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Richard Stroup, RIP

Last week, Richard Stroup, an economist and noted figure in the free-market environmentalism movement, passed away. After an extensive and successful career as an academic analyst and policy analyst and one of the early advocates of free-market environmentalalism, Stroup succumbed in his sleep to liver cancer.

Many readers might be familiar with the popular economic textbooks he co-authored along with James Gwartney. His wittiness and usefulness may also be known to others. The Eco-nomics Guide: Everything Everyone Needs to Know About Economics and the Environment. His friendship and teaching qualities are what I still remember.

Rick first came to my attention when I was working at the Competitive Enterprise Institute on environmental policy. Though based in Bozeman, Montana — at Montana State University and PERC (then the Political Economy Research Center, now the Property & Environment Research Center) — he would come to Washington, D.C. frequently, whether to testify, deliver a lecture, or brief political staff. If we were fortunate, he would also share his insights with us.

Rick Shaw and Jane Shaw moved from Michigan to North Carolina after he retired from MSU. He continued writing, commenting, and thinking about public policy.

As a relative newcomer in environmental policy, I learnt a lot from him and appreciate the time we shared together. We will miss him.