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
Gas stoves are great
The recent approval of a ballot initiative in Washington state to protect natural gas access for consumers has me ruminating on the gas stove issue. I have…
Blog
Congress needs to undo Biden’s sweeping attack on offshore drilling
Today, President Joe Biden announced that he is blocking more than 625 million acres of US ocean from future offshore drilling. The two…
Blog
Electric grid reliability at elevated risk, new report warns
The North American Reliability Corporation (NERC) released its 2024 Long-Term Reliability Assessment Tuesday. This report examines the challenges the power grid will face over the …
Search Posts
Op-Eds
Global Warming: The Backlash Begins
Iain Murray exlores why skepticism about the effects of global warming is growing.
Citation
The Holdren Nomination
Citation
The crumbling case for global warming
Newsletter
A Fundamentally Weak Economy, Alternative Energy Mandates and Where Soros is Putting His Money
The White House budget director describes the U.S. economy as “fundamentally…weak.” Maryland’s governor proposes legislation to require greater use of alternative energy sources.
Op-Eds
Greening America – At What Cost?
Iain Murray explores the disasterously high costs of de-carbonizing America.
American Spectator
O’Malley’s Hot Air
This January, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley proposed legislation that he promised would fight climate change and "grow" the economy. This week, the state Senate passed…
American Spectator
Europe Advises U.S. Officials on Climate
Newsletter
Genachowski for FCC, Obama Meets with Gordon Brown and the Threat of a Carbon Tax
President Obama nominates technology advisor Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits the White House to discuss international…
American Spectator
Protesting Against Thousands at a Global Warming Rally
American Spectator
Counter Protesting Against Anti-Coal Envionrmentalist
American Spectator
A Tax to Weaken America
President Obama said last Thursday that he would not cut spending “on investments that will make America stronger.” He really meant that…
News Release
Pro-Energy Rally Today in Washington, D.C.
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Standpoint
The Anti-Green Ecologist
James Lovelock is a creative scientist and inventor, a visionary thinker, and a fascinating individual. Not the least remarkable thing about him is…
Wall Street Journal
How to Kick Our Oil Addiction Despite Plunging Oil Prices
DIAGNOSIS: Conserving energy and improving energy efficiency are good things insofar as they contribute to economic efficiency. But I am concerned that much of the…
News Release
Celebrate Coal! Rally Announced for Monday
A rally to Celebrate Coal! and Keep Energy Affordable will be held in front of the Capitol Power Plant on Monday, March 2nd, from 1…
News Release
CEI Comment on Obama Address to Congress
CEI Comment on Obama Address to Congress Read Commentary on Economy, Energy, Environment, and More Washington, D.C.,…
Wall Street Journal
The Green Jobs Scam – And Confusion
With the massive $787-billion stimulus bill including provisions to encourage the creation of “green jobs,” Americans deserve an honest appraisal of how…
Wall Street Journal
Dems Cooling On Climate Change As Economic Pressures Escalate
DC Examiner
Green Glitterati High on California Scheming
President Barack Obama recently announced his first concrete environmental policy, and it was a doozy. Obama ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider…
DC Examiner
The Auto Bailout We Need
GM and Chrysler have come back for more taxpayer money, which is exactly what everybody warned would happen when the first bailout was granted…
Newsletter
Bottled Water Wars, Stimulus Disaster and Offshore Oil
Activists urge local governments to enact policies opposing the sale of bottled water. The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops dramatically as President Obama signs a…
Newsletter
Stimulus Trade Wars, Smart Grids and Bank Nationalization
Lawmakers propose applying a “buy American” restriction to projects funded by the economic stimulus package. Energy companies lobby for subsidies for a national “smart” electrical…
Newsletter
Stimulus Transparency, Springsteen on Wal-Mart and the Mirage of Green-Collar Jobs
Developers launch StimulusWatch.org to keep track of the hundreds of billions of dollars Congress is planning to spend to stimulate the economy. Bruce Springsteen grabs…
Op-Eds
Granting Emissions Waiver Will Lead to De-stimulus
President Obama has directed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson to reconsider the Bush Administration’s denial of a Clean Air Act waiver that would…
Newsletter
Green Stimulus, Bottled Water and Big Labor Infighting
Congress sets aside billions in the economic stimulus package for environmentally oriented energy and infrastructure projects. The New York Times’ “Freakonomics” column debunks the argument…
Newsletter
Economists Disagree on the Stimulus, Gore Self-Serving Testimony and the Trouble with TARP
Two-hundred economists dispute President Obama’s claim that there is “no disagreement” about the need to expand government spending to jumpstart the economy. Former Vice President…
Newsletter
Stimulus to Nowhere, Banning Cell Phone Cameras and More Money for Ethanol
Republicans on Capitol Hill attack the $825 billion economic stimulus bill championed by President Obama. Rep. Peter King (R-NY) introduces legislation to ban silent cell…
News Release
Senate Testimony Masks a Personal Financial Agenda
Al Gore, Corporate Lobbyist?…
News Release
Obama Carbon Dioxide Plan Would Wreck Economy, Auto Industry
President Obama today announced he would seek to allow states to restrict tailpipe emissions and order the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop higher fuel-efficiency standards. Both are disastrous for…
News Release
CEI Unveils Agenda for Congress
Washington, D.C., January 26, 2009—With the incoming Obama administration and the opening of the new Congress, the House and Senate are…
Newsletter
Global Warming Bottoms Out, the Future of Digital TV in Doubt and Cap-and-Trade on the Horizon
A new poll finds that global warming has dropped to the bottom of the list of issues concerning the American public. The future of digital…
Newsletter
$1 Million Federal Jobs, Green Energy and Union Dues
Public interest groups launch a campaign to encourage citizens to read Congress’ proposed $850 billion stimulus bill. Representatives of renewable energy companies acquire enhanced influence…
Newsletter
Inauguration, Western Lands and the New “Climate Czar”
Barack Obama prepares to be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The Senate passes a bill that would bring millions of…
Newsletter
EPA Confirmation Hearings, Obama’s Stimulus and Ken Salazar for Interior
Lisa Jackson responds to questions during her confirmation hearing to become the next head of the Environmental Protection Agency. President-elect Obama proposes a massive economic…
Newsletter
Geithner’s Tax Trouble, Paycheck Protection and Obama’s Science Advisor
Treasury Secretary-designate Timothy Geithner comes under fire for past irregularities with his income taxes. The House of Representatives approves the misleadingly-named “Paycheck Fairness Act.” NASA…
DC Examiner
The Energy Secretary Nominee’s Support of Clean Coal, Nuclear Power
DC Examiner
The Flaws and Dangers of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act
Detroit News
The Damage of Fuel Economy Standards
Op-Eds
Global government
I was in the room in The Hague in November 2000 when then-French President Jacques Chirac hailed the Kyoto Protocol, or "global warming"…
News Release
Statement on Interior Secretary Nominee Ken Salazar
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Newsletter
Steven Chu for Energy Secretary, Financial Scandal in New Mexico and Shaun Donovan for HUD
Dr. Steven Chu, nominated to be the next Secretary of Energy, prepares for confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate. The financial scandal that started with…
Op-Eds
Laffer Gas
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Detroit News
The Unviability of Electric Cars
Detroit News
Steven Chu’s Stance on Coal
News Release
Statement on Nomination of Tom Vilsack to be Agriculture Secretary
Washington, D.C., January 13, 2008—President-elect Obama’s choice for Agriculture Secretary has a troubling record on agriculture and consumer issues, according to an…
Study
Dr. John P. Holdren
William Yeatman explains why the U.S. Senate should not confirm Dr. John P. Holdren's nomination for White House Science Adviser.
Newsletter
Union Scandal in California, Alternative Energy Promises and Short-Selling on Wall Street
The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) finalizes a controversial merger of its California locals into one state-wide “superlocal”. President-Elect Obama promises to double the nation’s…
Op-Eds
Saving Speaker Pelosi: The Inept Politics of the US Cap and Trade Plan
I won’t be surprised if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Environment Committee chair Barbara Boxer and President-elect Barack Obama all send flowers…
News Release
Statement on the Nomination of Dr. Steven Chu to Be Secretary of Energy
President-elect Obama’s nominee for Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, is clearly an immensely able man, as demonstrated by his being awarded the Nobel Prize…
Time Magazine
Broken Windows, Broken Logic
Kinsley's latest missive in time falls prey to one of the oldest traps in economics–Frédéric Bastiat's broken-window fallacy. Just as a broken window creates work…
CBS
The Future of Environment and Energy Policy
CBS
Libertarian Strategies for The Obama Administration
CBS
Will A Weak Economy Be Saddled With Greenhouse Gas Regulations?
President Obama will find he faces two main problems in relation to greenhouse gas emissions, a domestic one and an international one.
National Association of Manufacturers
Continuing to drill for oil
The National Association of Manufacturers discusses Iain Murray's writings on oil exploration. Iain Murray of the free-market advocacy group, Competitive Enterprise Institute, reviews…
Newsletter
Bernard Madoff’s Personal Fortune, Clean Coal Technology and Wasteful Federal Spending
Alleged investment fraudster Bernard Madoff is ordered to disclose all of his financial assets to government investigators. Environmental groups launch a series of TV ads…
Newsletter
Obama’s Energy Plan, New York’s Obesity Tax and the End of Global Warming Alarmism
Barack Obama’s choice for Secretary of Energy plans to focus on expanding sources of “clean” renewable energy. New York Gov. David Paterson proposes raising taxes…
National Association of Manufacturers
Obama’s Unfortunate Science Nominees
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s Clean Energy Agenda
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama priming to push climate agenda
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s Choices For Science Posts
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama Nomination of John Holdren as Science Advisor
Op-Eds
Clean Waste
In choosing Nobelist and alternative energy enthusiast Steve Chu as his nominee to head the Department of Energy (DOE), President-elect Barack Obama is saying…
Tyler Morning Telegraph
The Obabma Team Preparing to Push Climate Change Agenda
Tyler Morning Telegraph
The Holdren Choice
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s Global Warming Team
Tyler Morning Telegraph
The Vilsack Nomination
Tyler Morning Telegraph
John Holdren Being a Top Contender for Obama Science Job
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama Signaling a Global Warming Policy Shift With His Cabinet Picks
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama Choice of Global-Warming Foes For Science Posts
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s Choice of Advocates for Action on Global Warming as Top Science Advisers
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s energy team’s own ‘inconvenient truths’
News Release
Obama Interior, Agriculture Appointees Complete Anti-Energy Team
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Newsletter
Bailout Indecision, Greenhouse Gas Negotiations and Privatizing Electricity
President Bush and Treasury officials continue to evaluate possible bailout proposals for General Motors and Chrysler. Twenty-seven European countries sign a new agreement to reduce…
Tyler Morning Telegraph
Obama’s energy-climate team
Breitbart
The Energy Independence and Security Act,
Breitbart
The high hopes for Obama’s green team
Breitbart
Obama cabinet picks
Breitbart
Obama appointments to energy, environment posts
Breitbart
Obama’s move left on the environment
Op-Eds
Power to the People
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Breitbart
Team Obama shifts left
Op-Eds
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
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Breitbart
Obama’s ‘green dream team’ is warmly received
Breitbart
Obama’s Pick of Carol Browner for Energy Czar
Breitbart
Obama’s energy pick Chu
Breitbart
Obama’s “dream” team
Breitbart
how the economic slowdown could complicate ‘Cap and Trade’ plans
Study
The Railroad Competition and Service Improvement Act
Why Government-Enforced “Competition” Will Not Work.
Canada Free Press
Living in a Funhouse Run by Morons
New York Post
Phantom Jobs
Newsletter
Bottled Water for the Homeless, Challenging NAFTA and Green-on-Green Violence
North Carolina officials pass out winter aid kits to the homeless. Barack Obama’s presumptive pick for trade representative suggests that the U.S. should renegotiate the…
National Review
Obama’s Code-Green Economy
Comment
Comments on EPA’s ANPR on Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under the Clean Air Act
CEI’s Christopher C. Horner filed this comment urging EPA not to make an endangerment finding with respect to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from new motor…
National Review
Environmentalists fear Obama will forget them in crisis
Comment
Free market groups submit a joint comment on EPA’s ANPR on Greenhouse Gas Regulation under the Clean Air Act
CEI’s Marlo Lewis and representatives of 28 other free market and conservative organizations filed this joint comment urging EPA not to make an endangerment finding with…
Comment
Comments on EPA’s ANPR on Greenhouse Gas Regulation Under the Clean Air Act
In this comment on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on greenhouse gas (GHG) regulation under the Clean Air Act (CAA),…
National Review
auto bailout
National Review
energy policy in the 111th Congress
National Review
energy policy in the 111th Congress
National Review
Waxman Win Is Boon for Environmentalists, Bust for Utilities
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
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government