With congressional elections less than a year away, and the controversial Keystone XL pipeline still on indefinite hold, the pressure is on for vulnerable Democrats. Candidates up for reelection are becoming increasingly aware of the stanch partisanship exhibited in Washington, forcing many to break party lines. This week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid compared Republican …
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Absolutely. As the President has touted in the past, nuclear power is an integral component of an “all of the above” energy policy plan. As this unusually cold winter should remind us, the reliability of the power grid depends on a varied portfolio of options, which can serve as a hedge against price instability or …
Read More →Unequivocally, Yes. Keystone XL is undoubtedly the most scrutinized pipeline project in history. Five studies in five years all concluded there would be no significant adverse impacts on the environment. With that conclusion, approving Keystone “North” would be a logical component for the President’s all-of-the above energy strategy, as we utilize our Nation’s abundant energy …
Read More →Overall, the nation’s electric grid is both safe and reliable. However, as recent events (the storms, the attacks, etc.) have shown it is not impervious to significant disruption. While it would obviously be impractical to station an armed guard next to every transformer, an expansion of video and “smart” surveillance of facilities is needed. Direct …
Read More →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 …
Read More →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, …
Read More →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 …
Read More →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, …
Read More →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 …
Read More →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 …
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