Archive | Energy

Energy is the largest industry in the world, yet it is also the most regulated. CEI fights to open energy markets to vigorous competition in order to give more choice to businesses and consumers, lower prices, and increase productivity. Read more on energy policy at CEI.org.

CEI Weekly: Cuomo’s Antitrust Witch Hunt

CEI Weekly: Cuomo’s Antitrust Witch Hunt

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
November 6, 2009

>>CEI Blasts Antitrust Lawsuit Against Intel
CEI’s Ryan Radia criticized New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and his groundless antitrust case again Intel.…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Legal, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

Obama One Year Later — A Legacy of Lies and Broken Promises

It’s been a year since the president was elected, and he’s already piled up an impressive list of lies and broken promises.

The broken promises include his pledge to enact a “net spending cut,” his promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year, and his promise not to sign bills without first giving the public five days of notice.

The Congressional Budget Office says that Obama’s proposed budgets will explode the national debt through massive spending increases, increasing the already large deficits…

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Posted in Agriculture, Economy, Energy, Environment, Ethanol, Global Warming, Healthcare, Insurance, International, Legal, Natural Resources, Personal Liberty, Politics as Usual, Precaution & Risk, Sanctimony, Stimulus to Nowhere, TradeComments (0)

Cap-and-Trade Global Warming Bill Is A Scam, Experts Reveal

Cap-and-Trade Global Warming Bill Is A Scam, Experts Reveal

Two EPA lawyers criticized the cap-and-trade energy bill passed by the House as a scam, noting in The Washington Post that it will be manipulated to profit politically connected corporations and reward certain kinds of pollution, while not cutting greenhouse gas emissions.  A similar scheme enacted in Europe in the name of fighting global warming enriched polluters, while not reducing emissions, which actually rose faster in most of Europe than in the U.S.

The Washington Examiner explains how the bill will lead to deforestation, and thus increase greenhouse gas…

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Posted in Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Ethanol, Features, Global Warming, Natural Resources, Politics as Usual, Precaution & Risk, Sanctimony, ZeitgeistComments (0)

CEI Weekly: CEI Testifies Against Cap and Trade

CEI Weekly: CEI Testifies Against Cap and Trade

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
October 30, 2009

>>Iain Murray Testifies in Senate About Cap-and-Trade Failures in Europe
Iain Murray testified on Thursday, Oct. 29th, in front of the Senate Committee on…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, ZeitgeistComments (0)

My Power Company Wants to Sell Me Climate Indulgences

I pay my power bill online, so whenever I get something from Dominion Virginia Power over snail mail it catches my attention. Usually, it’s some notice about utility work nearby. However, the mailing I got today was unusual. It was an appeal to sign up for Dominion’s Green Power initiative.

The scheme appears simple enough. The mailer says, “When you sign up for Dominion Green Power, you add a little extra to your monthly bill which Dominion will use to purchase…

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Global WarmingComments (2)

“Cities are probably the greenest thing that humans do.”

“Cities are probably the greenest thing that humans do.”

A few years ago, environmental guru, Merry Prankster, and Whole Earth Catalog author Stewart Brand caused a minor stir with an article he wrote in the MIT publication, Technology Review.  Brand, who was an early advocate of the “back to the land” movement of the 1960s and 1970s, had done some re-thinking, and concluded that environmentalist opposition to things like urbanization, population growth, biotechnology, and nuclear power generation, was wrong and needed to change.

Now, Brand has written a new book, called Whole Earth Discipline:…

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Posted in Agriculture, Culture, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Nano & Biotech, Natural Resources, Personal Liberty, Precaution & Risk, Private Conservation, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

CEI Weekly: Scholars Support Case Against Sarbanes Oxley

CEI Weekly: Scholars Support Case Against Sarbanes Oxley

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
October 23, 2009

>>Support Builds for Supreme Court Case Against Sarbanes Oxley
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to hear a case that could have a major…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Personal Liberty, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

SuperFreakonomics generates heat on global warming

Even before publication, the book SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance is the topic of hot debate - on economists’ blogs, including Krugman’s, on Amazon, and, of course, on environmental sites.  SuperFreakonomics’ authors are Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago and Stephen J. Dubner, a former writer and editor at The New York Times Magazine.

The heat was generated by Chapter 5 of the book, which deals with global…

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Global WarmingComments (3)

CEI Weekly: John Berlau Criticizes Proposed Consumer Protection Agency

CEI Weekly: John Berlau Criticizes Proposed Consumer Protection Agency

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
October 16, 2009

>>[Video] CEI’s John Berlau On C-Span Discusses the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency
On Monday, October 12th, John Berlau was invited to…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

Regulation of the Day 61: Big Screen TVs – Mankind’s Doom!

Regulation of the Day 61: Big Screen TVs – Mankind’s Doom!

On November 4, California regulators may vote to ban big-screen televisions. The large sets use more energy than they would prefer.

Commissioner Julia Levin claims the ban “will actually save consumers money and help the California economy grow and create new clean, sustainable jobs.”

It is easy to imagine the ban costing tv manufacturing jobs; less so the jobs that would take their place.

Fortunately, the ban isn’t terribly enforceable. Consumers can just drive to Arizona, Nevada, or Oregon to get the kind…

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Posted in Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Global Warming, Regulation, Regulation of the Day, Tech & Telecom, ZeitgeistComments (1)

Senators Lindsey Graham and John Kerry: Yes We Can (Raise Your Energy Prices and Send Jobs Abroad)

Senators Lindsey Graham and John Kerry: Yes We Can (Raise Your Energy Prices and Send Jobs Abroad)

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) published a curious op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times titled, “Yes We Can (Pass Climate Legislation).”  The bill that they claim to support and that can pass the Senate is not the 821-page draft bill that Senators Kerry and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) released two weeks ago.  It is a fantasy designed to get the support of Senator Graham and other fuzzy-minded Senators with visions of lots of new nuclear plants, billions for technology…

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Posted in Agenda for Congress, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, International, TradeComments (3)

Windmills for spite

Windmills for spite

“Clean Energy Splits France: It’s Carbon vs. Countryside in Environmental Battle Over Plan for Windmills Near Coastal Shrine.” So reads the Washington Post headline.

But is it?

The article concerns three windmills that some fear will obstruct the view of the awesome Mont St. Michelle Abby on the French coast, which becomes an island at high tides. Yet the article also points out that France is very accepting of nuclear power, which provides about 80% of the nation’s energy needs. Another 10% comes…

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Posted in Energy, Environment, Features, Odds & Ends, ZeitgeistComments (0)

CEI Weekly: EPA Should Reopen Proceedings After Data Deletion Story

CEI Weekly: EPA Should Reopen Proceedings After Data Deletion Story

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
October 9, 2009

>>CEI Petitions EPA to Reopen Proceeding After Discovery of Data Deletion
In mid-August the University of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit (CRU) disclosed…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

Now Crist Goes after Utilities

Now Crist Goes after Utilities

Not content with exposing Florida to financial catastrophe by taking on responsibility for insuring coastal properties, Florida Governor Charlie Crist (R) continues his assault on his state’s fiscal health, this time by imposing nonsensical populist measures on utilities. As Seeking Alpha’s Roger Conrad observes:

Florida Governor Charlie Crist is running for US Senate in 2010–and darned if he’s going to let power utilities’ need for capital during a recession stand in his way.On Thursday, Crist effectively fired two long-standing members of the Sunshine…

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Posted in Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Energy, RegulationComments (0)

“Advanced” biofuels lag behind mandate

“Advanced” biofuels lag behind mandate

In today’s ClimateWire (subscription required), reporter Jessica Leber describes a biofuel industry still totally dependent on government handouts and still pleading for more special favors.

First a bit of background.

In December 2007, Congress passed and President Bush signed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA). Among other things, EISA boosted the existing (2005 Energy Policy Act) Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) from 7.5 billion gallons a year by 2012 to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022. Of those 36 billion gallons, 21 billion gallons must come from…

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Posted in Ethanol, Features, Global Warming, ZeitgeistComments (0)

CEI Weekly: CEI Battles Climate Change Policies

CEI Weekly: CEI Battles Climate Change Policies

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
October 1, 2009

>>CEI Battles Climate Change Policies
CEI fought for sensible energy policy on a number of fronts this week. On Monday, Chris Horner notified the…

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Posted in CEI Projects, Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, Regulation, ZeitgeistComments (0)

Alleviating Paul Krugman’s Fears

Alleviating Paul Krugman’s Fears

Mr Krugman in Sunday’s New York Times is worried.

In  his article “Cassandras of Science” he says, “What’s driving this new pessimism? Partly it’s the fact that some predicted changes, like a decline in Arctic Sea ice, are happening much faster than expected. Partly it’s growing evidence that feedback loops amplifying the effects of man-made greenhouse gas emissions are stronger than previously realized. For example, it has long been understood that global warming will cause the tundra to thaw, releasing carbon…

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Posted in Energy, Global WarmingComments (0)

Fisking Paul Krugman

In today’s New York Times, Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman preens about intellectual dishonesty while presenting the most intellectually dishonest case about the cost of climate change policies I have seen this side of Joe Romm.  It moved me to do something I have not done for some time, and Fisk the entire article.  Krugman’s words are in italics.

So, have you enjoyed the debate over health care reform? Have you been impressed by the civility of the discussion and the intellectual honesty…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, SanctimonyComments (5)

CEI Weekly: CEI Challenges UN Global Warming Alarmism

CEI Weekly: CEI Challenges UN Global Warming Alarmism

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters.

CEI Weekly
September 25, 2009

>>CEI Makes Waves in Climate Change Debate
Last week CEI made available documents obtained from the Treasury Department that contained the Administration’s predictions on the…

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Posted in Economy, Energy, Environment, Features, ZeitgeistComments (0)

Hard-Left Obama Policies Draw Criticism for Undermining Democracy, Security, and the Rule of Law

In his 2008 campaign, Barack Obama talked a lot about “bipartisanship,” but in office, he has governed from the far left, on both domestic and foreign policy, by meddling overseas in favor of left-wing would-be dictators, and at home in support of powerful left-wing unions, at the expense of taxpayers, airline security, the Constitution, and the rule of law.  (One possible exception to his left-wing path is his support for the obscene Wall Street bailouts, which disgusted left and right…

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Posted in Bailout Watch, Deregulate to Stimulate, Economy, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Healthcare, International, Labor, Legal, Personal Liberty, Politics as Usual, Sanctimony, Stimulus to Nowhere, TradeComments (0)

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