Biofuel Industry Gets Rich at the Expense of World's Poor

By their very nature, government policies that artificially encourage the use of “biofuels” (such as ethanol) distort resource allocation and make consumers poorer than they otherwise would be. Of course, fans of the free market have been leveling such a criticism against biofuel mandates and subsidies from the beginning. Yet over the last few years, […]

Continue Reading...

It’s Time to Repeal the RFS, Not Expand it

WASHINGTON D.C. – The American Energy Alliance and eleven other free market organizations sent a joint letter to Congress today opposing H.R. 1959, the Domestic Alternative Fuels Act of 2013. This bill would expand the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by allowing ethanol derived from natural gas to count toward the mandatory blending targets established by […]

Continue Reading...

In the Pipeline: 6/5/13

It must be so convenient to have an explanation for everything. The Guardian (6/3/13) reports: “Piraino said at least 150,000 people were treated for jellyfish stings around the Mediterranean each summer… Global warming, overfishing and human intervention – especially breakwaters that protect sandy beaches but provide a home for larvae – are all blamed. As predators disappear, […]

Continue Reading...

In the Pipeline: 5/20/13

We’re not surprised, but that doesn’t make this any less unsettling. Washington Examiner (5/17/13) reports: “Two powerful congressional Republicans want to know more – a lot more – about why and how Environmental Protection Agency officials have for several years erected multiple obstacles to conservative think tanks, media outlets and non-profit activists filing Freedom of Information Act […]

Continue Reading...

SEQUESTER HELL: DEFENSE DEPARTMENT EDITION

Washington DC – AEA President Thomas Pyle responded today to the announcement by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel that the Pentagon will furlough 800,000 civilian employees for 11 days in order to pay for budget cuts under sequestration:   “This is another example of the Obama Administration using budget cuts to inflict maximum harm on the […]

Continue Reading...

In the Pipeline: 5/1/13

Apparently Al Gore has forgotten about his own invention. Hollywood Reporter (4/30/13) reports: “Al Gore, one of Hollywood’s favorite sons because of his commitment to the environment, rocked a large crowd in Beverly Hills on Tuesday with an impassioned plea to solve the ‘climate change crisis,’ part of which is getting media right… Gore lamented that a […]

Continue Reading...

In the Pipeline: 1/30/13

We’re not entirely cynical, because Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy are still real. Consumer Energy Report (1/29/13) reports: “I don’t ride a unicorn to work because unicorns don’t exist… But imagine the following scenario. A number of companies claim that they are developing unicorns, and in 3 years they will be commercially available. The Environmental Protection […]

Continue Reading...

In the Pipeline: 1/8/13

You mean those roughnecks and coal miners aren’t kidding when they say they like to hunt and fish in their own back yards? For some reason I used to think it was more sensible to listen to “real” environmentalists from places like Manhattan. WSJ (1/4/13) reports: “The inescapable if unfashionable conclusion is that the human use of […]

Continue Reading...