Home > Bob Murphy, Coal, IER, Rob Bradley > [Updated] Bob Murphy: Rob Bradley's "IER Calls for End to All Energy Subsidies" – Not

[Updated] Bob Murphy: Rob Bradley's "IER Calls for End to All Energy Subsidies" – Not

July 6th, 2009 Leave a comment Go to comments

[Update at bottom.]

Bob Murphy, Austrian economist and part-time consultant for Rob Bradley`s Institute for Energy Research, asserted in a recent blog post that “IER [has] Call[ed]  For End to All Energy Subsidies”.  I took a closer look at the recent commentary at IER that Bob pointed to as support for his position, and came away unimpressed.

I posted the following comments to Bob in response a week ago; since I have heard nothing further from Bob, I think it`s worth copying them here (with editorial comments in brackets):

Bob, I`m sorry, but where does IER (or MasterResource) actually CALL “for an end to all energy subsidies”? They certainly don`t do so expressly in this op-ed. I`d be thrilled if you could point the way to other places where Bradley`s various enterprises specifically call for an end to subsidies and other regulatory favors for coal.

By bashing WaPo`s inconsistent concerns about “clean coal” subsidies [in an interesting editorial about rent-seeking by coal firms that ignores other rent-seekers] – and bashing clean energy interests while refusing to criticize rent-seeking by coal – it seems fairly apparent that IER remains a friend of big coal, and of the big thumb that government has long placed on the scales in its favor.

“That would at least make them intellectually consistent. But it appears there is no room for logic and consistency when you have an agenda to advance.” [from Rob Bradley`s commentary]

Such apt words!

# posted by Blogger TokyoTom : June 29, 2009 1:08 AM
Readers might note that I have commented a number of times previously on Rob Bradley and Bob Murphy.  I enjoy my exchanges with Bob, but remained banned from Rob`s supposedly “free-market” MasterResource energy blog.  Rob doesn`t like my criticisms of his one-sided approach to energy issues, in which he and other commentators just happen to praise but never criticize fossil fuel firms or the current favors bestowed upon them by government.
Update:  Bob Murphy has chimed in by email (declining to respond by comments here or at his own blog post), in the interest in informing readers, I post excerpts of his email and of my response:
Bob (July 7): 
“Tom,

Did you see it here, too? I don’t know what else we need to do to
“impress” you. ….

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2009/01/27/ier-offers-economic-stimulus-plan-urges-president-obama-to-adopt-historic-change/”

Me (July 8):
Bob, thanks for the further link.

I guess I`m pleased you find me occasionally worth engaging, even
though it`s as an adversary rather than as someone else also searching
in good faith for truth.

I still don`t see IER or MR et al. up in arms about the $150 billion
in subsidies for “clean coal” in the new bill, nor do these groups
discuss the role of government in the problems that others perceive –
laws that favor old coal plants, govt ownership of coal & other
resources, etc. And of course there is no recognition that others have
legitimate preferences regarding regulations of commons.

All in all, it remains clear that these institutions are essentially
PR fronts for rent-seekers in the fossil fuels industry.

So I remain unimpressed.

Regards,

Tom

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