Do Not Take a Finance Class (or an English Class) from the College of Marin

At the College of Marin, located a few miles north of San Francisco, it would be foolish to take a class in finance. Tesla is receiving $5.3 million in state and utility incentives to install a battery array on campus to save at most $150,000 a year. The Marin Independent Journal explains:
Tesla will get $5.3 million in state and utility incentives and rebates covering site preparation, installation of lithium-ion battery packs, a liquid thermal control system, and software commanded by a...

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Court's Decision Reaffirms that States Should Stop Work on Carbon Rule

  • 05/19/16
  • AEA
  • Blog
In an unexpected turn of events, the DC Circuit independently decided that the entire circuit court panel (11 judges) should hear the challenge to Obama’s carbon rule. The practical effect is that oral argument will delayed from June 2 until late September. For all intents and purposes, this is positive news for the challengers and should encourage states to safely put their pencils down if they haven’t already. Initially, both sides had viewed expedited review of the case positively....
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The Danger of Deferring to the Bureaucrats

  • 05/17/16
  • AEA
  • Blog
In 1984, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that would fundamentally change the balance of power in American government by the Court giving wide deference to regulatory agencies in the interpretation of ambiguous statutes. In Chevron v. NRDC, the Court prescribed guidelines for administrative interpretation regarding vague or ambiguous statutes. The opinion states:
When a court reviews an agency's construction of the statute which it administers, it is confronted with two questions....

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States Continue to Stop Work on Carbon Rule, But Utilities See “Investment Opportunity”

  • 05/11/16
  • AEA
  • Blog
Litigation over the EPA’s carbon rule for power plants is continuing with oral arguments set for early June. In the meantime, several states have sought to codify the Supreme Court’s stay with a “stop work order” inserted into state appropriations bills. Last Friday, Kansas became the latest state to protect their residents. These bills are critical to protecting scarce state resources while legal uncertainty remains. Where possible, they should also be extended to cover utility...
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Apple is still wrong about their "100% Renewable" claim

On March 21st Apple announced new products, updated software, and doubled down on the claim that globally their facilities run on 93 percent renewable power. As IER reported last year, this just isn't so:
The “100 percent renewable” claim is misleading and disingenuous. As much as companies like Google and Apple love to tout their purchases of wind and solar power, it’s a good thing for their customers that the companies actually still run on reliable and affordable power from...

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Why the Colorado Coal miners need you

In March of last year, I had the privilege of traveling to northwest Colorado to film AEA’s “Eye of the Storm” video which chronicled the threats radical environment activists were making against the communities of Craig and Meeker. Thankfully, with your help, we were able to convince the federal government that the Colowyo mine should stay open . Unfortunately, the mine and these communities are under threat yet again. While in Craig and Meeker, Colorado, I was blown away by the...
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Paris Climate Deal is Another Paper Tiger

  • 12/12/15
  • AEA
  • Blog
WASHINGTON -- American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement on the Paris climate deal:
"Just like each one before it, this climate agreement is unenforceable, underfunded, and non-binding. There is nothing historic about this deal. The Obama administration clearly doesn't have the support of Congress or the American people—making the agreement nothing more than a paper tiger. "Unfortunately, this won't stop the president from pursuing a domestic...
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Key Vote: YES on S.J. Res. 23 & 24

  • 11/30/15
  • AEA
  • Blog
The House of Representatives will consider two Senate-passed Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions that disapprove of President Obama’s regulation of carbon dioxide from power plants. S.J. Res. 23, targeting regulations for new power plants, and S.J. Res. 24 , targeting regulations for existing power plants, will spearhead the House’s action against these harmful regulations. The American Energy Alliance urges all Representatives to vote in favor of these CRA...
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Obama's Carbon Rule Still a Bad Deal for Americans

  • 08/03/15
  • AEA
  • Blog
WASHINGTON -- American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle issued the following statement following the Obama administration's announcement of their final carbon rule:
"The final version of President Obama's 'Clean Power Plan' is somehow more harmful than the proposed rule. It forces states to make even steeper cuts, it guts natural gas in favor of costly renewables, and it still has no effect on climate change. While the EPA touts these adjustments to the rule as a sign of...

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If Wind Energy is "Strong" Why Does it Need Subsidies?

  • 07/29/15
  • AEA
  • Blog
Last week, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) released its second quarter 2015 U.S. wind energy market report. In a press release , AWEA CEO Tom Kiernan hails the report as indicative of a vibrant wind energy industry: “With a near-record amount of wind capacity under construction, this looks to be a strong year for American wind power.” However, Kiernan quickly changes tone, stating that “…to create longer term stability for the industry the full Senate and the House of...
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