Arik Levinson
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ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson
@ariklevinson.bsky.social
1.2K followers 130 following 54 posts
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Arik Levinson is a professor of economics at Georgetown University. He works in the fields of energy economics and environmental economics. He was Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary for Climate and Energy Economics in the Biden administration from 2022 to 2024, and a senior economist at the Council of Economic Advisers in the Obama administration from 2010 to 2011. .. more

Economics 57%
Energy 15%
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Reposted by Arik Levinson

severinborenstein.bsky.social
Severin Borenstein @severinborenstein.bsky.social · 12d
Not sure how this got past the administration's communication controls, but EIA had a nice piece last Friday on the increasing role of solar/wind/batteries in Texas.
www.eia.gov/todayinenerg...
🔌💡
ERCOT increasingly meets rising demand with solar, wind, and batteries - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)
www.eia.gov

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · 21d
Jim Sallee gives a master class in how to explain complex policy in simple prose. I'm definitely assigning this to students.
severinborenstein.bsky.social Severin Borenstein @severinborenstein.bsky.social · 21d
I'm back from vacation (and the huge Oakland No Kings protest). Lots to catch up on posting. In the EI blog today, Jim Sallee has an excellent analysis of the poorly designed, but good direction, of proposed international shipping GHG regulations.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Carbon Pricing on the High Seas?
The international maritime organization gets close to a carbon tax. If an environmental economist stumbled upon a magic lamp and got one wish from the genie, most of us would know what to ask for—a…
energyathaas.wordpress.com

Reposted by Arik Levinson

severinborenstein.bsky.social
Severin Borenstein @severinborenstein.bsky.social · 21d
I'm back from vacation (and the huge Oakland No Kings protest). Lots to catch up on posting. In the EI blog today, Jim Sallee has an excellent analysis of the poorly designed, but good direction, of proposed international shipping GHG regulations.
energyathaas.wordpress.com/2025/10/20/c...
Carbon Pricing on the High Seas?
The international maritime organization gets close to a carbon tax. If an environmental economist stumbled upon a magic lamp and got one wish from the genie, most of us would know what to ask for—a…
energyathaas.wordpress.com

Reposted by Arik Levinson

aereorg.bsky.social
AERE @aereorg.bsky.social · 22d
✨ We will be featuring the 2025 AERE Scholars & Mentors over the coming weeks! Stay tuned to learn more about the amazing cohort! ✨

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · 23d
Ok so the Trump administration blew up the international agreement to tax CO2 from shipping. 14 years ago the Obama administration successfully opposed applying the EU carbon price to US airlines operating in Europe.

Just because Ds and Rs both agree on something doesn't mean it's right.

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · 25d
Great news!
Andrew Plantinga will be succeeding Nick Kuminoff as one of the four editors of @jaereaere.bsky.social starting January 1.

Compensation for the less great but inevitable news that Nick's term must end. Thanks Nick and welcome Andrew.

www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/jaere/cu...
Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists | Vol 12, No 6
www.journals.uchicago.edu

Reposted by Nathan Nunn, Arik Levinson, Aaron Sojourner

tderyugina.bsky.social
Tatyana Deryugina @tderyugina.bsky.social · Oct 10
Hey #EconSky working in environmental econ! Looking for things to do this weekend? Why not write up a 2-3 page proposal for a cool conference-publication combo, happening in May 2025 in Washington, DC?

Submit your proposal (or paper) here by Oct 20: conference.nber.org/confsubmit/b...
Submission: 8th Annual NBER Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy Conference, Page 1 of 2 - MyNBER
conference.nber.org

Reposted by Arik Levinson, Toshihiko Mukoyama

gcer-gu.bsky.social
Georgetown Center for Economic Research @gcer-gu.bsky.social · Oct 9
🎉 Congratulations to Professor Ivana Komunjer on being elected a Fellow of the Econometric Society
@econometric.bsky.social one of the highest distinctions in the field of economics! Since 1931, only 1,254 scholars have received this honor 🧵 [1/3]

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Oct 1
Head-scratching WaPo article says solar tax credits are slowing adoption, and ending them will (by mid-century) result in more solar panels on roofs.

Explain *that*, Econ 101 professors.

www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Column | Solar tax credits are ending. Here’s why that could be good for solar.
It could force the industry to address the issues that have made installing solar more expensive in the U.S. than elsewhere in the developed world.
www.washingtonpost.com

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Sep 8
A bittersweet day. Long-time EPA chief economist and @aereorg.bsky.social fellow @AlMcGartland (other site) is retiring. His dedication to practical, public-spirited, and good-humored policymaking will be missed at the EPA. Here's hoping his voice continues to be heard and influence felt.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Arik Levinson

climatefran.bsky.social
ClimateFran @climatefran.bsky.social · Sep 4
Its not just climate science that's wrong in DOE's dreadful climate report - the economics is terrible too!

salatainstitute.harvard.edu/environmenta...
Environmental economists respond to Trump administration climate report - The Salata Institute
The economists tell the Department of Energy that its findings are “woefully out of date” and rely on “an array of fallacies.”
salatainstitute.harvard.edu

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Sep 3
ICE and DHS are proposing (again!) to limit student visas to 4 years before requiring reauthorization. Makes no sense for PhD programs.

See something, say something. Comment here by Sept 29.

www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media
Unlike most nonimmigrant classifications, which are admitted for a fixed time period, aliens in the F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and most I (representatives of foreign information media...
www.federalregister.gov

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Arik Levinson, Joshua Goodman

climatefran.bsky.social
ClimateFran @climatefran.bsky.social · Sep 2
DOE's embarrassment of a "climate science" report is 150 pages where as this response from the scientific community is 500.

My take: It takes much more effort to refute nonsense than it does to generate it, a tax on the time of all who care about fact and accuracy
sites.google.com/tamu.edu/doe...
DOEresponseSite
On July 29, 2025, the Department of Energy (DOE) published a report from its Climate Working Group (CWG). This report features prominently in the EPA's reconsideration of its 2009 Endangerment Finding...
sites.google.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Lawrence F. Katz, Claudia Sahm , and 21 more

tderyugina.bsky.social
Tatyana Deryugina @tderyugina.bsky.social · Aug 27
Over 125 economists signed the open letter calling on the President, Congress, and the American public to uphold the principles of Federal Reserve independence and not remove Lisa Cook without due process.

There's still time to sign! And please share.

#EconSky

docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Open letter
Click here to add your signature. An Open Letter from Economists in Support of Governor Lisa Cook and Federal Reserve Independence To the President, Members of Congress, and the American public: We wr...
docs.google.com

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Aug 12
3/3 Ergo ... "A pre-tax price of $3 per gallon would imply the marginal social benefit of the fuel is nearly 7 times the ($0.44) marginal social cost."

Huh? That ignores the private cost, presumably around $3. Adding that to even their discounted SCC means *total* social costs exceed $3 by a lot.

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Aug 12
2/3 "assume a relatively high SCC of, say, $75. Deflated by a MCPF value of 1.5 that would result in a carbon tax of $50, which equates to about $0.44 per gallon of gas."

Why are we deflating the SCC by the deadweight loss from raising revenue? (Also, since when is $75 "relatively high"?)

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Aug 12
Three amazing points in one paragraph of the DOE report on GHGs.

www.energy.gov/articles/dep...

1/3 The Social Cost of Carbon "is not intended to measure the private marginal benefits ... of fossil fuels." Correct! (But not relevant. That's why it's the called the Social *Cost* of Carbon.)

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jul 24
👇especially #6 and #7.

6. Clear writing comes from clear thinking.

7. If readers don’t understand your writing, that’s your fault, not theirs.
crampell.bsky.social Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Jul 23
Some professional news: After more than a decade of columnizing at The Washington Post, I'm taking the buyout.
This is my last column. It is my advice to any other lucky pundits who land a perch like this -- with 11 principles I've aspired to, even if I haven't always achieved them:
wapo.st/3TU2fGw
Opinion | 11 tips for becoming a columnist
Here’s my advice for handling the awesome responsibility of this job.
wapo.st

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Justin Wolfers, Scott L. Greer , and 8 more

crampell.bsky.social
Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · Jul 23
Some professional news: After more than a decade of columnizing at The Washington Post, I'm taking the buyout.
This is my last column. It is my advice to any other lucky pundits who land a perch like this -- with 11 principles I've aspired to, even if I haven't always achieved them:
wapo.st/3TU2fGw
Opinion | 11 tips for becoming a columnist
Here’s my advice for handling the awesome responsibility of this job.
wapo.st

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jul 10
Published papers can become suddenly more important. This 2017 paper is among the most read and cited #JAERE papers in the last 12 months.

*Subsidizing EV charging stations would be twice as effective as subsidizing EVs.*

By Shanjun Li, Lang Tong, Jianwei Xing, and Yiyi Zhou
tinyurl.com/bhrt3zsj
The Market for Electric Vehicles: Indirect Network Effects and Policy Design | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol 4, No 1
Abstract The market for plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) exhibits indirect network effects due to the interdependence between EV adoption and charging station investment. Through a stylized model, we d...
tinyurl.com

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jul 9
Brander and Taylor (1988): tariffs on imports of open-access resources can be pareto-improving. Now @prakrati.bsky.social shows the converse empirically in #JAERE. Bans on environmental service exports (waste imports) can be environmentally beneficial.
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
Global Impact of a Unilateral Waste Trade Regulation | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol 0, No ja
www.journals.uchicago.edu

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jul 9
Those annoying text messages work.

State government appeals to save energy largely failed when broadcast over radio and television, but succeeded via text.

New in #JAERE from Dylan Brewer and Jim Crozier.

cc: @aereorg.bsky.social

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Who heeds the call to conserve in an energy emergency? Evidence from smart thermostat data | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol 0, No ja
www.journals.uchicago.edu

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jul 3
I wear mine often. Good shirt; good cause.

Reposted by Arik Levinson

tderyugina.bsky.social
Tatyana Deryugina @tderyugina.bsky.social · Jul 3
Here's your periodic reminder of how to easily support Ukraine: buy & wear an "Economists for Ukraine" t-shirt!

www.bonfire.com/economists-f...
Economists for Ukraine T-Shirt | Bonfire
Profits from this fundraiser will be used to meet under-served needs in Ukraine.. Over 5 million Ukrainians have left the country since the war, and over 7 million have...
www.bonfire.com

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jun 27
WaPo op-ed supports Carbon Tariffs for three reasons (and my rebuttals):
1. Revenue (that's all tariffs, not just carbon tariffs)
2. Protect US industry (again, all tariffs)
3. The US has no domestic carbon price (huh?)

wapo.st/46bDgWo
Opinion | A carbon tariff is the right way to confront China on trade
Climate-friendly tariffs would penalize countries that undercut U.S. companies with dirtier production.
wapo.st

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jun 9
Tax cuts that balance the federal budget:

Year 1) Pass 10-year budget that cuts taxes in yr 1 and raises them in yrs 2-10.
Year 2) Treat yr 1 as baseline, pass new budget that cuts taxes in yr 2 and raises them in yrs 3-11.
Year 3) Treat yr2 as baseline, .... you get the idea.

Problem solved!

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jun 4
@jaereaere.bsky.social

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jun 3
Is the double dividend back? Maybe if we include distributional concerns, according to Frederick van der Ploeg, Armon Rezai, and Miguel Tovar Reaños in @jaereaere.bsky.social
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Third-Best Carbon Taxation: Trading Off Emission Cuts, Equity, and Efficiency | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol 12, No 4
Abstract We analyze carbon taxes, lump-sum climate dividends, and changes to the level and progressivity of the income tax system that optimally trade off carbon emissions, equity, and efficient raisi...
www.journals.uchicago.edu

ariklevinson.bsky.social
Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · Jun 3
Efficient solar investment depends not only on *where* panels are installed, but *when*. Insightful new paper in ‪@jaereaere.bsky.social‬ by Nicolas Astier and Nicolas Hatem.

www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
Dynamic (Mis)allocation of Investments in Solar Energy | Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists: Vol 12, No 4
Abstract Because they differ in terms of technology, size, and location, solar photovoltaic installations exhibit very heterogeneous levelized costs of producing electricity. Therefore, the present va...
www.journals.uchicago.edu

Reposted by Arik Levinson

joshgerstein.bsky.social
Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · May 14
NEW: Judge orders release of Georgetown's Badar Khan Suri, saying Trump admin went after him on social media but produced no evidence he's affiliated with Hamas or poses a danger. DOJ said case belongs in immigration court not USDC. w/@kyledcheney www.politico.com/news/2025/05...