Energy & Climate Policy News

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    • Opinion

    Group That Inspired Charlie Hebdo, Fort Hood Attacks Stands to Benefit From Yemen Turmoil

    Yemen has been engulfed in an intensifying civil war that has weakened U.S. counterterrorism efforts, created a vacuum of power in which al-Qaeda’s regional franchise can flourish and boosted Iranian influence in a strategic corner of the Arabian Peninsula. Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, an American ally, has fled the country. The Houthi rebel…
    James Phillips
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    • News

    Why This Economist Wants Government to Stop Wasting Money on Alternative Energy

    On Tuesday, a House Science subcommittee held an oversight hearing on the Department of Energy. The Heritage Foundation’s Nick Loris was on hand to testify that  the agency continues to waste taxpayer dollars funding alternative forms of energy. Loris, the Herbert and Joyce Morgan fellow, argues the government’s focus should be to fund basic research…
    Jamie Jackson
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    • Opinion

    No, Being a Climate Change Skeptic Isn’t Like Fearing Vaccines

    National Geographic’s latest cover story generated lots of attention for comparing climate change skeptics to those who fear vaccinations, disbelieve NASA’s moon landing, and oppose water fluoridation. The author bemoans the fact that only 40 percent of Americans (according to Pew Research Center) “accept that human activity is the dominant cause of global warming,” asking how so…
    Stephen Moore
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    • Opinion

    How Removing Crude Oil Export Ban Would Promote Economic Freedom

    Thursday’s Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on America’s crude oil export policies will focus largely on the 40-year-old ban on crude oil exports enacted in response to the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries embargoes levied on the United States and other countries in the 1970s. But at the heart of the matter is…
    Nicolas Loris
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    • Opinion

    Lifting This Ban Could Reduce Gas Prices

    Yet again, the push is on to lift the 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil. Yet again, opponents claim this would be a disaster … that prices would climb, availability would be threatened and the strategic advantages of holding onto our oil would be discarded. But what Americans need to understand is that lifting the…
    Marshal Wilson
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    • News

    Why Republicans Are Calling for Higher Gas Taxes in This State

    Georgia residents could soon see prices surge at the pump, as lawmakers consider a bill that would significantly raise taxes on gas so the state can afford $1 billion in transportation needs. Georgia’s Republican-led legislature generally agrees on two things: the need to raise a billion dollars to improve roads and bridges (which amounts to…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    Republicans, Democrats Should Stop Asking for Energy Favoritism

    An exchange Thursday in a House hearing illustrated what’s wrong with America’s energy policy. During the Department of Energy budget hearing Thursday, House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., had a few choice words for Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, saying that the Energy Department had not invested enough in carbon capture and sequestration technology (which has been…
    Katie Tubb
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    • News

    Study: Government’s Control of Land Is Hurting Oil Production, Job Growth

    Current government regulations imposed by the Bureau of Land Management are harming energy production and holding back the U.S. economy, a new study reveals. “While federally owned lands are also full of energy potential, a bureaucratic regulatory regime has mismanaged land use for decades,” write The Heritage Foundation’s Katie Tubb and Nicolas Loris. The report…
    Ben Smith
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    • Opinion

    Why It’s Better That Markets, Not the Government, Guide Energy Policy

    Almost every activity that improves our quality of life requires energy. We don’t question how the lights stay on, or how groceries get to the stores where we need them. But it happens. Without a doubt, the adage, “You don’t know what ya got ’til it’s gone” applies to energy. We get upset when our…
    Nicolas Loris
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    • Opinion

    Don’t Waste Energy on Fossil Fuel Divestment

    Global Divestment Day(s) take place Feb. 13-14, and a movement is afoot to encourage entities to sell their portfolios of conventional fuel stocks. According to a new study, the strategy, known as fossil fuel divestment, would be a loser for those who participate. But more importantly, encouraging divestment ignores the massive benefits conventional fuels bring…
    Marshal Wilson
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    • Opinion

    The Role of the Military on U.S. Soil

    The role of the military on U.S. soil is frequently misunderstood when it comes to the question: Who is in charge? This generally stems from confusion over the different homeland oriented missions: homeland security, homeland defense, and defense support of civil authorities. The lack of guidance in this area prompted Bert Tussing, professor of national…
    Rachel Zissimos
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    • Opinion

    Solyndra, Fracking Boom Prove Private Sector, Not Government, Best at Picking Energy Winners

    If you’re like most Americans, you’re enjoying the fact that it costs a lot less to fill up your car’s gas tank these days. If you’re a fan of big government, you may feel a bit ambivalent, though. Why? Because one of the biggest drivers behind the drop in gas prices is the rise in…
    Ed Feulner
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    • News

    Operation Choke Point: 7 Real Life Stories From Vegas

    LAS VEGAS — What does the gun industry think of Operation Choke Point? Last week at the 2015 Shot Show, which is the industry’s largest trade exhibition, The Daily Signal asked attendees what they think of the controversial government initiative. The program, which was designed by the Justice Department in 2012, has been criticized for…
    Kelsey Bolar
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    • Opinion

    Repealing the Jones Act: Good for Energy, Great for America

    On January 13, Senator John McCain (R–AZ) filed an amendment to S. 1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Act, that would repeal part of a 95-year-old protectionist policy that does not allow foreign seagoing vessels to engage in trade between United States ports. Though it ultimately did not go to a vote, McCain’s amendment would have…
    Marshal Wilson
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    • News

    California Might Replace Gas Sales Tax With Mileage Tax

    Your fuel efficient car might be great for the environment, but if you live in California, it might not help you save money much longer. California lawmakers have introduced a plan to replace a sales tax on gasoline with a tax on motorists based on mileage. Under the new plan, drivers would have to log…
    Kate Scanlon
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    • Opinion

    This Federal Government Land Grab Would Permanently Lock Up Millions of Alaska Acres With Energy Potential

    What do Yosemite and Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have in common? Not a whole lot, but that isn’t stopping the Obama Administration from linking the two in a massive land grab attempt to prohibit American energy development. The Obama administration is calling on Congress to designate more than 12 million acres in Alaska as…
    Nicolas Loris
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    • Opinion

    Steep Decline in Price of Oil Plays into Congressional Budget Outlook

    The recent decline in gas prices has not only left a little more cash in Americans’ pockets, it has contributed to a sizeable increase in economic output. According to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) annual report, Budget and Economic Outlook, the decline in oil and gas prices that occurred between August and December of 2014…
    Rachel Greszler
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    • News

    How Much is Your State Paying for a Gallon of Gas? This Cool Map Will Show You.

    What is the average price of gas in your state? Researchers at Debt.com have put together a map to show you. Debt.com’s interactive map allows users to see their state’s average gas price-simply by hovering their cursor over the state. Clicking a state will show you its average price for the last 10 years: You…
    Kate Scanlon
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    • News

    Is $5 a Gallon Gas on Its Way? This Expert Thinks So

    You might want to consider filling up your tanks, America. One expert is warning $5 per gallon gas is on its way. John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil, warns that we should “[e]njoy the price, because it’s going to go back up.” “The next round of high prices is likely to start later…
    Kate Scanlon
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    • News

    Ohio Oil Production Sputters, Complicating John Kasich’s Agenda

    Ohio’s oil production since 2012 has been far short of state officials’ projections. That’s according to a new report from Opportunity Ohio. Low production plus sharply lower prices could complicate Gov. John Kasich’s plans to pay for a statewide income tax cut by hiking energy taxes, said Matt Mayer, president of the free-market think tank Opportunity Ohio….
    Jason Hart
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