CEI Daily Update

Issues in the News

1. CONGRESS

The Senate passes major energy legislation, including ethanol mandates and stricter fuel economy standards.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy Policy Myron Ebell on the parallel bill in the House of Representatives:

“Recent polls have shown that rising energy prices are one of the top issues worrying Americans across the board. It seems strange, then, that the only major piece of energy legislation making its way through Congress is one guaranteed to increase prices even more.”

 

2. BUSINESS

Microsoft’s European competitors complain to EU regulators about the company’s business pratices.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President Wayne Crews on Microsoft’s challenges in Europe:

“The Microsoft case signals a move toward micro-managing the way businesses organize and re-organize over time, a profoundly anti-competitive and dangerous stance. Politicians too often take regulation for granted, unaware of the academic debate on the merits of antitrust.”

 

3. ENVIRONMENT

Former Vice President Al Gore denounces U.S. policy on global warming at a UN meeting in Bali.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: General Counsel Sam Kazman on a surprising climate change development in the New York Times:

 

“In its annual round-up of the past year’s major new ideas, last week’s New York Times Magazine includes a surprising acknowledgement (surprising for the New York Times, that is): some of what we hear about the dangers of global warming may be exaggerated. The newspaper’s description of the concept is pretty muted, but I’m still impressed to see the Times acknowledge this. Note its closing description: ‘…at least some of the talk about climate conflict may be understood as rhetoric.’ It really should have said ‘most of the talk’, but at least it didn’t rule out that possibility.”

 

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.

 

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