Daren Bakst is director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment.
View all authorsEconomyCommentary
Veggie burgers are not made from cows. They are also nutritionally different than burgers made from cows. And yet, some in the meat industry are… Read More
EnergyCommentary
Many on the left continue to place their ideology of environmental extremism above all other considerations, including economic growth, individual freedom, and the welfare of… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Environmental Protection Agency is trying to promote transparency by making it easier for Americans to see how it makes regulatory decisions. Many on the… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed decision to retain the existing ozone standards is a no-brainer. But that doesn’t mean the agency shouldn’t be commended for… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The 2020 federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans is coming, and this development is more important than many people might think. Developed every five years by… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Driving up food prices is a bad idea any time, especially during a pandemic. Yet a small subset of fruit and vegetable growers are pushing… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The federal government has created numerous barriers to the sale of meat and poultry, but underlying those restrictions is a complete disregard for many farmers,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The House is expected to vote later this week on H.R. 7608, a “minibus” bill that covers fiscal year 2021 spending for the departments of… Read More
Health CareCommentary
The American people must be able to trust the accuracy of public health information disseminated by the federal government, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. That’s… Read More
SocietyCommentary
The United States was ranked 17th in The Heritage Foundation’s latest Index of Economic Freedom. That’s not what Americans should expect from a nation whose… Read More
Health CareCommentary
Over the past week, there have been two widely repeated myths regarding the meat supply amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The first deals with Tyson Foods’… Read More
Health CareCommentary
Many Americans are rightfully concerned about the status of the country’s meat supply during the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, there are no simple answers to help… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Maintaining a safe and reliable food supply is one of the most important concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. This includes making sure there’s enough food for… Read More
SocietyCommentary
Agricultural immigration reform shouldn’t include amnesty. This should be a given. Unfortunately, some legislators seem to disagree, as evidenced by the agricultural immigration legislation the House… Read More
EconomyCommentary
When the Environmental Protection Agency issues a regulation, the rule should do more good than harm. That hasn’t always been obvious to the EPA, and… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Environment Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board is supposed to provide scientific advice to the EPA administrator. The Science Advisory Board seems to have forgotten… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The House just passed a massive amnesty bill that would give millions of illegal agricultural workers and their spouses and children a pathway to citizenship…. Read More
EconomyCommentary
The Trump administration last month repealed the Obama administration’s infamous “waters of the United States” rule, by which bureaucrats tried to use the Clean Water… Read More
Economy Commentary
There was some good news Wednesday on the agricultural trade front. The Office of the United States Trade Representative just announced several key provisions of… Read More
LawCommentary
Thursday saw a major win for the rule of law, property rights, and the environment: The Trump administration announced that it had finalized its repeal… Read More
LawCommentary
The Trump administration has just taken an important step in the effort to protect threatened and endangered species. On Monday, the administration published final regulations… Read More
LawCommentary
Last week saw a major victory for property rights and an end to another Endangered Species Act horror story. The saga began in 2012 when… Read More
EconomyCommentary
There is renewed hope for trade talks with China—a welcome development for the American economy. But the damage caused by the fight continues. The U.S…. Read More
EnergyCommentary
Shouldn’t Environmental Protection Agency regulations do more good than harm? The agency hasn’t always thought so. In 2012, under President Barack Obama, the EPA finalized… Read More
Health CareCommentary
Sometimes, it feels like we live in Bizarro World, where everything is the opposite of what we would expect. Consider, for example, the regulation of… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Last July, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it was going to provide $12 billion in aid to help farmers with the “trade damage”… Read More
EconomyCommentary
First, don’t do 2,400 times more harm than good. In the past, the Environmental Protection Agency didn’t agree with that sentiment. That might be changing,… Read More
EconomyCommentary
Will the federal government block solutions that may help cigarette smokers kick their habit? The next commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, who will… Read More
LawCommentary
There are seemingly endless regulatory obstacles for critical infrastructure projects. One of these obstacles is starting to get some much-needed attention: abuse of Section 401… Read More
EconomyCommentary
The ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute is threatening the U.S. economy as a whole, and is hurting American farmers and ranchers. In recent years, China has… Read More
