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Waxman-Markey: Coercion for its own sake
Most media coverage of H.R. 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES), focuses on the bill’s cap-and-trade program and the free rationing…
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NBCC/CRA study estimates Waxman-Markey would reduce employment by 2.3 million jobs in 2015
The National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) today released a study by Charles River Associates (CRA) on the economic impacts of H.R. 2454, the American…
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Insightful commentary by Keith Hennessey on Obama’s fuel economy rules
In this insightful, informative post, Keith Hennessey, formerly the senior economic advisor to President G.W. Bush, cautions that Obama's new fuel economy rules could destroy 50,000…
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New fuel economy rules will make cars more costly, less safe, trigger regulatory cascade
At some point today, the EPA and the Department of Transportation (DOT) will propose a first-ever joint regulation to establish first-ever greenhouse gas (GHG)…
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Waxman-Markey: What’s new, what’s old?
Today, Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) released a new 932-page version of their cap-and-trade bill and a summary explaining how emission…
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Digital economy increases emissions: Mark Mills gets last laugh
Back in 1999 and 2000, a fierce debate raged as to whether digital networks and devices increase or decrease electricity consumption and emissions. Does the…
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“Bush holdover” is career civil servant hired during Clinton
Team Obama was embarrassed earlier this week when a leaked interagency memorandum acknowledged that EPA’s proposed finding that greenouse gases endanger public health and welfare could…
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Suitable for framing: Barton op-ed on Waxman-Markey
Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) hits a home run in this oped, which says everything you need to know about the Waxman-Markey cap-and-tax…
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Annual biofuel subsidies will hit $60 billion in 2022 — Earth Track
Doug Koplow of Earth Track, assisted by researchers with Friends of the Earth, has produced a new study, A Boon to Bad Biofuels, on the…
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How long will Sen. Barrasso’s “hold” on Regina McCarthy hold?
Maybe forever! On April 30, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) placed a hold on the nomination of Regina McCarthy as Assistant Administrator of the EPA Office of Air and…
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Eco-sailors rescued by oil tanker
“An expedition team which set sail from Plymouth [England] on a 5,000-mile carbon-emission free trip to Greenland have been rescued by an oil tanker,”…
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So, Mr. Waxman, how much global warming will your bill avert?
MAGICC reveals that an 83% reduction in U.S. emissions “will only produce a global temperature ’savings’ during the next 50 years of about 0.05ºC.”…
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Flex-fuel mandates: throwing bad regulation after bad
Rent-seeking–the whoring after market-rigging rules and subsidies–is a true addiction, an appetite that grows with feeding. For the ethanol lobby, it’s not enough that government props up…
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Is Texas the new California?
Texas, once known for its oil tycoons and cattle barons, is now a stage on which renewable-energy moguls preen and strut. But whereas demand for Texas oil…
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Comedic highlights of the Waxman-Markey bill hearing
File these vignettes among the endless list of political inanities that would be uproariously funny if the potential economic fallout were not so toxic. Yesterday, in…
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“We don’t need no stinking baseload,” FERC Chairman
Okay, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Chairman Jon Wellinghoff didn’t actually say America doesn’t need coal-fired and nuclear power plants. He stopped short of openly embracing the …
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Endangerment finding: Legislative Hammer or Suicide Note?
The CO2 litigation campaign that begat Massachusetts v. EPA turns out to be too clever by half. As Roger Pielke, Jr. and Michael…
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Waxman-Markey litigation shell game
When I first eyeballed the 648-page draft cap-and-trade bill, authored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA), I was perplexed, even stunned. Secs. 831-834 of…
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Climate alarmists call for more groupthink
Nothing is more Orwellian than quoting Orwell to attack freedom of thought and discussion. Today’s ClimateWire (subscription required) provides a case in point. “Scientists need…
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Could carbon capture and storage keep the lights on in a carbon-constrained future?
Only if the costs decline dramatically, a recent Congressional Research Service report suggests, as I discuss here. Currently, the costs of carbon capture…
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What would it take to reduce CO2 levels to 350 ppm?
“Climate 350”–for 350 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere–is fast becoming the new mantra of Gorethodox believers in climate doom and…
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Senate votes to kill cap-and-trade?
Well, not overtly, but the Senate voted 89-8 for an amendment to the Fiscal year 2010 budget resolution (S. Con Res. 13), introduced by…
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Bad News: Scientists Make Cheap Gas from Coal
This funny headline is the title of a column in the March 26 issue of Wired Science. “Scientists have devised a new way to…
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U.S. Chamber unveils NIMBY Watch Web site
Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce unveiled a NIMBY-Watch Web site called Project No Project . With case studies from more than 30 states, Project…
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Alarmists turn blind eye to global warming benefits–again
Tomorrow, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the national security threats from melting Arctic ice. Greenwire (subscription required), the Online environmental news…
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CO2 regulation under the Clean Air Act: Economic Train Wreck, Constitutional Crisis, Legislative Thuggery
Last week, EPA leaked a Power Point presentation revealing that the agency plans on April 30 to propose a finding that “air pollution” from emissions…
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Carbon mitigation schemes are inherently protectionist
Thanks, Fran, for blogging on the carbon tariff threat to the peace and prosperity of the world. We should all remember that carbon…
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Hansen belittles models, carbon trading, Kyoto; calls for coal-destroying carbon tax
Last week’s House Ways & Means Committee hearing on “scientific objectives for climate change legislation” contained much grist for skeptical mills. Dr. James Hansen did…
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GM Volt may not be cost-effective for consumers, study says
A study by Carnegie Mellon finds that the Chevy Volt, GM’s rechargeable battery-driven car designed to go 40 miles on electricity, is “not cost effective in any scenario,” Bloomberg…
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Despite lack of warming, alarmists predictably predict warming worse than predicted
As you may have heard, there has been no net warming of the planet since 2001, and no subsequent year was a warm as 1998…
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Is cap-and-trade inherently protectionist?
Yes, for three reasons. (1) Companies in carbon-constrained countries will demand carbon tariffs to “level the playing field” vis-a-vis firms in non-carbon constrained countries. (2)…
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Will carbon market woes tilt U.S. pols towards carbon taxes, CAA regulation?
In today's Guardian, Juliana Glover reports that carbon permit prices in Europe's Emission Trading System (ETS) have crashed from €31 last summer to €8…
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Will Lisa Jackson turn the Clean Air Act into a gigantic de-stimulus package?
Earlier this week, in a letter to Sierra Club climate council David Bookbinder, EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said the Agency would reconsider, via…
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NADA report proves California waiver would create regulatory patchwork
A front-burner issue facing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson is whether to grant a waiver under the Clean Air Act allowing the California…
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Travesty–Rep. Inslee’s behavior at Energy & Commerce hearing
I just watched the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee hearing on “The Climate Crisis: National Security, Public Health, and Economic Threats.” Committee rules allow the…
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State AGs Give EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (recycled) bum advice
In a letter dated 5 February 2009, 17 state attorneys general (AGs) plus three other non-federal officials urge EPA Administrator…
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European Environment Agency–stuck in a mental rut
In a report titled “Beyond Transport Policy,” the European Environment Agency (EEA) bemoans the fact that European transport sector CO2 emissions increased by 26% during…
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USDA Pushing EPA for More Ethanol in Gasoline
On Tuesday (Feb. 10), USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack urged EPA to increase the quantity of ethanol blended into gasoline from the current amount–10% ethanol per…
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We don’t need no stinking safety valve!
If elected President, Barack Obama will give EPA the green light to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act, Bloomberg.com…
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Putting my money where Chevron’s mouth is
Chevron has plastered a series of posters all over the Washington, D.C. metro system as part of an…
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Carbon audit: Can we turn this threat into an opportunity?
Section 117 of the just-passed bailout bill requires a "carbon audit" of the tax code. The provision requires the Secretary of the Treasury,…
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One foot on the accelerator, one on the brake
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Which costs more, gasoline or ethanol?
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Preliminary thoughts on the RFA’s PR campaign
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Stagflation on the horizon?
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No, Al, the Moulins Won’t Get Us
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GE’s Househugger tv commercial
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Knee-jerk reactions from Boxer, Markey to EPA decision on CO2
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“Across California, profit margins [of ethanol plants] are vanishing”
This article in the Sacramento Bee reveals the high risk of “sure thing” investments based on political interventions in the market place. “There was…
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CA Electric car goal could be cut again
The California Air Resources Board's (CARB) once mighty ZEV (zero-emission vehicle, i.e., electric car) mandate may soon be demoted to pure symbolism. Back in 1990, California adopted…
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No more Kyotos: Japan wants softer emissions target
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CEI responds to blogger criticism of Gore ad
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Is this a spoof?
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William F. Buckley, Jr. RIP
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U.S. officials should oppose, not endorse, EU bully tactics
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Senate EPW hearing on CA waiver ignores core issue
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Will Bush stay the course on CO2?
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Carbon hypocrisy–what does it reveal?
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Biofuel mandates cause global warming, scientists say
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Senate votes to increase Amtrak subsidy
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Renewable fuels lobby calls for – drum roll please – more government support!
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Current biofuel policies are protectionist pork, report suggests
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Is ethanol finally cheaper than gasoline?
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How much higher than European level gas prices should Americans have to pay?
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What is John Dingell up to?
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Is the Bush Administration for or against carbon protectionism?
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Newsweek’s Cover Story: How the Tail Wagged the Dog
Newsweek‘s cover story, by Sharon Begley and three colleagues, purports to be an expose of the global-warming “denial machine” and how it…
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Michael Eckhart apologizes to Marlo Lewis — or does he?
Dear Marlo: I’ve received quite a lot of correspondence from people around the country about my July 13 email to you, and they have persuaded…
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Eckhart Update
Two weeks ago my colleague, Iain Murray, posted on The Corner an email from Michael Eckhart, President of the American Council on Renewable Energy…
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Just say NO to the fuel economy fetishists
My colleague Myron Ebell sometimes describes industry's response to global warming and oil import alarmism as: "Circle the wagons and everybody shoot into the middle."…
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“We are able to reach less people”–U.N. Food Program
This pair of articles by Javier Blas and Jenny Wiggins of the Financial Times is of direct relevance to the debate in Washington,…
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Is false advertising truthful if it is stupendously false?
What prompts this question is a full-page advertisement in today’s (July 11, 2007) Wall Street Journal by BASF, “The Chemical Company.” The ad features a…
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This does not compute
Gov. Rendell of PA is indignant because GOP legislators are calling his proposed “system benefits charge” or “fee” on electricity a TAX. The proposed…
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Riffing on Jonah
I testified yesterday at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on "global warming issues and the power plant sector." Both my written…
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Biofuel pork
A column by Doug Cameron in today’s (June 20, 2007) Financial Times (”Animal plan incites pork-barrel politics“) provides more evidence (as if any were…
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Coal to Kyoto: We will bury you
You have probably heard that China is building new coal-fired power plants at the rate of one every week to 10 days. In…
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Inconvenient truth–Nobody knows how to meet world power needs without emissions
Kyotoites assure us we can have our cake and eat it too. We can meet the world’s surging demand for affordable energy and,…
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Dingell drops controversial provisions — for now
Today’s National Journal reports that House Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell (D., Mich.) and Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher (D., Va.)…
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Blaming SUV owners for genocide in Africa?
Al Gore and other alarmists call global warming a “moral issue.” But for them it is actually a moralizing issue. Global warming allows them to…
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Reid’s rant
Yesterday's Greenwire (June 14, 2007) presented the transcript of a speech by Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid on the Senate energy bill. The following…
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Multi-billion dollar RPS wealth transfer
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has just published an analysis of Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-N.M.) “renewable portfolio standard” (RPS) plan requiring utilities by 2020…
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Would Dingell’s Legislation Overturn Mass v EPA?
Last week (June 7, 2007), a panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) and Subcommittee Chair…
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Green gold in California?
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has published a report examining six scenarios under which the Golden State might implement AB 32, the “California Global Warming Solutions…
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NY Gov. Spitzer joins ranks of corn ethanol doubters
CEI is not the habit of praising Elliott Spitzer. Indeed, Spitzer won the number three spot in CEI’s report on the Top Ten Worst…
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Greening of the Pentagon?
Eleven former generals have just published a report warning that global warming poses a "serious threat" to U.S. national security" via increased severity…
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Ethanol jacking up fertilizer prices
Ethanolics never tire of telling us that the current ethanol mandate, President Bush's 20/10 program (requiring 20% or 35 billion gallons of the nation's motor…
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More Alarmism about Global Warming and Species Extinction
A recent column (which came to my attention through Google news alerts) repackages stale alarums as news. The claim that global warming is killing Caribbean…
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Domenici reverts to Byrd-Hagel
The Kyoto crowd crowed when the Senate, on June 22, 2005, voted 54-43 in favor of a Sense of the Senate resolution on climate…
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In case you missed it (notes on some recent climate hearings)
Capitol Hill is on a global warming hearing binge. Al Gore made the big splash in terms of media coverage, but several recent testimonies merit…
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More on Gore’s day on the Hill
Asserting that the planet has a “fever” and asking parents whether they would listen to the doctor if their child had a fever is an…
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Live blogging – Gore on the Hill
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Live blogging from Al Gore’s hearing testimony
At a joint hearing of two House committees (Energy and Commerce, Science), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) has raised two parliamentary points of order. First, why…
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Policy experts blast Bush fuel mandate at Hill briefing
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Dupont’s rent seeking explained
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Heidi Cullen’s modest proposal
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More meddling in the market
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Will Bush repeal ethanol tariff? Don’t bet on it.
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Kyoto = blackouts
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Comments on the energy portions of Bush’s SOTU
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