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
CEI’s The Surge: California waivers, IRIS, 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…

News Release
House moves to stop California ban on gas-powered cars: CEI statement
The House today overwhelmingly passed a resolution rejecting a Biden-era EPA waiver allowing California to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035. By…

Blog
President Trump’s three new energy executive orders: A quick overview
On April 8, President Trump signed three new executive orders (EOs) that address the United States’s energy sector. The key themes of the EOs include…
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Newsletter
Retail Prices, Utility Politics and Swine Flu
The Maryland legislature bans manufacturers from setting minimum retail prices for their products. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist plays hardball with the state’s public utilities. Doctors…
News Release
Government-Funded Research Unit Destroyed Original Climate Data
Washington, D.C., October 6, 2009―In the wake of a revelation by a key research institution that it destroyed its original climate data, the Competitive Enterprise…
News Release
Unemployment Report, Real Solutions
Today's unemployment report showed the U.S. jobless rate reaching 9.8 percent, the highest since 1983. And although unemployment is referred to as a "lagging indicator"…
National Review
A Century Behind: Our Electricity Regulations Are Stuck in Progressive Era
It's the seemingly intractable problem of modern civilization: Americans need more electricity, they want lower greenhouse-gas emissions, and they want to get rid of ugly…
News Release
Obama Treasury Dept Still Hiding Info on Global Warming ‘Cap-and-Tax’ Costs
Obama Treasury Dept Still Hiding Info on Global Warming ‘Cap-and-Tax’ Costs Admissions of Job Losses & Hundreds of Billions in Cost Insufficient; CEI to…
Washington Times
Solutions: How to Reduce Unemployment
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke recently said the recession is probably over, as third-quarter growth in gross domestic product will likely be positive. But…
Study
The Geopolitics of Climate: Cutting Through the Spin on International Climate Agreements
Full Document Available in PDF With the G20 group in Pittsburgh discussing global warming negotiations at President Obama’s insistence, the public needs to…
Washington Times
The Military-Industrial-Environmental Complex
President Obama, speaking to the United Nations this week, cast climate change unequivocally as a threat to national security. He told the General Assembly,…
Washington Times
Inhofe Pans Obama Climate Speech
Washington Times
Redact and Withhold
Washington Times
Competitive Enterprise Institute Protests World Car-Free Day
Washington Times
Obama to Face Tough Balancing Act in Talks on Climate Change at U.N.
ABC News
A Secret Cap and Trade Tax of $1,761 Per Family?
CBS News
Treasury Docs: Enviro Taxes Could Reach $400 Billion a Year
Politico
Cap and Trade’s Price Tag [Corrrected]
News Release
Breaking News: Treasury Admits Global Warming Cap-and-Trade Costs Could Hit $300 Billion Annually
Global Warming Cap-and-Trade Costs Could Hit $300 Billion Annually, Cost Up to Several GDP Points, US Treasury Admits Treasury Dept Releases Un-redacted Documents Friday…
News Max
Cap-and-Trade’s Cost to Americans: $1,761 per Household
News Release
Global Warming Tax Costs Revealed in FOIA Treasury Dept Documents, CEI Analysis Confirms Massive Tax on Energy
Global Warming Tax Costs Revealed in FOIA Treasury Dept Documents, CEI Analysis Confirms Massive Tax on Energy Cap-and-Trade Admittedly = Mega-Billion Tax, No Matter…
Newsletter
The Costs of Cap and Trade, Deadly Auto Regulations and Rockefeller on Health Care
The U.S. Treasury Department admits that a “cap and trade” system for regulating greenhouse gas emissions could cost every household $1,761 a year. New fuel…
Weekly Standard
Obama Admin Concedes: Cap and Trade Will Raise Your Taxes by 15%
Investors.com
Smoking Papers On Global Warming
News Release
EPA Global Warming Whistleblower Scandal Spurs Activist Campaign
EPA Global Warming Whistleblower Scandal Spurs Activist Campaign Freedom Action Mobilizing Citizen Activists Washington, D.C., September 14, 2009—The Environmental Protection Agency is in an…
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: July – August 2009
The July-August 2009 issue of the CEI Planet features coverage of CEI’s 25th Anniversary Gala, and articles on federal catastrophe insurance and TARP transparency.
Newsletter
Obama on Health Care, Solar Feuding in the Desert and Julia Child’s Legacy
President Obama prepares for a major speech on health care. Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. feuds with fellow environmentalists over the creation of a major solar…
Investors.com
‘Racist, Communist’ Green Jobs Czar Van Jones Resigns
Obama’s racist, communist, America-bashing Green Jobs Czar, Van Jones, has resigned after revelations that he was a 9/11 “Truther,” who believed that George Bush…
Newsletter
The Not-So-Smart Grid, European Antitrust and Light Bulb Smuggling
Utilities compete for almost $4 billion of federal stimulus funds earmarked for the creation of an electrical “smart grid.” European regulators may delay the merger…
News Release
Dim Bulb, EU gives $7500 fines for light bulb smuggling
Draconian Measures for European Bulb Ban Washington, DC, September 2, 2009- The European Union has made 100-watt incandescent light bulbs illegal,…
Investors' Business Daily
Trading Jobs for Bugs in Coal Country
Mayflies are, by scientific classification, not long for this world. They belong to the order Ephemeroptera which means, roughly, "short lived, winged creatures." In their…
Forbes
America’s Power System is Powerless
America is a beacon of capitalism, so it can be jarring to discover one of its largest industries is a redoubt of socialism. State governments…
Newsletter
A Doctor Shortage, Cap and Trade in the Senate and TARP Transparency
The American Medical Association lobbies Congress to restrict the number of new doctors in the U.S. Senate sponsors of “cap and trade” global warming legislation…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Consumer Snitching and an Insurance Downgrade
A new bill to would give the White House “cybersecurity emergency” powers. Consumer Reports magazine turns a high-performing showerhead over to the EPA for exceeding…
Washington Examiner
Tom Vilsack: Climate change efforts spell opportunity for American agriculture
News Release
EPA May Axe ‘Key’ Internal Review Office After Global Warming Whistleblower Incident
Washington, D.C., August 24, 2009—.Following a whistleblower report that criticized a global warming rule, the Environmental Protection Agency is reportedly considering shutting down the agency…
Detroit News
Transparency Apparently Not on EPA’s Agenda
Newsletter
The Future of Coal, Rose Friedman and Florida Insurance
Environmental activists try to shut down and limit the use of coal-fired power plants. Economist and author Rose Friedman dies at age 98. Florida’s insurance…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade Gets Militant, Google Book Search Queries and the Chevy Volt’s 230 MPG
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) tries to sell cap and trade legislation to his colleagues on national security grounds. Legal scholars question the implications of the…
Products
CEI Planet: May – June 2009
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles…
Newsletter
Chevron in Court, Health Care in Congress and California’s Budget in Crisis
Chevron continues to fight a lawsuit alleging environmental damage done in Ecuador. Republicans go on the offensive against President Obama’s proposed health care plan. Governor…
News Release
CEI Praises California Oil Drilling and No-New-Tax Budget Compromise
CEI Praises California Oil Drilling and No-New-Tax Budget Compromise But State Still In Trouble With Global Warming Law WASHINGTON, July 21, 2009 – Top…
News Release
CEI Injects Suppressed EPA Global Warming Report into White House Science Proceeding
CEI Injects Suppressed EPA Global Warming Report into White House Science Proceeding Requests OSTP to Do More Honest Job…
The Denver Daily News
Ethanol Fueling Debate
Newsletter
Chemical Safety, Global Warming Balance Sheets and Hybrid Smugness
Canadian officials find that the presence of bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastic food containers, poses “no health or safety concerns.” The Securities and…
Washington Times
Cap and Traitors
Conservative activists are angry at eight Republican members of the House of Representatives for voting in favor of the American Clean Energy and Security Act…
Newsletter
AIG in Court, Mobile Phone Competition and the Future of Solar Power
A federal jury rules in favor of Hank Greenberg, the former CEO of AIG, in a $4.3 billion stock dispute. The Department of Justice considers…
Wall Street Journal
The EPA Silences a Climate Skeptic
Wall Street Journal
Why Solar Power is Looking Dim
If the American Clean Energy and Security Act, which passed narrowly in the House of Representatives this week, also passes the Senate, does this…
San Francisco Gate
EPA Lets State Get Tougher on New Vehicles
Washington Examiner
Suppressed EPA Scientist Breaks Silence, Speaks on Fox News
ABC News
Boxer Talks About Emissions Bill
News Release
CEI Files EPA’s Own Suppressed Report, Demands EPA Global Warming Proceeding Be Reopened
CEI Files EPA’s Own Suppressed Report, Demands EPA Global Warming Proceeding Be Reopened Public Should Have Right to Review, Comment on Gov’t Report Washington,…
Florida Today
What Will Carbon Caps Cost Florida?
News Release
CEI Urges No Vote on Waxman-Markey Energy-Rationing Bill
CEI Urges No Vote on Waxman-Markey Energy-Rationing Bill Democratic Leaders Rush to Buy Off Special Interests Washington, D.C., June 26, 2009—The Competitive Enterprise…
News Release
Energy Rationing Bill Passes House; Plan Would Take Trillions from Consumers, Transfer to Big Business
Energy Rationing Bill Passes House; Plan Would Take Trillions from Consumers, Transfer to Big Business Special Interests Statement from the Competitive Enterprise Institute June…
Florida Today
Will Congress Switch Off the Lights?
When running for president, then-Sen. Barack Obama promised that his election would be "the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow…
Florida Today
Waxman-Markey: Death Knell for U.S. Jobs, Low-Cost Energy
Perhaps the most destructive legislation in our country’s history will soon be voted on in the House — the Waxman-Markey tax bill in the guise…
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Rubbish and Bad Regulations
Ever since gas hit $4 a gallon on June 8 of last year, energy policy has been an all-consuming passion of America's political class. Thus,…
American Spectator
Farmer Brown Fights Back
To all appearances, green special interests are on a roll. They have managed to get committed environmentalists appointed to key congressional committees and regulatory positions.
Newsletter
Windmills in Danger, Record Unemployment and Hurricane Season
A wind power development in Wyoming may be derailed by the Endangered Species Act. The unemployment rate rises to 9.4%. Residents in the southeastern U.S.
American Spectator
Will ACES Put Us in the Hole?
Newsletter
Energy Rationing, Credit Cards and Car-Sharing in Maryland
The energy rationing bill sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) is approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
News Release
Energy Rationing Bill Passes House Committee
Energy Rationing Bill Passes House Committee Plan Would Take Trillions from Consumers, Transfer to Big Business Special Interests May 22, 2009, Washington, D.C.
American Spectator
The biggest and worst
Fox News Opinion
California’s Sorry State Points to America’s Future
As goes California, so goes the nation. Nowhere is this adage truer than in environmental policy, thanks to Democrats’ eagerness to impose the Golden State’s…
Newsletter
New Gas Mileage Rules, Intel’s Legal Issues and India’s National Election
President Obama announces strict new rules on gas mileage for new cars. After being fined $1.4 billion for alleged antitrust violations in Europe, Intel could…
Fox News Opinion
Auto emissions deal a win for California
News Release
Obama’s New Fuel Economy Rules Deadly for Both People and Carmakers
Today President Obama will unveil a plan to sharply increase federal gas mileage rules for vehicles sold in the United States, eventually bringing the requirement…
Detroit News
Green Jobs Lead to More Pink Slips
Repower America, a green energy advocacy organization founded by Former Vice President and Nobel Laureate Al Gore, is running television advertisements in northern Michigan to…
News Release
Waxman-Markey Bill ‘Biggest Tax Increase In History’
Waxman-Markey Bill ‘Biggest Tax Increase In History’ Energy Rationing Would Hurt Consumers and Workers While Enriching Special Interests Washington, D.C., May 18, 2009—Energy…
Newsletter
Supreme Court on Financial Regulation, Chrysler Closes Dealerships and Greenhouse Gases in Congress
The Supreme Court prepares to announce an important verdict on financial regulation. Chrysler plans to eliminate nearly 800 dealerships. Democratic leaders move forward with legislation…
News Release
New Video Campaign—Global Warming Regulation Will Lead to the Next ‘1984’
New Video Campaign—Global Warming Regulation Will Lead to the Next 1984 Washington, DC, May 13, 2009 – Global warming regulation is the target…
News Release
Leaked OMB Memorandum Confirms EPA Endangerment Finding Threatens Economy
Leaked OMB Memorandum Confirms EPA Endangerment Finding Threatens Economy ‘Serious economic consequences,’ Memo Warns Washington, DC, May 12, 2009 – A leaked…
Newsletter
Eco-sailors, Free Speech Restrictions and Global Warming Legislation
A group of “eco-sailors” is rescued from dangerous weather conditions by the crew of an oil tanker. A new bill would punish hostile speech online…
Detroit News
Just What Is Waxman-Markey For?
As the House of Representatives girds to debate the Waxman-Markey energy and global warming bill, no one seems to be asking the most…
Newsletter
Chrysler’s Future, Chevron in Ecuador and Flex-Fuel Cars on the Road
A bankruptcy judge approves Chrysler’s request to start spending $4.5 billion in government loans. Ecuador sues Chevron for $27 billion over alleged environmental damage from…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade Compromise, the Return of Bed Bugs and Jack Kemp, RIP
The White House floats the idea of allowing new oil and gas drilling in exchange for support of a cap and trade system for greenhouse…
News Release
Obama Tries to Broker Deal on Greenhouse Gas Restrictions
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Washington Examiner
Greenbacks for Green Energy Come from Taxpayer Pockets
President Barack Obama recently named business consultant Jeffrey Zients as head of a new performance office tasked with reducing government waste. The irony…
Townhall
Green Jobs: All Pain for No Gain
It is said that there is a scientific consensus on global warming. There isn’t, but there is an economic consensus that policies based on…
Indy Star
The CO2 fantasy
News Release
CEI Comment on Obama 100 Days
Obama Bombs on Spending, Energy in First100 Days, Hope for Progress on Regulations, Credit Crisis CEI Comments on Obama 100 Days and What’s Ahead…
Scoop
Zombie science, Zombie politics
Newsletter
Freddie Mac, Solar Energy and an Insurance Debate
The suicide of Freddie Mac’s Chief Financial Officer raises further questions about the company and the federal bailout program. Texas is poised to increase the…
Scoop
“Clean Energy” and Job Killing
CSN News
Obama’s Climate Change Envoy Urges Global Warming Treaty, Offers Few Specifics
CSN News
EPA’s Endangerment Finding: Legislative Hammer or Suicide Note?
The ramifications of the EPA’s just-published endangerment finding, …
Michelle Malkin
Humans make Earth Day better
Michelle Malkin
House Panel Being Urged to Enact Clean Energy Law
Detroit News
Don’t Let Earth Day Rebuke Henry Ford
Earth Day this year seems to be getting less promotion than usual. Al Gore is nowhere to be seen. There are few preening eco-celebs lecturing us about…
Comment
Testimony before the Committee on Energy and Commerce on the draft American Clean Energy and Security Act
Full Document Available in PDF Introduction: Chairman Waxman, Chairman Markey, and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting…
News Release
VIDEO: People Make Earth Day Better
This year, the Competitive Enterprise Institute urges those celebrating Earth Day to remember the challenges presented by living in the natural world, and the inspiring ways that human…
Detroit News
The CO2 scam
Wall Street Journal
Small Cars Are Dangerous Cars
How Fuel economy zealots can kill you.
Wall Street Journal
Obama’s Energy Tax Hits Louisiana the Hardest
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Normal 0 false false false EN-US…
Alexandria Town Talk
Obama’s Energy Tax Hits Louisiana Hardest
Candidate Barack Obama promised to give special attention to rebuilding Louisiana while campaigning for the White House. So why is President Obama pushing…
Alexandria Town Talk
Upset Over Offsets
When the President proposed his budget, he tried a gambit aimed atfoisting a new energy tax on the American people without serious debatein Congress. It…
Alexandria Town Talk
Human Achievement Hour: Can it Exist Peacefully with Earth Hour?
On the surface, though, the idea of Human Achievement Hour isn't bad at all when so much has been forgotten of how much we really…
News Release
EPA Poised to Issue Global Warming ‘Endangerment’ Finding
EPA Poised to Issue Global Warming ‘Endangerment’ Finding “Finding would trigger economy-chilling regulatory cascade” Washington, D.C., April 15, 2009—A major ruling on the…
News Release
CEI Comment on Study on Safety Risks of Small Cars
New Study Again Shows Safety Risks of Small Cars White House Fuel Economy Push Poses Greater Safety Threat Washington, D.C., April 14, 2009—A…
News Release
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes Americans Hit by Excessive Federal Regulations, Threatened by New Energy Rationing Washington, D.C., April 14,…
Family Security Matters
Holdren as White House Science Advisor
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