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G&M article on "Wasteful EV subsidies"

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wayner

Active Member
Oct 29, 2014
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Toronto
Today's ROB has an article from Concordia economics professor Ian Irvine. The main gist is that EV subsidizes don't help reduce CO2 emissions since it allows car manufacturers to sell more high emitting vehicles to meet their CAFE requirements. That may be true for companies like GM and Nissan, but how is that the case for Tesla as they have no high vehicles that emit any CO2? Or can they somehow sell their "credits" to others.
 
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This article finds fault with the CAFE rules and regulations, as opposed to EVs in general. Regardless, this article will reflect negatively among the general public, especially to the anti climate change folks who will twist what is being said.

It appears that Professor Irvine's background and experience is largely measuring / commenting on government policies, subsidies, et al.

"Education Ph.D. (Western Ontario)
Title Professor
Fields of Specialization
Public Economics, Public Policy, Tobacco analysis, Economic Inequality
Research Interests
He has worked in a variety of areas recently with policy implications. Work on the saving behaviour of individuals over the lifecycle has resulted in papers in the European Economic Review (2001) and Economica (2002); on alcohol taxation in the Journal of Public Economics (1993); on tobacco control policy in Canadian Public Policy(1998); on deadweight loss measurement in the American Economic Review (1998) and on housing demand in the Journal of Urban Economics (1996).

His current work is on the effect of increased incarceration in the US on the poverty rate; on the determinants of the reduction in social assistance dependency in Canada in the late nineties, and on recent smoking behavior in Canada.
Professional Experience
Professor Irvine has been on the Faculty at Concordia University since 1978, and was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1995. He has been an academic visitor at the University of Sydney, Australia, the University of Colorado at Boulder, the London School of Economics, the Economic and Social Research Institute in Dublin, Ireland. He has done consulting work for a number of agencies in Ottawa in the area of tobacco and alcohol taxation."

Prof. Ian Irvine

Perhaps he should spend some time on measuring EV subsidies against oil company subsidies, then comment...I must admit that I wonder why he hasn't done this as EV subsidies are the proverbial "fart in the wind" when stacked up against subsidies given to gas & oil in this country...I think he really needs to open his eyes, do the right thing, and level the playing field here.
 
It really struck me today that anything green-tech related is held to such a higher standard of "efficiency" or "cost-savings" or "greenness" or "environmentally safe". No one is imposing standards on existing technology whether it be fossil-fuel based, nuclear, or anything else and I came away just shaking my head... If we were to start a new civilization right this instant with all the technology we currently possess but with no existing energy sources in place, we would be stupid to go back to ICE vehicles except for massive energy output machines (planes, trains, boats, long-distance semi trucks)

Jaff is right. He's punching holes through really weak legislation. Carbon tax with appropriate or varied re-distribution is the only way to properly incentivize what you want and disincentivize what you don't.You could get rid of a lot of poor one-off legislation with a simple carbon tax/levy/dividend.
 
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Ian Irvine is an associate researcher at the Montreal Economic Institute, a market-fundamentalist think tank. I found an article at the Globe and Mail by him attacking the tobacco ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada.

The Koch brothers' Claude R. Lambe Foundation also funds the Montreal Economic Institute, the Fraser Institute's ideological counterpart on the east coast.

The Chase Foundation of Virginia is also a regular donor to the Montreal Economic Institute.
Charitable Fraser Institute received $4.3 million in foreign funding since 2000
 
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