Green Stimulus, Bottled Water and Big Labor Infighting
Congress sets aside billions in the economic stimulus package for environmentally oriented energy and infrastructure projects.
The New York Times’ “Freakonomics” column debunks the argument that banning bottled water will reduce pollution.
Union officials in California spar over control of local chapters.
More headlines: listen to the LibertyWeek podcast.
1. ECONOMY
Congress sets aside billions in the economic stimulus package for environmentally oriented energy and infrastructure projects.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Energy Policy Analyst William Yeatman on why the green stimulus spending might not come off as planned:
“…legislators on the House side want to fund up to 30% of the construction of renewable energy projects using grants, or direct give-aways. On the Senate side, leading members of the party in power are indicating that grants are an inappropriate mechanism to pick winners and losers in the energy business. They would prefer some other pork delivery format, probably a refundable tax credit, which is but a grant by another name. The only good news is that the House and Senate have a history of jurisdictional disputes over give-aways to the renewable energy industry. Maybe they’ll get so worked up with territoriality that they’ll prove resistant to compromise, and this crummy green stimulus package will die.”
2. HEALTH
The New York Times’ “Freakonomics” column debunks the argument that banning bottled water will reduce pollution.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini on the importance of having bottled water during natural disasters (as highlighted in our new video):
“Some government officials say that consumers who chose bottled water are stupid and reckless. But our video shows that their condemnation of this business is what’s truly stupid. After all, whom do officials call on when a natural disaster hits? They call on bottled water companies whose donations make a life-saving difference.”
3. LABOR
Union officials in California spar over control of local chapters.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on the infighting among big labor:
“Ousted officials from a Bay Area local of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) announced yesterday that they were forming a new union, and asked members to join. They were ousted from the local, United Healthcare Workers-West (UHWW), after a long-threatened takeover by the union’s national office became official on Tuesday, as the local was placed in trusteeship, for alleged ‘financial malpractice.’ From the SEIU national office to claim such concern about corrupt practices now seems strange, particularly in California. A Los Angeles-based local, with which the national SEIU wants to merge UHWW, has recently been involved in a serious corruption scandal.”
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI weekly podcast, here.
