Turkey Talk: Energy Policy and Thanksgiving — Episode 91 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 28 Nov 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this special episode of Local Energy Rules, host John Farrell speaks with ILSR Co-founder David Morris and ILSR Research Associate Maria McCoy. The two tell local energy stories sharing a Thanksgiving theme: the failure of a turkey litter-fueled power plant in Minnesota and the ban of gas hookups in Berkeley, Calif.… Read More

Could the Health Benefits of Renewable Energy Cover Your Electric Bill?

Date: 12 Nov 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Coal and gas-fired power stations release toxins into the air, increasing rates of asthma, respiratory diseases, and heart attacks. In this post, ILSR estimates the portion of electricity prices covered by the public health benefits of renewable energy alternatives. … Read More

Why Gas Has to Go – And How Cities Can Show it the Door — Episode 87 of Local Energy Rules Podcast

Date: 9 Oct 2019 | posted in: Energy, Energy Self Reliant States | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

In this episode of Local Energy Rules, host John Farrell speaks with Kate Harrison, City Council member for Berkeley, Calif., and Sean Armstrong, Zero Net Energy Designer and Managing Principal at Redwood Energy. The three discuss how Berkeley’s gas ban will improve health, save money, and save the climate.… Read More

Business Can’t Win the Privatization Game Without a Handicap

Date: 4 Jun 2012 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

Handicapping occurs in sports to equalize the winning chances of contestants of varying abilities. Sometimes, as in horse racing, superior horses, based on past performance, are required to carry more weight.  Sometimes, as in golf, poorer players are allowed more strokes. Unbeknownst to most of us, the competition between the public and private sectors is also … Read More

And the Winner is….The Public Sector

Date: 18 May 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 3 Facebooktwitterredditmail

“Unlike the public sector, the private sector is bred for efficiency. Left to its own devices, it will always find the means to provide services faster, cheaper, and more effectively than will governments,” said James Jay Carafano. I suspect the vast majority of Americans would agree with Mr. Carafano. They probably consider the statement self-evident. The facts, however, lead to the opposite conclusion. When not handicapped by regulations designed to subsidize the private sector, the public sector often provides services faster, cheaper and more effectively.… Read More

The Real American Exceptionalism

Date: 18 Apr 2011 | posted in: From the Desk of David Morris, The Public Good | 39 Facebooktwitterredditmail

America’s leaders are right. America is exceptional. But not in the way they assert. History has blessed America with unprecedented advantages, but we have not used them wisely. We are indeed number 1 among nations in many areas, but these are areas where being number 1 is a sign of failure, not success. … Read More