For Immediate Release

AEA to award “Lump of Coal” to naughty policymakers, politicians, and others who have hindered American energy development

WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance has been keeping a list of the naughty policymakers, politicians, and other professionals who — by their individual and occasionally collective efforts — have slowed American energy development through bad policy and foolish ideas.  Beginning Thursday, December 8, 2011, AEA will award the 2011 “Lump of Coal” awards to a twice-checked list of worthy recipients over the next twelve business days.

“As we looked over our Christmas list this year, we knew that there were some very deserving candidates for the inaugural “Lump of Coal” awards.  Whether by an ideological commitment to unproven and expensive green energy sources, or a basic misunderstanding of the way global energy markets work, the men and women who will receive this year’s awards are uniquely responsible for unnecessarily high energy prices, reduced exploration and development of affordable energy sources, and job losses in the United States,” said AEA President Tom Pyle.

“I suppose if we could figure out how to gift wrap the wind or a ray of sunshine, we would give that to them instead.  As it is, coal is cheap, readily available and the United States has the world’s largest supply.  And in the event the recipients are unable to heat their homes this Christmas season with windmills or solar panels, they will be able to burn their award and stay warm.”

The awards will be announced December 8-23.

The American Energy Alliance is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies.

Repackaged and Repolished

In other words, same whine, new bottle

Washington — The only thing standing in the way of job creation is Washington and we have 4,200 examples to make our case. No, not Solyndra or the Chevy Volt, but rather the amount of regulations coming down the pike that stifle job creation and economic growth.

The Obama administration’s green jobs and crony capitalism is proven a failure. There is nothing fair about how the President ‘invested’ the stimulus money and tried to create green jobs. Friends of Obama, such as Solyndra’s George Kaiser are insulated by risk through government loans and when their business fail, the taxpayer is left holding the bag. Obama’s administration continues to bail out friends in certain politically correct business, while regulating main street to economic poverty.

We warned President Obama two years ago that that his green jobs, and targeted infrastructure-spending plan would cost jobs, not create them. Recent history has proved us right. 

AEA president Thomas Pyle noted, “Washington is standing in the way of creating jobs in America. Just look at energy production in the Gulf of Mexico or Alaska. We could be producing much more domestic energy, but the Obama administration’s policies is making it hard and harder.

One third of the deepwater rigs in the Gulf of Mexico have left for place like Brazil and Egypt, where the governments welcome oil and natural gas production. The Obama administration can’t even decide to allow a pipeline from Canada, despite the fact that we have already have over 50,000 oil pipelines in America today.”

At the end of the day, President Obama wants two sets of rules for American business. For the politically correct business, he wants to subsidize, give special tax breaks and insulate from risk by the federal government loaning them money on favorable terms. For the productive part of America, he punishes with discriminatory taxes and overly burdensome regulations.   

Our Money

AEA Releases Radio Ads Highlighting NAT GAS Act as Another
Wasteful Washington Program

WASHINGTON – Today, the American Energy Alliance released a radio advertisement campaign entitled, “Our Money”.  The ads will run in markets in Idaho, Wyoming, Maine, Alabama, and Mississippi.  They specifically reference the NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1301) as an example of another in a long line of unwise, unwarranted, and unaffordable federal policies.

AEA President Thomas Pyle noted that: “The ads are designed to remind voters that narrowly targeted energy subsidies, especially those favored by billionaires who stand to profit from the subsidies in question, are counterproductive and result in higher energy costs, reduced economic growth, and restricted job growth.

“In short, policies where a handful of Washington, DC officials and bureaucrats decide who wins and who loses are very poor substitutes for the marketplace, where millions of customers are more capable of deciding for themselves without wasting our hard-earned taxpayer dollars in the process.”

Click here to listen to “Our Money”.

AEA Ad – Our Money

ANNOUNCER: After wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars on failed bailouts and government giveaways, you’d think Washington would kick its outrageous spending habit.

But even in the middle of a $14 trillion national debt crisis, Congress just can’t stop giving away our money.

The latest congressional giveaway is the NAT GAS Act—billions in corporate welfare that would dole out $60 thousand dollars in tax subsidies for each new natural gas truck purchase.

Meanwhile, ‘We the People’ get stuck with the bill through higher energy costs and less job opportunities.

American families are suffering through high unemployment and soaring energy costs. We can’t afford another corporate welfare giveaway like the NAT GAS Act.

Now is the time for action.

Call your U.S. Senator or Congressman at 202-225-3121. Tell them special interest handouts like the Nat Gas Act have to stop.

Paid for by the American Energy Alliance—www.AmericanEnergyAlliance.org.

Founded in May 2008, The American Energy Alliance (“AEA”) is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies.

Actually, that isn’t True, but it would be Nice if Politicians Practiced what they Preached for Once

WASHINGTON- The White House announced yesterday that the Obama Administration has collaborated with GM, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, and Hyundai to increase Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for new cars to 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025.  While studies have shown that this standard will have no impact on global emissions, it will increase the profits of the endorsing companies by forcing Americans to buy more expensive cars.

In response, Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, issued the following statement:

“Yesterday’s CAFE announcement is government intervention at its worst.  Higher fuel economy mandates are based on the Obama Administration’s belief that Americans are too stupid to decide for themselves which cars to buy.  The auto companies should be ashamed of themselves for rolling over, yet again, and signing on to this pact.”

“American families should have the same freedom to choose transportation for their children and grandchildren as the Secret Service has in its choice of vehicles to protect the President.  His limo gets 8 miles to the gallon and weighs 10,000 pounds, but it protects him from numerous dangers.  There’s a reason President Obama isn’t driven around in a Smart Car surrounded by Secret Service agents in Minis.

“Time and time again, studies have proven that these types of CAFE standards cause increased deaths in auto accidents by forcing Americans to drive smaller, lighter cars.  These rules will continue to force Americans to sacrifice safety, comfort, and affordability as a result of the Obama Administration’s obsession with fuel economy.

“While these new standards will increase the deaths of Americans in auto accidents, it will also increase auto manufacturers’ profits by forcing Americans to buy more expensive cars.  Instead of taking a ‘balanced approach’ to purchasing a car, President Obama wants to force Americans to consider fuel economy over any other aspect – even the car’s price.  President Obama’s automobile choice shows that he cares about features other than fuel economy, so why is he forcing the American people to choose fuel economy first and foremost?

“Instead of putting limits on Americans’ freedoms, President Obama should allow the free market to function so that auto companies are making the types of cars that Americans want, not the types of cars that his radical anti-energy constituency wants.

LSU Economist Finds Administration’s Dual Capacity and Section 199 Proposals Would Reduce Federal Tax Revenue by More Than $53 Billion

Click here to read the PDF

Click here to read the one pager

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Louisiana State University Endowed Chair of Banking and nationally-renowned economist Dr. Joseph R. Mason today released a just-completed study that finds the Administration’s proposal to carve out U.S. energy firms from receiving certain tax deductions would have a net negative impact on federal revenues. In his study, “Budget Impasse Hinges on Confusion among Deficit Reduction, Tax Increase and Tax Reform: An Economic Analysis of Dual Capacity and Section 199 Proposals for the U.S. Oil and Gas Industry,” Dr. Mason finds repealing tax deductions for American energy manufacturers would result in:

• $30 billion in Federal tax revenue at the expense of some $341 billion in economic output;
• Over 155,000 lost jobs, $68 billion in lost wages, and $83.5 in reduced tax revenues; and,
• A net fiscal loss of $53.5 billion in tax revenues.

“The administration’s proposal to eliminate tax deductions on U.S. oil and gas companies is grossly counterproductive toward the goal of increasing federal revenues,” Dr. Mason said. “Such a move would have a net negative impact on revenue, thereby increasing federal deficits.”

“If the goal is deficit reduction, a far more meaningful approach would be reforming federal tax and business policies that encourage economic growth. Expansion of oil and gas exploration and production on the Outer Continental Shelf, for example, would generate an estimated $11 billion annually in Federal tax revenue in the short run, and $55 billion annually in Federal tax revenue in the long run.

“Reform supports business development in both developing and developed countries, alike. The best reformers have several things in common. First, their reforms are part of a broad agenda of boosting global competitiveness and, second, they never stop. Even developing countries previously stung by fiscal imbalances and committed to business reform rarely retreat to increased taxes as a way to raise revenues. The U.S. should also step up to the challenge of reform.”

Dr. Mason’s conservative economic analysis employs the same economic used in government modeling – the U.S. Commerce Department’s RIMS II system.

Dr. Mason’s report was sponsored by the American Energy Alliance (“AEA”). To learn more and get exclusive information on upcoming projects, sign up for AEA’s In The Pipline<http://www.americanenergyalliance.org/>.

Thomas Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance, issued the following statement in response to the study’s findings:

“This study confirms that President Obama’s insistence on imposing discriminatory tax changes on American oil and gas companies has nothing to do with deficit reduction – it has everything to do with satisfying his anti-energy agenda. The president’s insistence on these senseless tax hikes is further proof of his outright hostility to the oil and gas industry – an industry that provides over 9 million jobs and billions in revenue to the federal government.”

Founded in May, 2008, The American Energy Alliance (“AEA”) is a not-for-profit organization that engages in grassroots public policy advocacy and debate concerning energy and environmental policies.  AEA is the advocacy arm of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), a not-for-profit organization – founded in 1989 – that conducts intensive research and analysis on the functions, operations, and government regulation of global energy markets.