Archive for the ‘Blog’ Category

Energy: The Master Resource

by Robert Bradley, Jr.
Chairman, The Institute for Energy Research
 
Energy is uniquely essential to modern life and human progress; it is the master resource.  This book describes how the ultimate resource, the human mind, has harnessed energy to meet the world’s increasing needs.  Throughout history, human knowledge, creativity, and sweat have overcome technical, resource, and environmental [...]

Who Benefits From Federal Lease Hoarding?

     The oil and gas industry is frequently characterized as “Big Oil.” In fact, small businesses typically employing 10 full-time and 3 part-time employees drill 85 percent of the United States’ wells, produce 65 percent of the natural gas, and nearly 40 percent of the oil consumed by Americans.

Meanwhile, 97% of federal lands on the [...]

Alaska’s Northern Coastal Plain: NPR-A, Prudhoe Bay and ANWR

 
 The National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A):
Formerly known as the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4, the vast 23-million acre area on Alaska’s North Slope has a history of nearly 100 years of petroleum exploration. In 1923, mindful of the land’s conceivable petroleum value, President Harding set aside these 23 million acres as an emergency oil [...]

How Credible is Stern’s Testimony About the Costs of Global Warming?

Dan Simmons
Director of State Affairs
When the Boxer-Lieberman-Warner global warming bill was debated on the floor of the Senate June 2nd to June 6th, one thing became clear—the costs of cap and trade style greenhouse gas regulation were enormous. Almost all serious economic analyses agree on this central point.
Despite their defeat in the Senate, the supporters [...]

The Energy Scorecard of the OPEC Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 27, 2008
CONTACT:
Brian Kennedy (202) 434-820
6 Months, 40 Oversight Hearings, 160 Witnesses Sworn-in, But Zero New Supplies

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Now adjourned for its Independence Day recess, the U.S. Congress has convened at least 40 hearings on the issue of skyrocketing energy prices in the first six months of 2008. At least 160 [...]

Issue Focus: Oil and Gas Leasing on Federal Lands

Washington politicians are accusing oil companies of “stockpiling” federal energy leases to keep supplies low and prices high. They claim “Big Oil” holds leases for 68 million of acres of federal leases that are not currently producing energy.  The following will help separate fact from fiction in the “68 million acres” sound bite.
The Claim: “Energy [...]

Question: How Many Times Has the FTC Found Evidence of Price Gouging by Energy Companies?

Answer: Zero

Several investigations into alleged “price gouging” have concluded there is no evidence of any sort of illegal or inappropriate pricing activity.

After Hurricane Katrina, the FTC stated that it found “[n]o evidence to suggest that refiners manipulated prices through any means….”[1]
The FTC also noted that “if natural price signals are distorted by price controls, consumers [...]

With Oil’s Rise, Floridians Shift on Drilling

June 23, 2008
According to the Wall Street Journal , 61% of Florida residents support offshore drilling :

Consumer anger over high gasoline prices is driving a reconsideration of the U.S. ban on coastal drilling for oil and natural gas, even in Florida, where conservation and tourism concerns have long bolstered a bipartisan consensus against offshore [...]

IER Calls on Bush to Tear Up Executive Drilling Ban

“Mr. Bush, Tear Up That Offshore Drilling Ban”
IER Calls on Bush to Tear Up Moratorium on Offshore Drilling

Washington, DC – The Institute for Energy Research (IER) today called on President Bush to exercise his authority to repeal the Executive Order banning energy production on America’s outer continental shelf (OCS). IER [...]

Will it Cost $45 Trillion or $545 Trillion to Reduce CO2 Levels by Half

Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) released its Energy Technologies Report . In the report, IEA estimated that cutting carbon dioxide levels in half by 2050 would cost $45 trillion. While reports like this are always based on a number of assumptions, one very important assumption in this case is the amount of “spontaneous [...]