. It is an exciting historical opportunity, but one we should approach with deliberation and foresight.
On Tuesday, voters in the small town of Damariscotta, Maine, overwhelmingly approved a local law barring stores over 35,000 square feet (about the size of a medium grocery store). The vote puts an end to Wal-Mart’s plans to build a 187,000-square-foot supercenter in this village of just 2,000 people. Continue reading
By a wide margin, the Vermont Senate endorsed a bill that would require any proposed big-box store in the state to undergo an economic and community impact analysis. Continue reading
The media are abuzz with a new high-tech phrase: “net neutrality”. It may sound complicated, but the concept is quite simple. Right now, the Internet treats all traffic equally. Companies that own the connections from your home and business to the Internet now want to start giving some traffic priority over others, for a fee.
Somecompare this proposal to an express toll road. Users pay extra for faster service. But Internet service subscribers already pay a monthly toll based on the speed of service. You pay more for speeds of 3 Mbps than 750 Kbps.
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