Look, We Know You’re Called “Governors,” but That Doesn’t Mean You Need to OVER-govern!

It seems that America’s governors in a tizzy over global warming, and they’re planning to institute every harebrained scheme to help stop it. These Wile E. Coyotes of American politics are desperately laying down blankets of oppressive energy regulations to catch up to the global warming menace, their proverbial Road runner.

Unfortunately, nearly every single scheme they want to try is just plain unfeasible.

First, ethanol. This article from the Cato Institute discusses why ethanol is simply not going to work. It names common misconceptions about ethanol, then sets the record straight.

Ethanol reduces air pollution.
A review of the literature by Australian academic Robert Niven found that, when evaporative emissions are taken into account, E10 (fuel that’s 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, the standard mix) increases emissions of total hydrocarbons, nonmethane organic compounds, and air toxics compared to conventional gasoline. The result is greater concentrations of photochemical smog and toxic compounds.

Ethanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
At best, E10 reduces greenhouse gas emissions by from zero to 5 percent; pure ethanol by 12 percent. The International Energy Agency, however, estimates that it costs about $250 to reduce a ton of greenhouse gases this way, or more than 10 times what Yale economist William Nordhaus thinks is economically sensible given the economics of climate change. Ethanol as an anti-warming policy is what academics refer to as “crazy talk.”

Next, auto emissions standards. The best article I found is about the CAFE standard, but it does a great job in discussing the economic pitfalls of excessive auto emissions regulations.

Increasing CAFE standards will not decrease the amount of pollution coming from the U.S. auto fleet. That’s because we regulate emissions per mile traveled, not per gallon of gasoline burned. Improvements in fuel efficiency reduce the cost of driving and thus increase vehicle miles traveled. Moreover, automakers have an incentive to offset the costs associated with improving fuel efficiency by spending less complying with federal pollution standards with which they currently over-comply.

Jeez, governors, I know you’re trying your best to put your respective states at the forefront of the crusade to save the world, but just remember- if saving the world costs too much in tax money, gas prices, and car prices, even the most dedicated hippies will start to move away!