What is the State of Wind Energy in America?
- 01/23/15
- AEA
- Blog
This week the American Wind Energy Association's (AWEA) CEO Tom Kiernan published an op-ed at The Hill's Congress Blog titled "The State of the Wind Industry is Strong." We noticed that Mr. Kiernan's piece omitted several important points about the state of American wind energy, so we took it upon ourselves to make those additions for him, our edits in red.
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The state of the wind lobbying industry is strong
The strength of the U.S. wind industry is attracting the notice of a mirage...
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LNG Reform Deserves Swift Senate Approval
- 01/22/15
- Daniel Simmons
- Blog
Sen. Cruz is proposing an amendment to the Keystone XL bill that will require that the Department of Energy to expedite all approvals for LNG export to any World Trade Organization (WTO) country. This would be a major improvement over the status quo.
Currently the LNG export approval process is too slow and cumbersome. LNG exports require two different permits from the federal government. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reviews an application for an LNG export terminal and...
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NREL Survey Fatally Flawed; Past Time to Repeal RPS
- 01/22/15
- Alex Fitzsimmons
- Blog
More than half of U.S. states have established Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) requiring electric utilities to generate a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. These mandates raise energy costs by forcing households and businesses to use more wind and solar energy, which are more expensive and less reliable than traditional energy sources like nuclear, natural gas, coal, and hydro.
Faced with these facts, some states are considering repealing or reforming...
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White House Threatens to Veto American Infrastructure
- 01/21/15
- AEA
- Blog
In his 2015 State of the Union address, President Obama emphasized the importance of infrastructure while at the same time making a not-so-subtle quip about the Keystone XL oil pipeline:
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21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure – modern ports, stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest internet. Democrats and Republicans used to agree on this. So let’s set our sights higher than a single oil pipeline. Let’s pass a bipartisan infrastructure plan that could...
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Durbin's Petcoke Amendment Will Drive Up Cost of Energy
- 01/21/15
- Daniel Simmons
- Blog
Today the Senate is voting on an amendment offered by Sen. Durbin to increase the regulation of petroleum coke or “petcoke.” This is another example of the administration and its allies trying to drive up the cost of domestic energy production and domestic energy use.
What is Petcoke?
Like gasoline and diesel, petcoke is produced in oil refineries. Once viewed as a byproduct, petcoke is now an important internationally-trade commodity and is helping to grow many developing...
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Obama’s SOTU: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgotten
- 01/21/15
- Alex Fitzsimmons
- Blog
On Tuesday, President Obama delivered his sixth annual State of the Union address. The address was peppered with references to low gas prices (which are good but he has nothing to do with) and booming energy production (also good but happening despite his policies), part of an agenda he described as “middle-class economics.”
The address was also notable for what the president didn’t say. While the president declared that “no challenge poses a greater threat” than climate change,...
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Obama's Methane Plan Whiffs on Climate Change
- 01/20/15
- Alex Fitzsimmons
- Blog
As we explained last week, President Obama’s proposed methane scheme is an attempt to fix a problem that does not exist. Methane emissions are declining as natural gas production is booming—and it’s happening all without federal intervention because natural gas producers have an economic incentive to reduce methane emissions.
The proposal also fails to accomplish its stated purpose to “curb climate change.” A new report from the Cato Institute explains:
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The amount of methane...
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The War on Coal in One Map
- 01/15/15
- Mike Morrison
- Blog
The Obama administration likes to deny there’s any “War on Coal,” but the numbers don’t lie. West Virginia, the heart of coal country, now has the lowest labor participation rates among all 50 states -- less than 50% of people 16 and up are employed. It is the only state in the country with a labor participation rate below 50 percent. Market Watch reports:
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West Virginia quietly passed the ignominious milestone of having less than half of its adult, civilian population in the...
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