The CPUC's proposed decision maintains the utilities' test-year 2020 ROE at 2018 values: 10.3% for Southern California Edison, down from the requested 11.45%; 10.25% for PG&E, down from the 12% it applied for; and 10.2% for SDG&E, compared to the 12.38% it requested.

Former Defense Department Secretary James Mattis called on those who disagree with the threat of climate change to reconsider their position to protect future generations. The former defense secretary has been making the rounds publicizing the recent release of his book, giving more insight into political views after his exit from the Trump administration early this year.

As the world continues to shift toward low-carbon energy sources, a closer look makes it clear that nuclear power has to be included in order to reduce carbon emissions. Until the problem of long-term power storage is solved, nuclear will remain the only zero carbon base load power source. Given how clean and reliable it is compared to its alternatives, it is far too early to take nuclear power off the table.

Whether it is climate change, polluted oceans, or smoggy skies, we owe it to future generations—not to mention our current well-being—to improve our environment. But finding the right answer isn’t always easy. Some proposed solutions would have large negative effects on the economy. Other ideas sound good but don’t have a significant positive effect on the environment. How can we find the best solution?

Market approaches to environmental conservation, by which mechanisms such as property rights, prices, and contracts are used to advance environmental goals, have gained traction globally in recent decades. But in many cases, antiquated rules limit their role in conserving public natural resources. “Use-it-or-lose-it” requirements, together with narrow definitions of eligible “uses,” can preclude environmental groups from participating in markets for natural resources. These restrictions can bias resource management in favor of extractive users, even when conservation interests are willing to pay more to protect resources from development. 

Additional Co-Authors: Christopher Costello, Suzi Kerr, James Salzman, and Temple Stoellinger

The Hoover Institution Press, in conjunction with the Precourt Energy Efficiency Center, released Energy Efficiency: Building a Clean, Secure Economy, by James Sweeney, which shows how the United States has quietly but steadily learned to use energy far more efficiently virtually everywhere.

The challenge for the next four years: to implement energy policies that allow plentiful energy at reasonable costs, that enhance energy security, and that reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. By James L. Sweeney.

The Hoover Institution today released an essay series by the Shultz-Stephenson Task Force on Energy Policy that lays out a thought-provoking approach to reinventing nuclear power.

Greenhouse gas emissions and global-warming projections are "consistently pessimistic."