Wayne Winegarden
Senior Fellow, Business and Economics, Pacific Research Institute
Wayne Winegarden is a senior fellow in business and economics at the Pacific Research Institute and director of the organization’s Center for Medical Economics and Innovation. An economist and policy analyst, Winegarden focuses on healthcare, energy, taxation, and macroeconomic policy issues and has written for outlets including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Investor’s Business Daily. He previously worked as an economist in Hong Kong and Washington, D.C., and earned his Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University.
Topics
Appearances (1)
2026-05-20
The Pacific Research Institute’s Wayne Winegarden Explores Energy Policy and Coal's ImportanceWayne Winegarden, a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute, discusses energy policy and the ongoing importance of coal in the U.S. energy landscape on the Powering America Podcast. He highlights the complexities of energy costs in California, the role of coal as a dispatchable energy source, and the challenges posed by regulatory pressures that limit investment in coal. Winegarden emphasizes the need for a balanced energy strategy that includes coal, natural gas, and nuclear power to ensure grid reliability while addressing environmental concerns.
Notable quotes
“Without affordable energy, you don't have prosperity.”
“When those costs go up, the cost for everything else goes up too.”
“Coal still plays a very prominent role in keeping the world running today.”
“We have to do it realistically.”
“The ultimate problem is... it's harmful kind of to those companies, is gonna prevent them from being, having the capital they need.”
“The market will do a better job... because if we allow individual companies, individual entrepreneurs to experiment, to succeed and reap the rewards or fail and pay the consequences, then the market will do a better job.”
