Clark Center Forum

The Clean Air Act is a foundational piece of US environmental legislation and, since 2009, has sat at the core of the government’s approach to regulating harmful emissions, such as carbon monoxide. The Environmental Protection Agency has now revoked its so-called greenhouse gas endangerment finding, potentially leading to a wave of deregulation. As a useful […] 

 

This US survey examines: US regulation of greenhouse gases – including carbon dioxide from motor vehicles and power plants, and methane from oil and gas wells – rests on the Clean Air Act. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced its rescission of the greenhouse gas endangerment finding and motor vehicle greenhouse gas emission standards:
https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/final-rule-rescission-greenhouse-gas-endangerment. The President of the National Academy of Sciences subsequently wrote to the organization's members, noting that 'the EPA justified its decision on legal, economic, and regulatory opinions, and not on the science’. (a) The weight of economic analysis and evidence supports the conclusion that some form of regulation of greenhouse gas emissions is warranted; (b) For US consumers and firms, the health and environmental benefits of greenhouse gas emission standards outweigh the costs, making the EPA rescission substantially net negative for American society; (c) Since the environmental costs of greenhouse gas emissions are globally distributed, some form of collective international regulation is warranted 

Your columnist’s first job after graduating from university was working in the team at the Bank of England that compiled and analysed the UK’s monetary aggregates. This was, sadly for him, in the days before the Global Financial Crisis and the subsequent birth of quantitative easing as a major tool of policy revived – at […] 

This Finance survey examines: Interest-bearing stablecoins, either via direct issuer payments or exchange-provided rewards, would measurably erode the deposit franchise of banks in developed-market economies 

Over the past three months, alongside the regular coverage of the Clark Center’s polls and other news, On Global Markets has been reporting on the discussions held at the Clark Center Economic Experts Conference 9/10 October. Most of those sessions were held under the Chatham House Rule. This is the final conference report. Following a […] 

This US survey examines (a) Restrictions on large institutional investors buying single-family homes would measurably improve the affordability of home ownership; (b) Having the government-sponsored housing agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities would measurably improve the affordability of home ownership 

A snap poll of the FTxBooth US Macroeconomists Survey panel examines economists’ views on Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh’s stated positions. The summary results are below and you can read the Financial Times article here, subscription required. View the results of this survey>> For social media: Please use the hashtag #FTxBooth when referring to the […] 

From the mid to late 2010s, and into the early 2020s, there was a flourishing of interest in the idea of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). By some counts more than 120 central banks have explored the idea of issuing a digital version of their currency. Unlike a typical cryptocurrency, a CBDC would be issued […] 

This European survey examines (a) Without a retail central bank digital currency (CBDC), Europe risks a further loss of control over its monetary system to foreign payment service providers, including US Big Tech platforms and US stablecoin issuers; b) Without a credible, modern wholesale settlement solution in central bank money - whether via a wholesale CBDC or equivalent infrastructure - Europe risks a further erosion of payments autonomy