Oil & Energy News
Reports on oil drilling, pipelines, and energy policy debates. Conservative analysis and commentary included from The Daily Signal.
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opinion
Lebanese Leader Suspends Resignation as Rising Saudi-Iranian Tensions Roil Beirut
The intensifying Saudi-Iranian cold war is severely disrupting Lebanese politics. Lebanon’s prime minister, Saad Hariri, resigned suddenly on Nov. 4, blaming Iranian interference in Lebanese affairs and the internal threat posed by Hezbollah, Iran’s Lebanese Shiite surrogate. Hariri’s resignation speech was delivered from Saudi Arabia, which reportedly had pressured him to step down after summoning… -
opinion
The Ethanol Mandate Promotes Swamp Dominance, Not Energy Dominance
Washington is known for political arm-twisting. There’s a good reason for that. It too often works, and it helps prop up bad policies like mandates to blend corn-based ethanol and other biofuels into our fuel supply. In September, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed cutting the volumetric requirements for the Renewable Fuel Standard. The reductions were… -
opinion
Tax Reform Bill Moves Closer to Free-Market Energy Policy
The GOP’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act makes a profound policy statement that is to be commended: The goal of the bill’s energy measures is “to move closer to a free-market energy agenda.” Free markets supply affordable energy, innovation, and a clean environment better than any heavy-handed regulatory approach to manipulate how people produce and… -
opinion
Foiled Plot in Miami Is 99th Terror Plot Against US Since 9/11
The Department of Justice charged Vicente Adolfo Solano last week with attempting to use an explosive device at a Miami mall. Solano had pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. This case represents the 99th Islamist terrorism plot or attack against the U.S. homeland since 9/11. A confidential informant with the Drug… -
opinion
Largest Oil and Gas Lease Sale in History a Major Win for US Energy
President Donald Trump has vowed to make the U.S. more energy dominant than ever, and the Interior Department took an important step toward that goal this week. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke announced on Tuesday that his department is proposing the largest oil and gas lease sale ever held in the United States. In March 2018,… -
opinion
Foiled Terror Plot Raises Number of Plots, Attacks to 98 Since 9/11
The Justice Department unsealed criminal charges earlier this month against three men for plotting to attack New York City in 2016. The plotters were arrested at different times in 2016 and 2017, in different parts of the world. Since this plot occurred in the past and the first plotter was arrested in May of last… -
opinion
New Bill Would Stop Energy Department From Risking Taxpayer Money
This week, Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas, introduced the DOE Loan Program Repeal Act, which would prohibit the Department of Energy from offering new government-backed loan guarantees for energy projects. Weber’s bill would not only protect taxpayers, but would also prohibit government intervention that enables industry dependence on subsidies and empowers Washington to direct the flow… -
news
PennEast Pipeline Backers Tout Lower Energy Prices in Fighting Well-Funded Green Groups
Anyone traveling along the roadways that run parallel to that part of the Delaware River where George Washington staged his famous Christmas night crossing in 1776 is sure to encounter signs that take aim at an energy project known as the PennEast Pipeline. Some of those signs invoke revolutionary language with statements that claim “We… -
opinion
In the Face of Evil, Americans Rush to Help Each Other in Las Vegas
The mass shooting that took place as Jason Aldean sang during a country music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday night was a demonstration of what evil men can do to fellow human beings. There were immediate calls to politicize the event, but Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, had a great response that many… -
news
Investigators Reluctant to Call Vegas Massacre an Act of Terror
It’s probably too early to judge whether the massacre at a concert in Las Vegas should be characterized as an act of domestic terrorism, government officials and experts say. The Islamic State, the terrorist group also known as ISIS, claimed credit Monday for the gunman who opened fire late Sunday night from above a country… -
news
Gunman Kills at Least 58 in Las Vegas, Thought to Be ‘Lone Wolf’
In what authorities are calling the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history, a gunman killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 500 Sunday night at an outdoor country music concert in Las Vegas by firing from the 32nd floor of a hotel. The number of deaths—updated from 50 to 58 about 11:30… -
news
Group Sues Vermont AG for Withholding Emails About Climate Crusade Against Oil Groups
Vermont is refusing to comply with a court order forcing officials to release communications about the state’s supposed involvement in a climate inquisition against fossil fuel groups, a conservative legal group said Monday. Vermont Attorney General T.J. Donovan denied conservative group E&E Legal’s request for communication between former Attorney General William Sorrell and New York… -
opinion
America’s Energy Dominance Won’t Sacrifice Environmental Quality
President Donald Trump declared during energy week that the United States would “usher in a golden age of American energy dominance.” From rolling back egregious offshore drilling restrictions and power plant regulations to a policy review to revive nuclear energy, the Trump administration is making important headway to unleash America’s vast energy resources. But energy… -
news
Rick Perry’s Plans for US Energy Dominance
America is approaching energy independence, but still needs to remove obstacles, Energy Secretary Rick Perry says. “The previous administration talked about energy independence, but wouldn’t drill and transport. It was all talk,” @SecretaryPerry says. “We are very close to being energy independent,” Perry told The Daily Signal in a brief interview. “Regarding our ability to… -
news
Energy Department Looks at Green Impact on Power Grid
Energy Secretary Rick Perry said the upcoming Department of Energy study on power grid’s reliability is needed to address the facts after the Obama administration placed a premium on politics—but green energy is reportedly ready to push back. The study, set to be released in the coming weeks, will look at the effect of green… -
opinion
Trump’s Action on Energy Empowers Local Leaders, Lays Groundwork for Prosperity
“One step forward, two steps back.” That’s how we summed up the situation the last time an offshore oil and gas exploration and drilling proposal was announced. That was in January 2015, when the Obama administration included several areas off the coast of Alaska and parts of the Atlantic coast in the 2017-2022 federal leasing… -
opinion
Unlocking Our Immense Oil and Gas Supply Can Make America Great Again
American lawmakers would be wise to embrace the ongoing energy revolution. The Baker Hughes oil rig count for the United States increased on Friday for the 10th consecutive week to 809 operating rigs, resulting in a 20-rig increase from the week before and a 345-rig addition in the past 12 months. While OPEC countries have… -
opinion
Trump’s Budget Takes a Cleaver to Cronyism and Waste at the Energy Department
President Donald Trump released his budget blueprint today, and his proposal for the Department of Energy is a breath of fresh air. This proposal reflects the president’s priority of “[putting] America first by keeping more of America’s hard-earned tax dollars here at home.” Opponents have pilloried the draft as anti-science, anti-clean energy, and even extreme—all… -
opinion
Next Farm Bill Shouldn’t Play Favorites With Energy
The House Agriculture subcommittee on commodity exchanges, energy, and credit is holding a hearing March 9 titled “The Next Farm Bill: Rural Development & Energy Programs.” The 2002 farm bill was the first to contain an energy title, which has since grown to include direct handouts and loan guarantees for advanced biofuels and biorefineries, renewable chemicals, and… -
opinion
While Draining the Swamp, Drain Government-Controlled Oil Reserves
As the new administration seeks to reduce the regulatory burden on the energy market, one critical change is to liquidate the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The government-controlled stockpile of crude oil is a waste of taxpayer money and ignores how the private sector more effectively responds to price changes. President Gerald Ford and Congress created the…