Oil & Energy News
Reports on oil drilling, pipelines, and energy policy debates. Conservative analysis and commentary included from The Daily Signal.
-
- Opinion
When Energy Efficiency Rules Hurt the Public and the Environment
Over the last several years, an extreme and ideologically-driven environmental agenda has hijacked our national energy policy. Whether its goal is to keep fossil fuels in the ground or to electrify America based on a naïve belief that all electricity will be renewable within 30 years, or some combination, this bias is what we now…Arthur Corbin -
- Opinion
Let’s Make American Energy Great Again
For the past eight years, President Barack Obama and his allies in Congress have feverishly worked to centralize energy regulatory power in Washington, empowering federal bureaucrats to micromanage how energy producers operate their facilities and run their businesses. The fundamental problem with centralized regulatory authority is the tendency of Washington bureaucrats to be ignorant of—and…Sen. Mike Lee -
- Opinion
Drain the Swamp? This Energy Bill Is More Big Government Paternalism
Time is running out for negotiations between the Senate and House of Representatives on a conferenced energy bill. For opponents of big government paternalism, that’s a good thing. The Senate-passed energy bill is fraught with provisions that would increase government’s micromanagement of the energy sector. It is a continuation and extension of the idea that…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Shuttered Nuclear Plants Aren’t Being Replaced by Green Energy
Natural gas and other conventional energy sources are replacing power generated by shuttered nuclear reactors, according to federal energy data. Despite numerous claims that solar and wind power would replace nuclear sources, both wind and solar combined have historically replaced only a small fraction of shuttered capacity. The same pattern is expected to continue as…Andrew Follett -
- Opinion
Alternative Energy Is Likely to See a Big Boost in Taxpayer-Funded Subsidies During Lame-Duck Session
Members of Congress are preparing to be quite active during the lame-duck session. That’s good news for cronies who want to use the political system to secure handouts but bad news for taxpayers and the economy. The targeted tax credits Congress is considering include windfalls for hybrid solar lighting systems, fuel cells, geothermal, biomass, combined…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
DC School’s ‘Green Academy’ Selling False Hope With Renewable Energy Training
Children are filtering back to school in the nation’s capital, but one school is getting students off on the wrong foot by promoting careers propped up on the backs of the taxpayer: renewable energy. H.D. Woodson High School has three career and technical education program tracks. Two of them line up with traditional educational training…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
What’s Wrong With the Government’s Mandating of Energy Efficiency
The Obama administration’s Department of Energy has churned out a list of energy efficiency regulations before the next administration. Just since June, the DOE has set or initiated standards for dehumidifiers, ceiling fans, battery chargers, and wine coolers. At issue isn’t health or safety, or even unfair business practices. Through the DOE, the federal government is…Katie Tubb -
- Opinion
Why Low Oil Prices Might Increase Economic Freedom in the Persian Gulf
The recent decline in oil prices has squeezed the finances of nations whose economies are dependent on oil exports. Even wealthy producers such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia have been forced to cut government spending significantly. Although that means their citizens will receive less free stuff from the state, it just might lead to more…Owen Morgan -
- Opinion
Consumers Pay Because Regulators Allow Natural Gas Use at This Solar Plant
Consumers are getting burned by a taxpayer-subsidized solar power plant in California’s Mojave Desert. An immensely wealthy consortium owns the plant. Government regulators approved a contract forcing consumers to pay four to five times the going rate for electricity produced by the plant. And the energy, because of an inordinate use of gas, turns out…Reece Brown -
- Opinion
A Workable Blueprint for Energy Freedom
“Keep it in the ground.” That mantra of the Greens encapsulates the restrictive energy policies imposed by the Obama administration. But there’s a better approach: one that relies on the ingenuity of free enterprise to produce abundant, reliable, and affordable energy for all. That approach, rather than the restrictive, bureaucratically directed model favored by the…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
What If the Government Actually Banned Coal, Oil, and Natural Gas?
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is not your typical teenager. The 16-year-old hip-hop artist and global warming activist with the nonprofit Earth Guardians has been dubbed the “anti-Bieber.” He “rallies supporters of every age and creed through school presentations, his unique brand of eco hip-hop, and heartfelt speeches,” according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Xiuhtezcatl, from Boulder, Colorado,…Elayne Allen -
- Opinion
The Lifting of This Oil Ban Could Add 800,000 New Jobs
Since Congress lifted the long-standing ban on crude oil exports, U.S. companies are taking advantage and Americans are reaping the benefits. This example shows how free market reforms can transform the energy sector and provide a massive boon to consumers. In June, CNN reported that the U.S. reached a sevenfold increase in oil exports to…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
Costly Renewable Energy Regulations Prevent Our Military From Doing Its Job
The Obama administration is aggressively defending costly renewable energy initiatives for the Department of Defense. By forcing its political agenda onto the military, the Obama administration prioritizes inefficient renewable energy initiatives at the expense of U.S. military strength and taxpayers. These requirements mandate that the Department of Defense produce or procure “not less than 25…Rachel Zissimos -
- Opinion
Why the Left Is Wrong to Demonize Affordable Energy
Innovation is a wonderful thing but can also serve as a reminder of just how good we have it. Take the journey of the solar-powered plane, for example. The Solar Impulse 2 is an airplane powered by solar panels and uses batteries at night. In promotion of weaning the world off natural resources like oil…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
Energy Bill Embodies Washington’s Backwards Thinking on Energy Policy
The Senate will soon vote on a bipartisan energy bill. Introduced by Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark., and Marie Cantwell, D-Wash., the Energy Modernization Act illustrates the wrong approach Washington takes when it comes to energy policy. Proponents claim that the bill is non-controversial. But for those concerned about government interference in the energy sector, the…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Why This Governor Opposes a Bipartisan Bill to Subsidize Solar Energy
Maine Gov. Paul LePage is fighting a bipartisan proposal designed to boost solar power development in the state by a factor of 12, arguing that it would benefit only the wealthy. At a business expo Thursday in central Maine, LePage, a Republican, warned that the solar power bill would increase electricity costs to 22 cents per kilowatt-hour. “If…Natalie Johnson -
- Opinion
The Bizarre Reality of Venezuela’s Energy Crisis
Venezuela is facing an electricity shortage so severe that President Nicolas Maduro extended the national Easter holiday by decree to decrease demand for it. The government is effectively shutting down the country for five days with the hopes of staving off an impending infrastructural collapse. That’s right: The country with the largest proven oil reserves in…Ricardo Pita -
- News
What the Defeat of a Wind Energy Project Means for Harry Reid’s Hometown
Grassroots conservationists and property rights activists in Nevada stand poised to secure an unprecedented legal victory over government-backed wind energy proponents that could reverberate across state lines. If they prevail, they will have handed a rare defeat to the U.S. Senate’s top Democrat, Harry Reid, in his hometown. A federal District Court judge ruled against…Kevin Mooney -
- Opinion
The Green Energy Goal That Is Condemning Many to Prolonged Poverty
Poverty and energy poverty go hand in hand. It is estimated that three billion people still rely on solid fuel (firewood, cornstalks, etc.) for cooking, which, according to the World Health Organization, causes four million deaths per year from the indoor air pollution. Poverty and energy poverty go hand in hand. But instead of promoting electricity…David Kreutzer -
- Opinion
Lifting the Crude Oil Ban Shows America Is Open for Business
The first shipment of American crude oil has reached European markets. This comes only a month after Congress took a big step toward a more sensible energy policy by terminating the crude oil export ban. The crude oil export ban, an antiquated and misguided regulation that dated back four decades, had tied the hands of oil…Katie Tubb