Renewable Fuel Standard

Environmental groups have historically and continuously looked for ways to attack affordable, reliable sources of energy like natural gas and oil. Much of their recent attack has focused on hydraulic fracturing because the term “fracking” makes it sound like it is a bad thing. But now some groups are calling attention to the “hydraulic” part of hydraulic fracturing by claiming that hydraulic fracturing uses too much water, even though water has been used in the process for...
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Irwin Stelzer has a PhD in economics from Cornell and decades of experience in academia, the financial world, and public policy. He is a frequent columnist in right-leaning outlets and was the editor of the 2004 The Neocon Reader. As such, readers may have taken Stelzer very seriously when he recently argued in The Weekly Standard  that conservatives should support a carbon tax because it would (he claims) be good for economic growth. Yet as I’ll show, Stelzer’s article shows that...
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Institute for Energy Research Founder and CEO Robert Bradley published the following op-ed last month in the Findlay Courier on the University of Dayton's decision to divest from fossil fuels: Citing “the negative consequences of climate change,” the board of Trustees of the University of Dayton (UD) recently voted to divest its oil, natural gas, and coal stocks. By ridding its $670 million investment pool of fossil fuels, UD hopes to protect “the world’s most vulnerable people”...
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Senator Edward J. Markey provided the Institute for Energy Research (IER) with questions for the record after the hearing he held on “U.S. Security Implications of International Energy and Climate Policies and Issues” on July 22, 2014. Below are IER's responses to those questions: I have responded to each of the questions from Senator Markey below. I would like to make it clear at the outset that I am in favor of all energy technologies. However, I believe that the energy marketplace...
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Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule expanding the types of fuels that can qualify as cellulosic biofuel under the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS).[i]    For the EPA this is perfect timing, as it still has yet to finalize the RFS standards for 2014, but is proposing to significantly increase the cellulosic target.  It’s current proposal would require the blending of 17 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel - up 11 million gallons from the 2013 target...
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The following graphic was recently making the rounds on social media: The total area of solar panels it would take to power the world, Europe, and Germany: 

(Source .) The purpose of the graphic, of course, is to show what a “no brainer” it is for humans to switch to solar-powered electricity plants. Many people presumably saw that graphic and were pleasantly surprised to see how little it would take, in order to provide for all of Earth’s electricity needs using solar. But in this...
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Five members of Chicago’s City Council have proposed an ordinance to require all self-serve gas stations within the city to offer mid-grade E15 at their pumps. This mandate will harm the small business owners that operate many of these gas stations and it will likely lead to more damaged engines as consumers use E15 in engines that were not specifically designed for it. Hopefully, the Chicago City Council will reverse course. E15 is a blend of gasoline with up to 15 volume percent...
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A recent assessment from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) found that there has been a 42 percent increase in technically recoverable oil and a 20 percent increase in technically recoverable gas[1] in the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) since 2011, when the last assessment was conducted.  This amounts to a mean of 4.72 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 37.51 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered technically recoverable natural gas[2] just off...
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is required by law to set the amount of biofuel they will require to be blended with gasoline for the following year. They are tasked with doing this before December to give businesses some idea of what their mandates will be for the upcoming year. But we are more than half way through 2014 and EPA still has not set the amount of biofuel required for this year. It appears that political interest is again trumping public interest at the Environmental...

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The United States Supreme Court announced on June 30 it would not review California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). This decision allows California to go forward with its LCFS. As a result we will likely see even higher gasoline prices in California. A Low Carbon Fuel Standard limits the amount of greenhouse gases vehicle fuel can emit in its production and usage. Transportation fuel (ie. gasoline and diesel) producers are encouraged to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions...
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