Energy Legislation, Facebook Privacy and Wine Regulations

1. ENVIRONMENT

Senators John Kerry (D-MA)
and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) unveil their long-delayed
energy bill.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy and Global
Warming Policy Myron
Ebell on who is really
backing the legislation.

“The bill crafted by
Kerry and Lieberman – and sometimes Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – manages to have
something to harm everyone except big business special interests.
Environmentalists know it will have no discernible impact on the climate, but
it will reward favored companies with massive windfall profits.”

2. PRIVACY

Executives at Facebook hold a high-level meeting to discuss
privacy concerns raised by users and politicians.

CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Information Policy Analyst Ryan Radia on where the real
threats to consumer privacy are coming from.

“Hypocrisy in politics is
nothing new. But Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) set a new standard for it last
week when he and three of his colleagues attacked social networking giant
Facebook over its privacy practices. In a scathing letter, the senators
demanded that Facebook change certain features to give users greater ‘control
over their information.’ The real threat to privacy, however, comes not from
innovative companies like Facebook, but from posturing politicians.”

3. LEGAL

Debate rages in New York state over Gov.
Paterson’s proposal to allow wine to
be sold in supermarkets.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and
Environmental Policy Angela
Logomasini on what New York can learn from
Virginia
about its
wine regulations.

“In Virginia, you can pick up an inexpensive
table wine at Wal-Mart, Target or even CVS. You can find a premium bottle at
the supermarket, many of which have wine and wine experts for advice. Or you
can browse thousands of wines available at Total Wine retail outlets, which
sells bottles from nearly every wine region of the world. And specialty wine
shops thrive in this competitive environment. There are at least a dozen
boutique wine shops within five miles of my door in Alexandria. At least two of these are owned
by one entrepreneurial retailer – which, again, is illegal in New York.”