Colin Murphy
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persuasivescience.bsky.social
Colin Murphy
@persuasivescience.bsky.social
Co-Lead LCFS and fuel policy research at UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies. Fuel wonkery, climate policy, sustainable transportation, science comms. Thoughts are my own.
Similar workshops are being held around the country, in case you're not in our neighborhood. See the link in the invitation to find one in your area.

Please share this announcement and I'm happy to answer questions!
August 21, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Right now, about 1/4 of LCFS revenue goes toward EVs; by the early 2030's it will be over 1/2.

I agree that capping the amount of lipid-based biofuel given credits under the LCFS would be good for the program and emissions, but killing the whole thing throws a lot of baby out with the bathwater
June 13, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Reposted by Colin Murphy
Lots of people saying, "just wait until the consequences hit!"

I would remind you that last time Trump was president, he botched a pandemic & a million Americans died. As a result, he was reelected & Americans turned on their own public health agencies.
February 11, 2025 at 8:28 PM
Is there a ten cent thing that I can buy with a dime, but wouldn't buy if it would cost me a quarter? If so, then we should keep dimes, if not, then maybe we don't need cash smaller than a quarter. I can't think of that thing, however, a quarter is the smallest transaction we typically care about.
February 11, 2025 at 9:33 PM
Agree that prices don't care about coins, but most transactions today are electronic, with cash's share likely to continue declining. So the question is what's the smallest unit of currency for which there is a significant need for precise cash transactions?
February 11, 2025 at 9:33 PM
I'd submit that right now the quarter is the smallest meaningful unit of currency we have in the U.S. Anything smaller is kept for the sake of tradition or to let us complete the math without arbitrary rounding. Is that worth paying $billions to allow it to continue for cash transactions? I say no
February 11, 2025 at 6:06 PM
If we can ignore the 1-2 cents the consumer or store might lose by omitting the penny, then why is the 2-3 cents they might lose without nickel a problem? Is five cents a functional unit of currency in the US? Do we buy anything for five cents, or is it just there to complete the transaction math?
February 11, 2025 at 6:06 PM
It's hard to argue that the dime has much value as a mechanism of transaction these days, even harder to argue we'll still need it in 10 years. Do we need coinage smaller than a quarter?
February 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Exactly. A problem which has the exact same solution: eliminate the nickel, too.
February 10, 2025 at 8:45 PM
I don't know that I buy that argument (which comes from a pro-penny group). It's not like there's a major constituency of people who demand exact change when making cash transactions. Even if they're right, then we can round to the dime or quarter.
February 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Why should a House member take a bunch of hours to write and file those articles? The fact that WH is trying to waffle out of the spending freeze shows that they do respond to massive public pushback. Right now leaders should be mobilizing the public to push back and organizing for 2026.
January 29, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Gotta prioritize things that have an impact, including on public perception. We already impeached him twice and he still won reelection (narrow margin, but a win's a win). Why would articles of impeachment buried in the docket of a House committee change things?
January 29, 2025 at 11:41 PM
Using their platform to shine light on awful things he's actually doing seems to be registering more effectively right now and given that he's clearly flooding the zone with awful actions, is it really worth wasting time on a useless gesture? Impeachment seems like an after-the-first-100-days thing
January 29, 2025 at 9:01 PM
If that was really the most helpful thing for setting narrative or galvanizing the electorate for action sure. But we've been here before, failed impeachment attempts don't seem to damage presidents (Trump or Clinton) and articles of impeachment that go nowhere don't seem to register
January 29, 2025 at 9:01 PM