In recent years, especially under the Biden administration, there has been an unprecedented attack on the supply of reliable and affordable energy, from reducing oil and gas lease sales to the administration’s efforts to shift from reliable electricity sources to renewable energy sources. The partisan Inflation Reduction Act is a central piece of the harmful electrification effort that will undermine the electricity grid. If all of this was not bad enough, there are also governmental efforts to limit Americans from using reliable and affordable energy, such as efforts to severely limit the availability of gas-powered vehicles and bans on natural gas appliances.
Ensuring abundant, reliable, and affordable energy is a must, as is consumer freedom when it comes to energy. The Competitive Enterprise Institute advocates for policies to keep energy abundant, affordable, and competitive. Carbon fuels—coal, natural gas, and oil—provide about 80 percent of U.S. and global energy. They are the world’s dominant energy sources because, in most markets, they beat the alternatives in both cost and performance.
CEI is leading efforts to defend the personal energy choices of Americans. We advocate for policies that will stop government at all levels from banning or restricting what good and services Americans can choose to best meet their needs.
For decades, CEI has opposed regulatory overreach from the Environmental Protection Agency and other federal agencies that put undue costs on energy industries and consumers. These include President Biden’s new power plant rule, the “Blackout Plan,” which would ignore the major questions problems detailed in West Virginia v. EPA, increase consumer electricity prices, and threaten grid reliability. CEI’s research and policy proposals have been instrumental on energy issues.
Featured Posts

Blog
Congress should recognize the importance of prescribed burns
The Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for six major air pollutants:…

Blog
Dispelling the desperate myths on IRA subsidies for wind and solar
The budget reconciliation process continues, as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act just passed the Senate and is headed back to the House. …

Blog
Regulatory hurdles could jeopardize growth of nuclear energy
Since the late 1800s, fossil fuels have been the energy source of the highest economic utility in driving innovation and prosperity.
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Comment
Coalition Opposes Proposed DOE Lightbulb Rule
Re: Docket Number EERE-BT-STD-0005: Department of Energy: Energy Conservation Program: Backstop Requirement for General Service Lamps: Notification of Proposed Rule: 86 FR 70,755 (December…
Blog
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Provisions In Build Back Better – A Slippery Slope?
There are many carrots for low-carbon alternatives to fossil fuels in the Build Back Better legislation passed by the House and now being considered…
Comment
CEI Comments on Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Consideration of Greenhouse Gas Mitigation under Sections 3 and 7 of the Natural Gas Act.
Docket No. PL21-3-000 Comments submitted by Patrick Michaels, Kevin Dayaratna, and Marlo Lewis.[1] Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the questions posed…
Blog
Tell Us It Ain’t So, Joe
There is at least one news report that Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has continued negotiating with the White House on a slimmed down version…
Blog
CEI in Amicus Brief Asks Supreme Court to Block the Clean Power Plan that Congress Rejected
People often talk about the undemocratic and illegitimate administrative state, of which the Clean Power Plan (CPP) is the perfect example. The Supreme Court will…
Law & Liberty
Self-Defeating Environmental Activism
When we say, “the environment,” we usually mean the natural world and its processes, the plants and animals which we collectively call the biosphere. It…
Blog
For Energy Infrastructure Projects, Even Supreme Court Victories Mean Nothing
In the last two years, two different natural gas pipeline projects were the subject of Supreme Court cases, and both times the project developers achieved…
Blog
Is It Finally Goodbye for Incandescent Light Bulbs—and Consumer Choice?
President George W. Bush initiated the federal government’s targeting of incandescent light bulbs in energy legislation he signed in 2007. Subsequent Department of Energy…
National Review
Tales from the Carbon Cult in Glasgow
CEI’s visiting investigative writer, Kevin D. Williamson, shares tales from COP26Myths of the 21st CenturyThere is a whiff of incense in the air, sweet and heavy as tree sap.
Blog
CEI’s New Anti-Carbon Tax Study
CEI has a new study out this week titled, “Why Carbon Taxes Are Anti-Growth, Anti-Consumer, and Politically Dangerous for Conservatives.” It develops the following…
News Release
A Carbon Tax Would Raise Prices, Harm Economy and Spur Political Backlash
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) published a new paper today arguing a carbon tax is unnecessary, harmful to economic growth and consumers, and…
Blog
Tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Cannot Undo Biden Administration’s Anti-Drilling Agenda
The Biden administration seems to know the playbook for pretending to respond to high gasoline prices. First, blame big oil for price gouging and launch…
Blog
NEPA Is Not a Climate Policy Framework. CEI Submits Comments on Biden Proposal
CEI submitted comments yesterday opposing the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) proposal to repeal regulations adopted by the Trump CEQ in July…
Blog
Another Gasoline Price Increase, Another Useless Federal Trade Commission Investigation
President Biden has officially requested the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate high gasoline prices. Unfortunately, this diversionary tactic has a long history and…
Comment
CEI Comments on Biden Administration Proposal to Revise National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Regulations.
Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) proposal to modify certain…
Letters
CEI Leads Coalition Letter Urging Senators to Vote Against Ratification of Kigali Amendment
November 17, 2021United States SenateUnited States CapitolWashington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: The undersigned organizations strongly urge you to vote against ratification of the Kigali Amendment…
National Review
COP 26 Cables: The Glasgow Pact Is a Cry for Central Planning
TL;DR: The COP26 meetings closed with a whimper as realpolitik dashed dreams of an immediate green revolution. The insular community that thrives at…
National Review
COP26 Cables: A Bit of Argy Bargy among Countries Seeking the Spotlight in Glasgow
My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleagues and I are filing brief cables on COP26, the international climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Below is our…
Blog
The Most Wasteful Infrastructure Bill Ever?
The $1.2 trillion dollar Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be signed into law by President Biden on Monday. If it is like past…
National Review
COP26 Cables: Lights, Camera, Action!
My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleagues and I are filing brief cables on COP26, the international climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Below is our…
National Review
COP26 Cables: Nothing Is Quite as It Seems in Glasgow
My Competitive Enterprise Institute colleagues and I are filing brief cables on COP26, the international climate conference being held in Glasgow, Scotland. Below is our…
News Release
Biden Methane Rule would Cause Decline in U.S. Energy Jobs and Higher Prices at the Gas Pump
This week, the Biden Administration announced proposed rules on methane emissions, targeting energy exploration and production in the oil and gas industry. Timed to…
News Release
Supreme Court Will Review EPA Over-Reach on Energy Rule
The Supreme Court today has agreed to review the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeal’s rejection of the Trump administration’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan…
Comment
CEI Comments on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Proposed Fuel Economy Standards for Model Year 2024-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks
Comments submitted by Patrick J. Michaels, Kevin Dayaratna, and Marlo Lewis.[1] Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the National Highway Traffic Safety…
News Release
As Washington Democrats Consider Imposing a Carbon Tax, Americans Voice Unwillingness to Pay More to Combat Climate Change
Senator Joe Manchin’s (D-WV) opposition to the so-called Clean Electricity Payment Program (CEPP) has the White House and Congressional Democrats looking for alternative climate proposals…
The Washington Times
Not One Dollar: One-Third of Voters Unwilling to Spend Anything to Counter Climate Change
The Washington Times cites CEI’s poll gauging the public’s views on energy issues and climate change. A poll released Wednesday by the…
Blog
EIA Releases International Energy Outlook 2021–What Is the Big Picture?
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) yesterday released International Energy Outlook 2021, this year’s iteration of the agency’s annual report projecting world energy market…
Comment
CEI Comments on Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards Proposed Rule
Environmental Protection Agency, Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, Proposed Rule, 83 FR 43726 (August 10, 2021) Docket ID:…
Blog
Cost of Air Conditioning to Heat up, Thanks to New EPA Climate Regulation
We can soon add air conditioning to the long list of products contributing to inflation, thanks to a new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule,…
Comment
Comments to DOE Regarding Water Use Limits For Showers
Docket Number EERE-2021-BT-STD-0016; Energy Conservation Program: Definition of Showerhead; Notice of Proposed Rulemaking And Public Meeting 86 FR 38,594 (July 22, 2021) Comments Submitted by…
Inside Sources
N.M. Senators Caught Between Progressive Politics, Energy Jobs
Inside Sources cites CEI’s analysis of the Green New Deal: Analysis from the Competitive Enterprise Institute found the Green New Deal would cost…
Blog
Exorbitant Tax Incentives for Electric Vehicles to Be Voted on in House Ways and Means Committee
If electric vehicles (EVs) are to be judged by the amount of tax incentives needed to induce Americans to choose them, the latest provisions…
Study
The Immeasurable Benefits of Plastics to Humanity
It is popular these days for people to proclaim that they are giving up plastics. Just browse the Web and you will find all sorts…
Inside Sources
Dakota Access Pipeline Brings Power To The People
Activists opposed to American energy projects like the Dakota Access Oil Pipeline often pretend that the impacted communities are solidly on their side. In reality,…
The Daily Caller
Think COVID-19 Lockdowns Were Bad? Climate Lockdowns Could Be Next
The Daily Caller cites Director for the Center for Energy and Environment Myron Ebell on climate change: “The Biden-Harris administration wants to…
Bloomberg Law
Biden Starts With Federal Buildings to Combat Climate Emissions
Bloomberg Law cites Senior Fellow Ben Lieberman on efficiency standards: Free-market groups broadly said they don’t object if the White House wants to fix up…
Blog
Washington’s War against the Incandescent Light Bulb Is Back
The Trump administration called a truce in the regulatory war against the incandescent light bulb by declining to target them with additional efficiency standards, but…
Blog
Observations Concerning the Newest IPCC Report
View Full Document as PDF The case made for catastrophic climate change in the new “Sixth Assessment Report” by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental…
News Release
IPCC Report Relies on RCP 8.5 Despite Determining It a Low Likelihood Scenario
The United Nations released a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the current state of climate change. Today’s report…
The Washington Examiner
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf Wants to Ignore Science to Pass a Carbon Tax
The Washington Examiner cites Senior Fellow Patrick Michaels on Pennsylvania’s Climate Action Plan: Patrick Michaels, a senior fellow and climatologist with the…
News Release
Biden Administration Will Force Americans to Buy More Expensive Cars That They Don’t Want
President Joe Biden plans to announce several measures aimed at lowering carbon emissions, including a new rulemaking for more stringent CAFE standards and an executive…
The Washington Post
Trump’s Push for Faster, but Wasteful Dishwashers Appears Headed for Rinse Cycle
The Washington Post cites general counsel Sam Kazman on the Energy Department’s plan to reverse Trump-Era changes to appliances: It was mourned…
Blog
War on Natural Gas—End User Edition
No matter that it is clean-burning, domestically plentiful, and affordable, natural gas is demonized by the Biden administration as a fossil fuel and for that…
Reason
Trump Slashed Regulations That Stopped Americans From Having a Good Shower. Biden Is Bringing Them Back.
Reason cites Senior Fellow Ben Lieberman on DOE regulations: If regulations did allow multi-headed shower units, “some manufacturer out there will make…
Comment
Comments to EPA Regarding the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act
Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0044; Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Establishing the Allowance Allocation and Trading Program Under the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act; Proposed Rule 86 FR 27,150…
Comment
CEI Comments on SAFE 1 Rule – Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0257
Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) reconsideration[1] of Part One of the Trump administration’s Safer Affordable…
National Review
Biden Chooses Red Tape over Clean Energy
One of the Trump administration’s signature achievements was cutting the overwhelming red tape facing major infrastructure projects in America. This week the White House…
Inside Sources
In Major Win for Energy Sector, SCOTUS Rules in Favor of PennEast Pipeline
Inside Sources cites Director of the Center for Energy and Environment on eminent domain: Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy…
Comment
Comments On OMB Technical Support Document on Social Cost of Carbon
View Full Document as PDF Office of Management and Budget Notice of Availability and Request for Comment on “Technical Support Document: Social Cost…
Real Clear Policy
Is Joe Biden Coming After Your Air Conditioner?
America’s air conditioning season is underway, and millions of unlucky homeowners whose systems break down between now and the fall will be in for an…
Staff & Scholars

Sam Kazman
Counsel Emeritus
- Antitrust
- Automobiles and Roads
- Banking and Finance

Paige Lambermont
Research Fellow
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
- Energy
- Energy and Environment

Marlo Lewis, Jr.
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment

Ben Lieberman
Senior Fellow
- Climate
- Consumer Freedom
- Energy

Jacob Tomasulo
Policy Analyst
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment