Monthly Archives: December 2013

Unfortunately for the American economy and our nation’s energy security, one of the shutdown’s biggest energy losers is the American public. While many seem content to have the government closed, the truth is that such an impasse undermines confidence in our system of government. That said, even when the government was running at 100 percent, …

The threshold question we should all be asking is whether it is the government’s role to pick ‘winners and losers’ for the energy industry in America. Take for example the slew of government subsidized businesses that have filed for bankruptcy. First it was Solyndra, then Beacon Power, and most recently, Abound Solar. Together, these businesses …

Supporters of the latest clean energy craze are quick to tout the achievements of Tesla as evidence that government loans work. Sure, a one-off triumph where a subsidized company has skirted bankruptcy is a nice thing to witness, especially when considering how poorly other electric-car companies have done with federal dollars. This hardly signals, however, …

Judgment day for the PTC, or Production Tax Credit is upon us.  As our politicians weigh the pros and cons for an extension, it is necessary to be candid in our discussions. Over the past decade, energy subsidies have more than doubled, consuming more than $150 billion of direct taxpayer funds to merely function. The …

State mandated policies such as cap-and-trade, LCFS, and RPS initiatives in California are the most ambitious renewable standards in the country. The state’s focus on environmental conservatism, however, has created a systemic crisis, beset by economic disaster and political paralysis. It would be foolish indeed for the United States to adopt all of the renewable-energy …

The Obama administration is making a final attempt to bolster the President’s promise of supplying our nation with cleaner, more efficient energy. But before Congress votes on extending a $12 billion federal tax credit for wind energy companies, it’s important for the Senate and House to recognize the implications encompassing their decision. The extension, should …

Recently enacted Western sanctions will ultimately have little to no impact on long-term crude oil pricing. Diplomatic trading sanctions have historically been an ineffective tool used by political leaders for largely domestic policy consumption. The goal of course is to change the policy of another nation state, yet rarely have they succeeded. President Kennedy enforced …

The Obama administration has promised from the outset to articulate and develop an ‘all of the above’ energy policy. At first blush it sounds good; but one need only remember how Republicans, during the last administration, were chided by opponents for not developing a transparent and comprehensive energy policy which included renewables. Not surprisingly, many …

The Fiscal Cliff and the “Draconian Cuts” to be enacted Friday through Sequester have been the topic of interest in Washington these days. Listening to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood (R-IL), one would think that the sky is indeed going to fall. We should all keep in mind that the 2013 cuts amount to less …

If a private Passenger Rail Corporation were consistently losing $32 dollars per customer transaction, every shareholder and business-savvy individual would tell its management to cut their losses and run. Yet, for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, better known as Amtrak, these rules of governance do not apply. Despite its name, Amtrak is better described as …