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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- News
Wind Farms Divide Environmentalists: Renewable Energy vs. Dead Birds
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Paul Domski is a falconer and a bird lover. And he seriously doesn’t like wind farms or the federal government’s recent decision to protect wind energy companies from punishment for 30 years for killing eagles. “If I was the country’s energy czar, I’d get rid of [wind farms],” said Domski, who also is the…Rob Nikolewski -
- Opinion
Dallas Fed Makes Case for Crude Oil Exports
The Dallas Federal Reserve Bank made the case for why policymakers should lift the ban on crude oil exports: Removing the export ban would eliminate a variety of marketplace distortions by increasing the price of crude oil in the interior U.S. to better reflect global levels, leading to a more efficient economic outcome. While this…Nicolas Loris -
- News
One of the World’s Biggest Sources of Oil Is Right Here in America
SANTA FE, N.M.—Oil production in New Mexico keeps on booming, and it could continue to do so for some time. “I think the forecast is great,” said Parker Hallam, president and CEO of Crude Energy in Dallas. “I’m excited.” The Permian Basin, located in eastern New Mexico and West Texas, recently has become one of the world’s…Rob Nikolewski -
- Opinion
Cartoon: How to ‘Grow’ Gas Prices
>>> This Standard Is One Reason the Price of Gas Will IncreaseGlenn Foden -
- News
$6 a Gallon? Where Gas Prices Might Be Without the U.S. Energy Boom
If you think the price of gas is high, imagine paying up to $6 a gallon. That’s what energy expert Dan Steffens thinks the price could be if not for the domestic oil boom. “With what’s going on the Middle East, I think it would five or six bucks [a gallon],” said Steffens, president of the…Rob Nikolewski -
- News
Gas Prices Will Climb, and You Can Blame Corn
JOHNSTON, Iowa — Most of what Tim Maher knew about the renewable fuel standard came from TV commercials. “They all talk about how it’s good for the environment and good for the country because we won’t have to import so much oil from the Middle East,” Maher said as he was filling up his car…Paul Brennan -
- Opinion
This Standard Is One Reason the Price of Gas Will Increase
Not thinking things through is a chronic problem with policy-makers in Washington. Superficial and easily sound-bite-able policies dominate the thoughtful-but-complex ones. For instance mandates for biofuel use would seem to be driven by basic supply and demand—more domestic fuel would lead to lower fuel prices for consumers. But the reality is more complex. On June…David Kreutzer -
- News
In 32 Seconds, Mick Mulvaney Boils Down the Debate Over Ex-Im Bank
Who do you trust—a government agency justifying its existence or a private business trying to compete? That’s the question Rep. Mick Mulvaney, R-S.C., posed at today’s Financial Service Committee hearing on the Export-Import Bank. In just 32 seconds, Mulvaney explains why he’s siding with the free market.Rob Bluey -
- Opinion
New EIA Report Shows Government Interference in the Oil, Gas, and Coal Industries
Nowhere in the song “This Land Is Your Land” do the lyrics mention the federal government. Yet, a new report released on June 19 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) confirms the large role the government has taken in regulating federally owned land in the oil, gas, and coal industries. Crude oil production in…Hanna Hebert -
- Opinion
House Energy Bills Work Toward ‘All of the Above’
The House is set to take up several energy bills this week. In the wake of an Energy Information Report (EIA) report released last Friday which again showed decreasing energy production on federal lands, the House bills offer significant opportunities to correct President Obama’s “all of the above” but “none of the below” energy policy….Katie Tubb -
- Opinion
Hiking the Federal Gas Tax Is a Mistake. Here’s Why.
Much clamoring for more federal transportation spending, and fuel tax hikes to pay for it, has come out of Washington recently. The Highway Trust Fund faces a $15 billion gap in 2015 between projected spending and the money it will collect in fuel taxes and fees. Trouble is, our Washington-centric approach isn’t solving our traffic…Emily Goff -
- Opinion
A Federal Gas Tax Hike for…What, Exactly?
Senators Chris Murphy (D–CT) and Bob Corker (R–TN) have proposed hiking federal fuels taxes by 12 cents per gallon. Car and truck drivers and bus operators would pay a gas tax of 30.4 cents a gallon and a diesel tax of 36.4 cents a gallon—up from 18.4 cents and 24.4 cents, respectively. That is on…Emily Goff -
- Opinion
Energy: Exporting Gas Is Now a Necessity for the United States
The recent $400 billion energy deal between Russia and China, the largest of its kind, is set to reshape the global energy markets and geopolitics. Under the deal, state-controlled Russian energy giant Gazprom will supply China with liquefied natural gas (LNG) for at least 30 years starting in 2018. It seems a natural fit. China…William T. Wilson -
- Opinion
$34 Billion Energy Bill Could Use a Few More Cuts
The House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee released its draft bill today. It takes positive steps toward environmental regulation and nuclear waste management. But the draft legislation largely misses the mark by continuing wasteful, taxpayer-funded energy subsidies and boosting spending for conventional energy such as oil, gas, coal, and nuclear energy technologies. The subcommittee should…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
How the EPA Got Heritage’s Energy Analysis All Wrong
Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency said a Heritage Foundation analysis of the agency’s war on affordable and reliable energy bore little resemblance to reality. But a quick look at the facts and the EPA response reveals it is the agency that needs a reality check. The response comes after EPA announced a rule to…Nicolas Loris