Since he took office, Secretary of Interior Salazar has aggressively limited domestic energy production from efficient sources of energy. He revoked oil and gas leases in Utah, delayed taking action to open up additional areas for offshore energy development, and halted a program to allow commercial oil shale leasing. All of these programs would have [...]

Just over a month ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey energy tax.[1] Much of the debate focused on how much the bill will cost Americans. For example, the Congressional Budget office claimed the cap and trade section of the bill would only cost $175 a year in 2020, but this claim has [...]

The propaganda blitz over the virtues of “green energy” is still running strong. The pressure group “Green For All” recently commissioned a study by the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI). The study is titled, “Green Prosperity: How Clean-Energy Policies Can Fight Poverty and Raise Living Standards in the United States.” Unfortunately, the new study’s arguments [...]

People, personalities, policies, drapes–just a few of the things the American people have come to expect will change from year to year, and from administration to administration, depending on the philosophy, interest and artistic sensibility of the chief executive.
Here’s what’s not supposed to change: the facts of existence, and the substance of the truth. Unfortunately, [...]

The Obama Administration and European governments continue to lobby developing countries, such as India and China, to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions. But India and China reject these calls because they understand that artificial restrictions on carbon dioxide emissions will harm their economies.
During her recent visit, India’s Environment Minister reminded Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [...]

In the world of Washington policymaking facts and figures are regularly thrown around to frame arguments in support of or against a particular policy. In the case of the Waxman-Markey energy tax, one such figure made a late-hour entry, gaining broad currency for its catchy tune and visual: the largest regulatory intervention in U.S. history, [...]

During the debate in the House or Representatives over the Waxman-Markey energy tax, there was some confusion about the final amendments to the bill. It appeared that few in the House had the opportunity to read the several hundred pages that were submitted by the bill’s author, Representative Henry Waxman, at 3 a.m. the morning [...]

Any time Congress considers subsidizing politically-favored sources of energy, it should consider the following questions:

What if the subsidies do not make a politically-favored energy source cost-effective?
What if the politically-favored energy source turns out to be less than advocates envision?
Can Congress kill a subsidy program after it has created a constituency that is receiving taxpayer dollars?
Won’t [...]

Later this week, the U.S. House will take up the Waxman-Markey global warming bill, the centerpiece of which is a cap and trade program that advocates argue will reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The bill features a remarkably aggressive timetable, one that would force businesses to cut emissions by 17% (relative to the 2005 baseline) [...]

On Monday, Representatives Waxman and Markey released yet another version of their far-reaching energy tax bill. The bill has now grown to 1201 pages and is available here.
This will not the be the last version of this bill. Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson previously opposed the bill and sought some concessions to benefit farmers. But [...]