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
Why Climate Activists’ Push for Renewable Energy May Backfire
Renewables such as wind and solar are intermittent and largely unpredictable energy sources, with rapid swings in output from one minute to the next. This creates major challenges for operators of the nation’s electricity grid, because supply must equal demand, and the supply “curve” in a given area never tracks the output from intermittent renewable…Mario Loyola -
- News
Dems’ Energy Permitting Reform Bill Includes Billions for Eco-Activist Groups
A Democrat-backed permitting reform bill unveiled in December would hand out billions in grants for eco-activist nonprofits to conduct environmental reviews on green government projects. Nonprofit organizations, localities, and Native American tribes would be able to apply for $500 million in grants each fiscal year starting in 2024 through 2029, as a part of the Clean Electricity…Will Kessler -
- Opinion
Electric Vehicle Mandates Are Coming, but Are EVs Even Practical in Cold-Weather States?
In the lot of Eau Claire, Wisconsin’s, local Ford dealership, dominated by an impressive lineup of F-150 pickup trucks and SUVs, I asked the salesman, Joe, about buying an electric vehicle. It turns out that not many EVs are sold in Eau Claire. Joe told me that he typically sells about one or two electric…Andrew Weiss -
- Opinion
Nuclear Provides Way to Decarbonize Without Sacrificing Energy Affordability, Reliability
On the heels of the United Nations Climate Change Conference last month in Dubai, it’s clear that nuclear energy’s role in achieving a clean energy future cannot be overlooked or understated. At COP28, we heard from dozens of top minds in-person and from afar who echoed the same message: Transitioning to cleaner energy sources cannot…Grace Marie Stanke -
- Opinion
Inventor Gaston Glock’s Firearms Legacy Lives On
Gaston Glock, the brilliant Austrian inventor, entrepreneur, and founder of one of the most successful firearms manufacturers in history, passed away Wednesday at 94. The cause of death was not immediatly announced. In 1963, as Europe was attempting to rebuild every aspect of its economy after the devastation of World War II, Glock founded Glock…Tony Kinnett -
- Opinion
Spain’s Worrisome ‘Frankenstein Coalition’ Government
Is Spain facing the end of democracy, a condition that was restored less than half a century ago? It isn’t just foreigners who are constantly asking this worrisome question. We Spaniards are asking it ourselves as 2023 comes to a close. The concern stems from elections held this year and the government it produced. That…Matias Jove -
- Opinion
International Energy Agency Promotes Oil Shortage Instead of Preventing It
This year’s Conference of the Parties to the U.N. climate agreements, or COP, is being held in the Emirate of Dubai, arguably the world’s most extravagant display of oil wealth. Ironies abound. The host and president of this year’s conference, Sultan Ahmed al Jaber, happens also to be the CEO of the United Arab Emirates’…Mario Loyola -
- Opinion
Federal Energy Efficiency Requirements Are Outdated and Should Be Repealed
Americans have experienced appliance inflation over the past few years, and it could be about to get worse as the Biden administration continues its onslaught of appliance regulations. While blaming Washington bureaucrats is always a reasonable response, in this case, any problems that they are causing is a result of them exercising the authority granted…Jack Spencer -
- Opinion
Why Is EU Trying to Block Poland’s Move Toward Clean Nuclear Energy?
Poland lives in a rough neighborhood, sharing borders with Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine—with the historical scars to prove it. Indeed, few countries suffered more at the hands of tyrants than Poland did in the last century. That’s one reason why Poland’s economic rise since the end of the Cold War is so remarkable. By 2022,…Jack Spencer -
- Opinion
Biden’s ‘War on Fossil Fuels’ Out of Step With Geopolitical Realities, Energy Policy Analysts Say
With the Russia-Ukraine war and the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel underscoring the urgent need for renewed U.S. oil and gas development, now would be a good time for President Joe Biden to rethink his opposition to fossil fuels, an energy and environmental policy analyst says. “These events give President Biden the perfect opportunity to…Kevin Mooney -
- News
Arrests ‘Part of the Deal’: Climate Activists Who Struck Degas Exhibit to Return to DC
An extremist climate group that defaced an exhibit on French impressionist Edgar Degas last spring at the National Gallery of Art plans to lead another series of protests in the metropolitan Washington area beginning Friday. And more illegal actions are in the works, the group says. The organization, called Declare Emergency, threatened to continue such…Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell -
- Opinion
How a Working-Class Coalition Is Remaking the Republican Party
Patrick Ruffini is a Republican pollster with a reputation for deciphering data and spotting trends. His new book, “Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP,” takes a deep dive into one of the biggest political realignments of our lifetime. Ruffini spoke with The Daily Signal about the demographic changes that…Robert B. Bluey -
- Opinion
The Great ‘Green Energy Transition’ That Wasn’t
One of the textbook marketing flops of all time was the Ford Edsel sedan, which was heralded as the hot new car in the late 1950s. All the automotive experts and Ford executives said it was a can’t-miss. Henry Ford (the car was named after his son) guaranteed hundreds of thousands of sales. But one…Stephen Moore -
- Opinion
Automakers Wake Up to Reality on Electric Vehicles
CLAYTON, GEORGIA—Driving through rural Georgia, I have yet to see an electric vehicle or a charging station. After promising the Biden administration that they would eliminate most of the cars Americans want to buy from dealer lots by 2035, GM and Ford are now waking up to reality. They are cutting back on projections of…Diana Furchtgott-Roth -
- News
Energy Department’s National Lab Logs Over $160 Million in Questioned Costs
A Department of Energy lab in Illinois logged over $160 million in questioned costs due to lost invoices, excessive reimbursements, and holiday pay, according to a recent audit by the agency’s inspector general. The audit examined costs incurred in 2018 by Fermi Research Alliance LLC, the contractor that operates the Fermi National Accelerator Lab near Batavia,…Adam Andrzejewski -
- News
Pizzeria Owner Calls Out NYC’s Ban on Coal- and Wood-Burning Ovens
NEW YORK, N.Y.—New York City has set its sights on a cultural establishment that embodies an emblematic tradition in the Big Apple: pizzerias. Specifically, restaurateurs who make pizza using coal- and wood-burning ovens installed before 2016. Earlier this year, New York City announced a rule mandating that such ovens be fitted with expensive scrubbers designed…Philip Reynolds -
- Opinion
UK’s Keen Grasp of Obvious: 2030 Mandate on Electric Vehicles Is Unachievable
LONDON—British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, after first announcing a mandate requiring all fossil-fueled vehicles sold in the U.K. after 2030 to be electric, succumbed to pressure from the Conservative Party and within his own government and announced Wednesday a delay until 2035. His goal remains net zero by 2050. Sunak’s goal continues to be based…Cal Thomas -
- Opinion
UAW Strike Over Green Energy Agenda Threatens Liberals’ Coalition
The big economic news at the end of last week was the start of a strike by the United Auto Workers union against all three major U.S. automakers. This is the first strike against President Joe Biden’s green agenda, pitting two parts of the traditional Democratic coalition against each other—the environmentalists against the blue-collar workers. Or…Diana Furchtgott-Roth -
- Opinion
Woke Duke Energy Jacks Up Electric Rates to Pay for ESG, Zero Carbon Mandates
Duke Energy has thrown consumers under the proverbial (electric) bus to make their operations carbon neutral by 2050. As a result, electricity prices in North Carolina may increase by 19% over the next three years. The company’s president, Lynn Good, receives more than $20 million annually in compensation financed in part by ensuring that consumers lower…Miles Pollard -
- Opinion
UK’s Onshore Wind Scheme Could Backfire, With Far More Potent Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Shortly after naming Claire Coutinho as secretary of state for energy security and net zero on Aug. 31, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a plan to accelerate the approval process for onshore wind projects. Previously, a 2015 ruling allowed a single complaint within a community to halt an onshore wind program and fully stopped…Miles Pollard