Scholar Commentary

In the race to 5G, China is winning. The United States was slow out of the gate and is now playing catch up. The question at this point is not so much when we will get there but whether or not we will beat China. More importantly, it’s about what kind of economic

While much attention over Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ Green New Deal has focused on the mystery of the disappearing website FAQ, its call to arms against flight travel, and the dangers of bovine flatulence, one of its more overlooked pillars is already

Just before the holidays, Senator John Barrasso, R-Wyo., pointed to innovation as our best hope to curb carbon emissions. “Technology breakthroughs,” he said, “have led to an American energy renaissance and a growing economy.” Senator Barrasso is absolutely right:

A recent editorial in the Des Moines Register pointed out the stringent licensing laws that pervade the cosmetology industry in Iowa. As the article discusses, current occupational licensing rules require beauticians in training to undergo more than a year of full-time

In his 2019 State of the Union address, President Trump outlined a moral duty to build a wall along the southern U.S. border to prevent illegal immigration. But it’s not likely that he’ll receive congressional approval or funding for it. Democrats included no funding

After closing for 35 days, the US government is open once again, at least until February 15. The deadlock over funding for President Trump’s border wall remains unresolved, however. The short-term nature of the funding bill that President Trump signed promises a return

At a meeting earlier this month, the Utah State Board of Education discussed concerns that too many teachers in the state are unlicensed. A 2016 change by the board allowed Utah schools to hire people without licenses to overcome a shortage of teachers in Utah. One

As the Idaho housing market continues to boom, complaints about substandard general contractors and shoddy building practices are on the rise. Many argue that contractors should be required to obtain a license from the state and further licensing laws are the best way

Doug Shaw, the owner of Sanctuary Tobacco for 26 years, expects to retire and close his shop if efforts to ban flavored tobacco in California are successful. Lawmakers in the state are considering a ban because of growth in the use of flavored tobacco products like

Recently, the Salt Lake City Council approved rules allowing more Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), often simply called mother-in-law apartments. The change comes after nearly a decade of slogging through compromises and slow deliberation. Although the changes are

As the government shutdown drags on, the fallout of political bickering in Washington, D.C., is being felt thousands of miles away in America’s beloved national parks. In place of scenic vistas and natural beauty, visitors instead find dirty restrooms and

Holiday travel havoc is almost expected. Canceled flights and stranded passengers are as much a part of the holidays as homemade pumpkin pie and gift returns. John Candy practically made a movie career off of it. 2017 saw the busiest airport in the world, Atlanta’s

Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s testimony before the House Judiciary Committee last week is just the latest example of a tech company having to respond to accusations of bias. While Pichai obviously spent much of his time defending Google from such allegations in search

After a Dec. 6 vote in the Senate, Bernard McNamee was narrowly confirmed as the newest member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). McNamee’s career includes extensive experience in energy policy through both his law career and work at the Department of

Recently, the migrant caravan of nearly 7,000 people traveling from South and Central America reached the U.S.-Mexico border. The group, half of whom are girls and women, were met with tear gas and thousands of U.S. military troops as they attempted to cross into

On October 25, President Trump advanced Neil Chatterjee as the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) after Kevin McIntyre, the current chairman, stepped down due to health issues. Chatterjee served as FERC’s acting chairman before McIntyre was

As the dust settles on the midterm elections, Congress has returned to Washington to wrap up unfinished business in a lame-duck session. It’s troubling for many people to know that some members of Congress are given one last chance to govern without ever facing an

Recent debates over America’s immigration policy are exposing a deep rift in conservative politics. In the Utah Senate debate earlier this year, Mitt Romney referred to U.S. policies that separated immigrant parents from their children at the border as a “dark chapter”

After more than a year of searching and debating, Amazon announced this week that it will split its new headquarters, or “HQ2,” between Queens, New York and D.C.’s Northern Virginia suburbs. Within hours after the announcement, self-described democratic socialist and

On September 12, a group of Democrats announced that they plan to prevent Republican reforms to the Endangered Species Act (ESA) through Democratic electoral victories in 2019. Republicans view these reforms as necessary for the ESA to be more effective, pointing out

Following the boom in oil production from the hydraulic fracturing revolution, environmental protection outstripped energy independence as the major selling point of US biofuels policy. The ethanol mandate continues to grow and includes 15 billion gallons that can be

The announcement of plans to ease the nation’s fuel economy standards (known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, or CAFE) triggered numerous defenses of the regulation. CAFE, which began as a program to reduce oil consumption, is now almost always justified

Proposition 7 which is to be voted on next month would repeal California’s Daylight Saving Time Act, thus ending the annual ritual of “springing forward” and “falling back” for nearly 40 million people. If passed Prop. 7 would set the state’s clocks permanently to

Christopher Koopman from the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University joins State Senator Howard Stephenson and Utah County Republican Party Vice Chair Josh Daniels to talk about the center and his research work on “permissionless innovation.” See

The Renewable Fuel Standard is a federal mandate that requires fuel suppliers to blend a minimum percentage of ethanol fuel into gasoline. Professor William F. Shughart II and CGO Graduate Research Fellow Arthur R. Wardle write about the negative environmental and

CGO Graduate Research Fellow Arthur R. Wardle writes about several detrimental environmental impacts associated with a national mandate for ethanol production that was designed to be a boon to the environment. Read the full piece as it was published by The

Net metering allows solar panel users to transfer surplus power to the public-utility grid and receive compensation for it. CGO Research Manager, Josh T. Smith, writes about the problems with certain net metering policies and how this cost shift can hurt lower-income

CGO Research Director Megan Hansen writes that many landowners want to help save endangered species as long as it is not harming their own livelihood.

Of Rockets and Robotics: The Regulation of Emerging Aerial Technology Cato Institute Conference Innovations in aerial technology present regulators, lawmakers, and entrepreneurs with numerous challenges and opportunities. Although there have been advances in

Republicans and Democrats in Congress are each proposing reforms to the Antiquities Act of 1906. CGO Research Director Megan E. Hansen and PhD student Jordan Lofthouse write that Congress should act to limit executive power over National Monuments. Read the full