America is in the midst of an energy revolution. While coal use has fallen, natural gas and oil production have increased dramatically over the last four years. Conversely, despite massive amounts of subsidies, mandates, and media hype, renewable energy production has hardly budged. Glowing words for renewable energy investment shouldn’t outshine the real story about the market-driven boom in oil and gas production. Data vs. Hype The chart below shows the change in U.S. energy...
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The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of Interior tried this week to put a positive spin on their anemic onshore oil and gas leasing program. Even worse, it took them nearly six months to do it, since the fiscal year 2015 ended at the beginning of last October. Of course, it takes a while to craft a message by massaging numbers and cherry picking data points. In their release , the BLM cites a 10 percent increase in oil production on federal and Indian lands from 2014 to...
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In December 2015, Congress passed a massive omnibus spending bill, which included a $23.8 billion, five-year extension of the wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) and the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC). This extension marked a big win for wealthy industrial wind developers and solar investors—all at the expense of American taxpayers. Now, some in Congress—both Democrats and Republicans—have proposed extending several other energy subsidies that were not included in the year-end...
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Several Senators, led by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, recently signed a letter urging the Environmental Protection Agency to increase the annual blending targets for the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) for 2017. Their criticism of the RFS program misses the mark. Instead of strengthening the standard, Congress should focus on repealing the mandate in its entirety. In the letter, the Senators argue that EPA incorrectly applied the law and set the RFS levels too low. They state, “we remain...
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On March 29^th, EPA filed its response to the D.C. Circuit Court on why the agency's regulations of carbon dioxide from power plants is legal. There’s no shortage of whoppers to highlight in EPA’s briefs. Here are a few:

It’s just the market trend, man. EPA insists the rule “follows existing industry trends without resulting in any fundamental redirection of the energy sector.”[1] Further, EPA argues, “these trends are due largely to falling prices for renewables and gas, as...
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Both Candidates Agree: No Carbon Taxes WASHINGTON – Today, the American Energy Alliance released responses to its 2016 candidate questionnaire from presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. To give voters a better understanding of where the 2016 field stands on energy policy, AEA asked the candidates questions on a variety of issues, including EPA’s carbon rule, a carbon tax, energy production on federal lands, and the Renewable Fuel Standard. Click here to read the...
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EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy’s testimony before Congress today continues to leave unanswered questions and speculation about EPA’s activity level around the carbon rule, as well as what the stay means for states who would like to put their pencils down but fear the EPA’s retribution for holding off until judicial review is complete. Here’s the truth about the stay and what it means for states still considering whether to stop work: 1. The EPA’s own opposition brief to the...
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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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This week, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy will be called before Congress to testify regarding her agency's FY 2017 budget request. These hearings hold particular import, as the EPA continues to be one of the most aggressive and intrusive rule-making agencies. The crux of the EPA's regulatory agenda is the so-called "Clean Power Plan", aimed at regulating new and existing coal-fired power plants. This regulation will result in the closure of over 47 GW of coal-fired power–enough to power...
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The annual budget process continues to inch closer and closer to the (intended) April 15^th deadline, when a budget resolution is supposed to be passed by both Chambers. While nonbinding, the budget resolution does set topline numbers for Appropriations Committees and kicks off the appropriations process in earnest. The resolution also provides an important forum to stake out policy goals and priorities. The House Budget Committee recently passed its version of a resolution, setting up...
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