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AI and the electricity blackout America needs
The Washington Post’s latest coverage of the so-called “data center rebellion” highlights a trend building across America: communities rising up against server farms powering…
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HSAs: A silver bullet for the silver loading conundrum
After the longest government shutdown in American history — ostensibly caused by the expiration of the expanded Obamacare subsidies — Republicans have debated health care…
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Burned by the sun: How tax incentives distort the residential solar market
As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, a much-hyped tax credit boosting the installation of solar panels on residential rooftops came to a…
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New CEI study: Zero-based regulations
A new CEI study by Alex Adams looks at a regulatory reform approach that succeeded in Idaho: zero-based regulation. The idea is similar to…
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Courts reject states’ efforts to take over union law enforcement
A California court late last month struck down a law that would have allowed the Golden State to usurp the role of the National Labor…
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Free the Economy podcast: China’s economy and the US with Derek Scissors
In this week’s episode we talk about corporate real estate investing, woke pension funds, changing fuel economy rules, and questions about…
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The week in regulations: 2025 year-end special
Happy New Year, everyone. The final numbers for 2025’s regulations are in. The first half of this post summarizes those numbers and compares them with…
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Trump slashed rulemaking in 2025. The hard part starts in 2026
The new year, 2026, marks nearly the first full year of Donald Trump’s second administration. It’s a moment to assess whether regulatory liberalization has genuinely…
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Let’s resolve to repeal Durbin’s debit card interchange price controls in 2026
One safe New Year’s political prediction is that the fight between retailers and financial institutions over so-called swipe fees will continue. The debate has raged…
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Free the Economy podcast: Climate policy endangerment with Marlo Lewis
In this week’s episode we talk about tariff refunds, Affordable Care Act subsidies, Ryan Young’s Books of the Year for 2025,…
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Possible Fed pick Warsh has government-backed crypto problem
Kevin Warsh, financial executive and former Federal Reserve governor, is now reportedly among the top contenders being considered to replace Jerome Powell as Fed chairman.
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CEI’s The Surge: Clean Water Act reform, new CAFE standards, and more
If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental issues, then we encourage you to subscribe to this new publication and…
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Best books of 2025: Johan Norberg’s Peak Human
Johan Norberg’s latest book, Peak Human, is a history of golden ages. After starting in Ancient Greece and then Rome, Norberg tours the Abbasid…
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California and EU’s Climate Disclosure Policies Face Major Setbacks
As we close out 2025, corporate leaders in the US should breathe a sigh of regulatory relief. On top of the deregulatory spree that many…
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Deregulation’s year-end illusion
As the year winds down, The Trump administration is congratulating itself on deregulation. In a White House statement and in what it described as an…
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The week in regulations: Neck floats and stablecoins
Unemployment went slightly up, and inflation went slightly down. President Trump gave a primetime speech, and earlier in the week commented on Rob Reiner and…
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Free the Economy podcast: Consumer finance and privacy with James Erwin
In this week’s episode we talk about the decline of electric vehicles, liberation for home appliances, the failure of tariffs to…
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Government shouldn’t engage in debanking or forced banking
December is turning into a month in which Congress and Trump administration financial regulators are attempting to tackle debanking – the closure of accounts or…
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Everyone hates congestion pricing…until it is shown to save time, air, and sanity
New York City is famously referred to as “the city that never sleeps.” The hustle and bustle that makes New York City iconic makes it…
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Time to end the Christmas tree tax
Fun holiday fact: the federal government has a Christmas Tree Promotion Board. It works a bit like a trade association does in the private…
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Trump’s AI order: Preempting the states without unleashing Washington
A new Trump executive order, “Ensuring a National Policy Framework for Artificial Intelligence,” pushes back on most state law and rulemaking affecting AI. Top…
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CEI study says it’s time to unplug federal appliance regulations
Stoves, air conditioners, ceiling fans, water heaters, light fixtures, refrigerators, washing machines, furnaces, dishwashers, and more – nearly everything that plugs in or fires up…
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The week in regulations: Fuel casks and water beads
The Federal Reserve cut interest rates. President Trump proposed $12 billion in giveaways to farmers harmed by his tariffs. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from…
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AGOA renewal should hold South Africa accountable
Free traders scored a victory in Congress this week when the House Ways and Means Committee passed the AGOA Extension Act. The legislation, sponsored…
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Trump’s baby accounts: Wealth builder or redistribution trap?
A White House roundtable this week spotlighted Michael and Susan Dell’s $6.25 billion philanthropic contribution seeding newborn investment “Trump Accounts” beyond the federal…
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Free the Economy podcast: The business of America with Neil Bradley
In this week’s episode we cover the economic effects of net-zero policies in blue states and Europe, top targets for environmental…
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Debanking flows downhill from progressive policymakers
The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), a leading federal financial regulator, has released preliminary findings from its review of debanking…
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CEI files amicus brief in SCOTUS case to protect homeowners from tax equity theft
On December 8, 2025, CEI filed an amicus brief in the case Michael Pung v. Isabella County, Michigan at the United States Supreme Court. This case…
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What’s coming in 2026 for energy and environmental policy
There are many important energy and environmental developments in the works, both in the executive branch and in Congress. The following are two different lists.
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Subcommittee to markup commonsense Clean Air Act bills
Tomorrow, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Environment Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a markup of several Clean Air Act-related bills.NAAQS refers to the…