Oil & Energy News

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…

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…

The final easement granted on Wednesday by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to complete the Dakota Access pipeline project sent a clear signal to our nation: Infrastructure development is once again a priority. Last November, America chose a president who campaigned on rebuilding America’s infrastructure, encouraging energy development, and championing job creation. Now, only weeks…

For years, the Obama administration used its executive authority to obstruct two crucial energy infrastructure projects: the Dakota Access pipeline and the Keystone XL pipeline. Today, the obstruction finally came to an end when President Donald Trump signed two executive orders. This action affirms our new president’s respect for the rule of law and his…

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry recently had his confirmation hearing before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. If confirmed as energy secretary, Perry should work with Congress to reduce the size and scope of the agency’s intrusive reach into energy markets. Here are three priorities: 1. Stop and eliminate taxpayer-backed loans and loan guarantees….

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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…