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
Green Energy Leaves Americans Out in the Cold in More Ways Than One
February gave Texas the cold shoulder this weekend as an extreme winter storm pounded the entire state. As of this morning, power had not been restored to more than 4 million Texans. Hundreds of thousands have also lost water after the water treatment plants in Fort Worth, Abilene, and elsewhere suffered power outages. A handful of…Tony Perkins -
- News
Biden’s Energy Nominee Divvied Taxpayers’ Millions to Alternative Startups That Went Bankrupt
President Joe Biden’s nominee to head the Department of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, divvied out millions in taxpayer funds during her two terms as Michigan governor to alternative energy companies that eventually went bankrupt. In one instance, Granholm’s administration provided a $9.1 million refundable tax credit to a renewable energy company registered to the address of…Andrew Kerr -
- Opinion
Millions in Africa Being Sacrificed to Extreme Poverty, Premature Death on Altar of ‘Green Energy’
Obama-era policies that favor so-called green energy over coal-fired electricity are dooming millions of Africans to lives of extreme poverty, environmental degradation, and increased risk of early death, according to a new analysis by the CO2 Coalition. The study by the Arlington, Virginia-based coalition of 60 climate scientists and energy engineers contends that inadequate access…Gregory Wrightstone -
- Opinion
Mexico’s Efforts to Undercut Oil Competition Should Concern US Policymakers
A recently revealed memo from the president of Mexico, written by Mexican officials, highlights a deepening of statist economic policy in that country. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has purportedly directed authorities to further undo the 2014 energy liberalization by granting state-owned oil giant Petroleos de Mexico primary access to the country’s electrical grid—meaning,…Bernard Zitzewitz -
- Opinion
Top-Down White Penitence Is Shaking Up and Roiling the American Workplace
A white physician working in Raleigh, North Carolina, says he has participated in multiple diversity training exercises—including two in the last two years—without a fuss. But he was taken aback when his employer, Duke University Health System, said this summer it will roll out a comprehensive strategy to purge the last vestiges of racism from…John Murawski -
- Opinion
Why California’s Natural Gas Appliance Bans Are Bad Economic and Environmental Policy
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines a few weeks ago when he signed an executive order to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035. While the order is concerning for a number of reasons, there’s a more imminent threat of restrictions on affordable, reliable energy. Several cities in California and…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Portland Mayor Bans Police Use of Tear Gas After 100 Days of Rioting
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler has banned the use of tear gas on rioters in the Oregon city. Wheeler, a Democrat who is also Portland's police commissioner, banned the use of tear gas munitions on rioters Thursday, despite ongoing riots that have surpassed the 100-day mark, a press release from his office says. Wheeler wrote that the Multnomah…Jake Dima -
- Opinion
Can Oil-Rich Guyana Avoid the Venezuela Curse?
The battle for the future of economic freedom in Guyana is being waged right now. Its gross domestic product growth has improved in anticipation of an oil boom that is now coming on stream. The oil revenues could transform the country, as a petrostate, into the fastest-growing economy in the region. Alternatively, the country could…James M. Roberts -
- Opinion
Don’t Gaslight Us on #BelieveWomen
Many of us were startled to open The New York Times last week and find ourselves accused of hijacking and weaponizing the phrase “believe all women.” According to journalist Susan Faludi, the phrase always has been “believe women,” and never has been associated with a demand for automatic and unquestioned belief that those who allege…Amy Swearer -
- Opinion
In Responding to Low Oil Prices, Patience Is a Virtue
Sometimes the preferred policy solution is to do nothing at all. Take the oil industry, for instance, where many of the proposals from federal and state policymakers would have done far more harm than good by distorting markets and harming consumers. America’s oil producers are by no means out of the woods yet, but the…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
Don’t Expand Federal Energy Loan Programs. Unplug Them.
Amid the economic downturn caused by COVID-19, some in Congress are calling for more stimulus programs to jump-start and sustain an economic recovery. Many policymakers are calling for it to be done in a climate-friendly way, which has renewed interest in the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office. The Loan Programs Office offers taxpayer-backed loans…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Jesse Jackson Stands up for Natural Gas Development in Struggling Community
The Rev. Jesse Jackson is bucking many of the environmentalists who believe natural gas production perpetuates a world in which climate change is disproportionately hurting black communities. Jackson is prodding local, state, and federal officials in Illinois to OK the construction of a $8.2 million, 30-mile natural gas pipeline built for a community, Axios noted in a report…Chris White -
- Opinion
Why Eco-Warriors’ Bid to Ban Natural Gas Appliances Is Wrongheaded
Could the 80-year-old phrase “Now we’re cooking with gas” soon become a relic of the past? Several cities are studying proposals to restrict the use of natural gas in commercial and residential buildings as a way to combat climate change. In the latest push to ban natural gas appliances in homes, a Sierra Club-commissioned report…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Ocasio-Cortez Deletes Tweet Hailing Oil Price Crash That Risks Big Job Losses
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tweeted—and then quickly deleted—comments that appeared to show adulation over the price of oil dipping below $0 a barrel, which will ultimately lead to job losses. Ocasio-Cortez on April 20 reacted gleefully at news that the price of oil had dropped below $0, saying that such a milestone would mean the United States…Jason Hopkins -
- Opinion
What Collapsing Oil Prices Mean for America
Warmer weather usually means more people getting out and driving—to stores, restaurants, baseball games, or sometimes, just to drive. Projections that gas prices could soon fall below $2 per gallon would usually be cause for celebration. But these aren’t usual times, are they? The reality is the implications for the U.S. economy are unclear. They…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
A Misguided Approach to Nuclear Power in ‘Energy Innovation’ Bill
Being “well intentioned” isn’t the same as doing well. Look no further than the recently introduced American Energy Innovation Act. The bill proposes an extensive federally funded and directed research, development, and demonstration program for advanced nuclear technologies through the Department of Energy. It’s Act 2 of the Nuclear Energy Leadership Act, the first half…Katie Tubb -
- Opinion
Senate’s ‘Energy Innovation’ Bill Wasteful, Redundant
When you think of the word “innovation,” what comes to mind? Maybe it’s something new and inventive—or something cutting edge, original, and creative. Or, if you’re in Washington, “innovation” is trotting out the same, stale approaches to policy that have done less to empower innovators and families and more to empower special interests. The latest…Nicolas Loris -
- News
Oil Production on Federal Land Tops 1 Billion Barrels, Reducing OPEC’s Impact on Markets
Oil production on federal lands topped 1 billion barrels in 2019, marking a 29% increase from the Obama administration, Department of the Interior officials announced Tuesday. Technological advancements over the last decade in hydraulic fracturing helped drive the increase, as did President Donald Trump’s rollback of his Democratic predecessor’s environmental regulations. Production was up 122 million barrels…Chris White -
- Opinion
How the Shale Revolution Became the MVP of US Energy Production
America’s oil and gas production is like Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes. Defies expectations. Continually amazes. Sets new records. Makes a lot of people very happy. Within the past decade, the United States has seen remarkable benefits as a result of the shale revolution. Fueled by innovation and American entrepreneurial grit, the U.S. surpassed Russia as the world’s largest…Nicolas Loris -
- Opinion
How the Oil Production Boom Has Benefited America
“We can’t just drill our way out of the problem.” That was the oft-repeated phrase of President Barack Obama, who throughout his presidency argued that the key to beating higher gasoline prices was to subsidize alternative energies, such as solar and wind. It was a common sentiment from those who fretted that the world had…Jarrett Stepman