The federal rulemaking process depends on sound science, especially when human lives are at stake. A proposed rule  from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would stiffen regulations for crystalline silica, a group of minerals used in numerous industries, including hydraulic fracturing. Prolonged exposure to respirable crystalline silica is associated with silicosis, an incurable disease that causes impaired respiratory function and scarring of the lungs. Unfortunately,...
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Imagine an alternate universe in which a new diet craze began in 2005, where fitness gurus urged Americans to massively increase their corn intake. The spiking prices led farmers to substitute corn for other crops, and to bring new land under cultivation to meet the exploding demand from consumers. Then an Associated Press investigation reveals the dark side to the new fad: Five million acres of land taken out of conservation and turned into farmland, wetlands filled, and water sources...
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WASHINGTON – A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), have joined today in opposition to another extension of the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC). In a letter sent to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) and Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT), the Senators call for the permanent expiration of the wind PTC. AEA President Thomas Pyle released the following statement:

"The American Energy Alliance welcomes the efforts of this...

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In a previous post we discussed the EPA’s proposed reduction to the 2014 biofuel mandate: Because motor vehicle consumption of gasoline has risen more slowly than legislators assumed back in 2007 when the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) statute was updated, the originally mandated targets would have required refiners to surpass the “blend wall.” In other words, the original mandates would have forced refiners to put more ethanol into the nation’s fuel mix than would be safe for many...
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[caption id="attachment_1696" align="alignright" width="300"] Image: Flickr/snake.eyes[/caption] The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee held a hearing this week on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The hearing comes on the heels of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to reduce the total volume obligation for 2014. Testifying at the hearing, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President Charles Drevna  explained some of the flaws with...
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Have you noticed the price of beef, chicken, and eggs going up in recent years? This is what happens when federal laws require turning food into fuel. The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) requires refiners to blend ethanol into the nation’s fuel supply. Because the only domestic source of cost-effective ethanol is corn-based ethanol, this means that federal law mandates turning food into fuel. As a new ad campaign explains, the Renewable Fuel Standard makes it more difficult for American...
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WASHINGTON -- The American Energy Alliance launched today a week-long initiative targeting federal subsidies for the wind industry. The initiative includes a $40,000 digital and print ad buy promoting a new report from AEA's parent organization, the Institute for Energy Research. The report, titled "Estimating the State-Level Impact of Federal Wind Energy Subsidies" , provides a state by state and region by region assessment of the distributional impacts of federal wind subsidies. The ad...
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WASHINGTON -- Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) released yesterday a federal tax reform discussion draft that includes a number of energy provisions. American Energy Alliance Senior Vice President Dan Kish released the following statement in response to the Senator's plan:

"Senator Baucus' energy tax plan should serve as a reminder that he was Obamacare's chief author and then later distanced himself from his work by calling it a "train wreck" . Americans should be...

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Last week was unkind to the ethanol lobby. The EPA proposed a reduction in the biofuel mandate, and a scathing AP investigation undermined the environmental case for ethanol support. To gauge just how serious the situation is, we need only look at the weak arguments put forth by the ethanol lobby in rebuttal. First let’s review what happened: The EPA proposed rolling back the 2014 amount of ethanol to be included in the nation’s fuel mix. According to the schedule passed by Congress in...
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