By David Jenkins and Oliver Coray Up until now, this state has done a commendable job of maintaining a diverse economy, balancing the needs of its various economic engines and nimbly avoiding a common economic trap known as the “resource curse.” The resource curse is a phenomenon where the extraction of an area’s natural resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, results in economic decline rather than increased prosperity. This curse comes in various forms and has been documented all over the world. Here in the United States, West Virginia is a prime example, which Business Insider recently ranked as having the nation’s worst economy. Alaska has largely avoided the curse because much of its resource extraction activity has not been in direct conflict with other key economic engines, such as commercial fishing and tourism. This has helped the state maintain the sector diversity needed to sustain a healthy economy. Unfortunately, the state is flirting with projects that threaten to upset that balance and permanently damage Alaska’s economy: the infamous proposed Pebble gold mine in the Bristol Bay watershed and the lesser-known Johnson Tract mine in Lake Clark National Park. Read the entire...
By David Jenkins, President of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship The Trump administration recently published a proposed rule that rolls back commonsense oil and gas bonding reforms designed to protect taxpayers from bearing the enormous cost of orphaned well cleanup. Without adequate bonding, industry bad actors who abandon wells after extracting the oil and gas, along with all the profit, get away with breaking a key condition of their permit and pawning off the plugging and clean-up expenses onto you, me and every other American taxpayer. By rolling back these bonding requirements, the Trump administration is siding with the worst players in the oil and gas industry — cheats and scammers — over hard-working taxpayers. Read the entire op-ed. If you hit a paywall, click here to read...
By David Jenkins, Andrew Rothman — David is President of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship & Andrew is the Wildlife Campaigns Director for Environment America Every year across our nation hundreds of people die, and tens of thousands are injured in vehicle-wildlife collisions — and the carnage doesn’t end there. The annual death toll for wildlife runs in the millions, not to mention the roughly $10 billion in property damage. It’s a huge problem in most states. Thanks to the efforts of the Utah Department of Transportation, along with its partners and federal grants, the Beehive State is one of a handful of states aggressively working to reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions with strategically placed wildlife crossings. Utah installed the first wildlife bridge in the nation, and it now has 60 wildlife crossings, which come in the form of specially designed bridges, tunnels, underpasses and fencing. For some folks, it might seem strange to expect animals to use an overpass or tunnel, but they do. A video posted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources shows a diverse array of wildlife using the Parleys Summit wildlife crossing. Moose, deer, bears, bobcats, coyotes and even porcupines can be seen safely crossing I-80 while vehicle traffic passes underneath. Read the rest of the op-ed at Deseret News....
Utah Has an Opportunity to Lead by Example. By Steve Handy, Former Republican member of the Utah House of Representatives and a Board Member of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship & Patrice Arent, former Democratic member of the Utah Senate and House of Representatives | For The Salt Lake Tribune Anyone who has encountered an uncollected mess on a neighborhood trail knows the basic rule: If you create a problem, you are responsible for cleaning it up. It is a simple expectation, and one that applies just as much to public policy as it does to everyday life. That principle is at the heart of a long-overdue effort underway in Utah: modernizing the state’s oil and gas bonding rules. We have both spent our careers working on issues where fiscal responsibility and sound environmental policy go hand in hand. In this case, they point in the same direction. Updating bonding requirements is a practical, balanced step that protects taxpayers while supporting a stable and accountable energy sector. Read the rest of Handy and Arents’ op-ed at The Salt Lake...
Solar power is Florida’s Cheapest, Most Abundant and Most Secure Source of Energy By David Jenkins, Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship As a lifelong conservative who has spent decades working on energy-related issues, including serving as a campaign surrogate on energy for John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, I recall that the GOP ethos on energy has been solidly rooted in the catchphrase “All of the Above.” That phrase is in keeping with a genuinely conservative belief in the free market and its ability to drive investment to the smartest and most cost-effective energy technologies. Not only is that approach naturally suited to keeping our energy costs low, it also can best ensure that America leads the global race to dominate future energy markets. So, it was disappointing to hear Sunshine State gubernatorial candidate Paul Renner (a Republican) seemingly abandon “All of the Above” in favor of a hairbrained energy cancel culture that results in more rate hikes and threatens our energy future. Read the rest of David’s op-ed at the Tampa Bay Times, the South Florida Sun Sentinel, or The Invading...
David Jenkins, Guest Commentary As a lifelong conservative who has spent decades working on energy-related issues, including serving as a campaign surrogate on energy for John McCain’s 2008 presidential run, I recall that our ethos on energy has been solidly rooted in the catch-phrase “All of the Above.” That phrase is in keeping with a genuinely conservative belief in the free market and its ability to drive investment to the smartest and most cost-effective energy technologies. Not only is that approach naturally suited to keeping our energy costs low, it also can best ensure that America leads in the global race to dominate future energy markets. So, why on earth have so many Arizona elected officials suddenly abandoned the All of the Above approach in favor of whacky, hairbrained energy cancel-culture? And how ironic is it that the energy source being cancelled in the sunniest state in the union is solar? Read the rest of the op-ed at the Arizona Capitol...
