As a child, and an adult, it is fun to think about impossible things such as flying elephants, magical schools, or wooden puppets that turn into real boys. For entrepreneurs, it is important to dream big, set big goals, and daydream about the impossible. However, when politicians use these ideas to create public policy, we have problems.
For instance, the California Air Resources Board is working on a regulation that would mean trains could no longer operate in its state. That isn’t the goal of the regulation, but it would be its consequence.
California’s goal was to have zero-emission trains, which isn’t necessarily a bad goal. But it is attempting to codify the goal in regulation, which is a bad idea. California needs a waiver granted by the Environmental Protection Agency to implement the measure.
If carbon emissions are bad, then how could zero-emission trains be bad?…
