Our Purpose
Discovery Institute’s Reasonable Energy initiative pursues plentiful, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy as a moral good for the benefit of all. Reasonable energy prices and policies are essential to human innovation, creativity, and well-being. In contrast to climate alarmism, which is anti-human at its core, Reasonable Energy balances human goods and goals with the natural abundance and beauty entrusted to us. To this end, we identify and evaluate unsound policies that are making energy more costly and unreliable, and propose alternative, more reasoned policies for the Cascadia region and beyond.
reasonable prices and policies
Energy prices in the Cascadia region are increasing. Jonathan Lesser, a Discovery Institute fellow, has researched the policies that are directly contributing to this onerous burden.
Energy Is Essential
Civilization has been built on using energy, from the hot coals of the blacksmith to the water powered turbines of Grand Coulee Dam, and the harnessing of the atom. Today, affordable, reliable, and plentiful energy correlates with the wealth and resilience of societies. The Pacific Northwest in particular has made use of its natural advantages with regard to low-cost hydroelectric power over the last 90 years. Now, ill-conceived energy policies rooted in irrational environmental hysteria are causing prices to increase rapidly. If that trend continues unabated, more will be driven into energy poverty, as energy becomes unaffordable, businesses will shutter, and jobs will be lost.
Nature is Bountiful
We are entrusted by nature’s God and bound by each other and future generations with the wise use and preservation of the natural beauty and abundance in the Cascadia region. Human impact on the environment is not necessarily evil. The flourishing of humans and of our natural habitat are tightly intertwined and require wise stewardship and balance. Indeed, bountiful energy enables humans to cultivate and rejuvenate our flora and fauna.
research
Why are energy prices increasing and what are government and private parties doing in this environment? How are they debilitating human progress and increasing poverty instead of liberating people for creative work and innovation?
About Jonathan Lesser
Dr. Jonathan Lesser is the President of Continental Economics, Inc. and has over 35 years of experience working for regulated utilities, governments, and as an economic consultant. He has extensive experience in resource planning, risk management, cost-benefit analysis of energy and environmental policies, resource/contract valuation and damages analysis, and due diligence.
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