Even though a state government by its nature can affect only a small portion of the natural environment, that doesn't stop politicians from "going green." But sometimes that is all pain and little gain.

The Minnesota Free Market Institute offers several thoughts on environmental policies of late. A policy brief (PDF) concludes that a state committee overstates the social costs of carbon dioxide-emissions by at least a factor of four and understates the costs of using the power of government to reduce them. In particular the recommendations of the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group call for virtually stopping suburban developments and making it much more expensive and inconvenient to drive (so as to increase usage of public transit).