Hurricane Ike didn’t wreak as much havoc on coastal refineries as originally feared, but several days of operation were still lost due to the forced shutdown.  This drop in gasoline supply went hand in hand with long lines at the gas pumps in several states.  Yet the hurricane alone didn’t cause these gas lines:  only [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 30, 2008
CONTACT
Brian Kennedy (202) 346-8826
Ban on Offshore Energy Production Expires
Tonight at Midnight
Washington, DC – After being off the books for nearly three decades, the Congressional ban on outer continental shelf (OCS) energy production expires this evening at midnight.  Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER) issued the following [...]

The first oil well in the U.S. was drilled in 1859. Do you know where?
Titusville, Pennsylvania. While historical records indicate that naturally occurring seeps of petroleum were collected and used for a variety of purposes as early as the 1600s, Colonel Edwin Drake was the first to devise a mechanical system to drill into underground [...]

On Saturday, September 27, the “Green Jobs Now” campaign is fielding what it calls a National Day of Action to “build the new economy.” Their goal is to repower “America with 100% clean and renewable electricity within 10 years.” The goal sounds laudable, but repowering America in 10 years comes with a hefty price tag [...]

T. Boone Pickens’ Decision to Build a Wind Farm Shows Why the Wind Production Tax Credit (PTC) Should NOT be Extended
Right now, wind industry lobbyists are pushing the U.S. Congress to extend the highly lucrative wind Production Tax Credit (PTC), an action that could shift another $3 billion[1] in tax burden from wind farm owners [...]

U.S. Wind Statistics: (Updated May 19, 2009)

In 2008, wind represented 0.5% of all energy consumed in the US.[1]

In 2008, wind represented 1.3% of all electricity generated in the US.[2]

In 2008, wind generating capacity in the U.S. totaled 25,170 megawatts and generated 52.0 million megawatt hours.[3] Wind turbines generated only a percentage of their theoretical maximum [...]

Monday night, Neil Cavuto chastised Congress for not being able to multitask and simultaneously deal with both our financial needs and our energy needs. It’s too bad, because increased domestic energy production will help with our current financial problems.
On Monday, the financial markets responded to the financial bailout plans and as a result, the dollar [...]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008
CONTACT:
Brian Kennedy (202) 346-8826
Congress Relents Under Pressure From American Public, Allows Offshore Drilling Ban to Expire
Institute for Energy Research (IER) survey shows 65% of Americans prefer this approach
Washington, DC – The Institute for Energy Research (IER) today released the results of a bipartisan national survey of America’s attitudes on energy policy.  [...]

On behalf of the bi-partisan polling team of Fabrizio, McLaughlin & Associates (R) and Frederick Polls (D), we are pleased to present the findings from a national opinion survey on attitudes on energy issues.
With two-thirds of Americans thinking gas prices and energy independence are a ‘very serious problems,’ our national survey indicates broad public desire [...]

Download as PDF (120KB)
Congress has decided to end the moratorium on energy exploration and production on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). This is a victory for the American people, but the question is, what does ending the moratorium really mean and when should we expect to see production on the OCS?
The moratorium banned any energy [...]