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
Biofuels Debate Heats Up
Ryan Radia and William Yeatman argue that support for bio-fuels is drying up as food costs rise and commodities markets destabilize.
Newsletter
Satellite Radio, Gas Prices and the Credit Crunch
Sirius and XM Satellite await final government approval of their merger. Average gas prices rise to a new record high, prompting accusations of price gouging.
Citation
Biofuel Mandates
Newsletter
Polar Bears, Biofuels and Employment Discrimination
A federal judge orders the Department of the Interior to determine whether the polar bear is a threatened species. More than 100 million people are…
Op-Eds
Let Them Burn Ethanol
American grocery stores are starting to introduce food rationing. Wal Mart is restricting the amount of rice customers can buy. In Mexico and Yemen,…
News Release
Environmental Disasters and Inconvenient Truths
In the new book The Really Inconvenient Truths, Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Iain Murray brings to light an especially inconvenient future: environmental activists…
Newsletter
Deforestation, Internet Regulation and Green Buildings
Senators probe the relationship between climate change and forests. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin tells a congressional hearing that there is no need for new Internet…
Op-Eds
European Railroads Not a Model for U.S. April 23
RAIL Solution’s David Foster (Letters, April 21) claims Europe’s transport system is increasingly “beyond petroleum” because Europe uses high gas taxes not only to discourage…
Op-Eds
Ethanol’s Adding to Hunger in U.S.
Subsidies for ethanol production helps inflate the price of food, making it harder for poor families to eat.
News Release
What Should Forests Fear: Global Warming or Global Warming Policies?
Activists who fear catastrophic effects from global warming have long predicted that deforestation would be one of the many impacts. As the Senate Foreign Relations…
Study
The Really Inconvenient Truths
From the Inside Flap Al Gore is bad for the planet… Talk about really inconvenient truths–that's one of the many you'll find in Iain Murray's…
Newsletter
Biofuels, Natural Gas Prices and Farm Subsidies
Dramatically rising food prices are linked to the expanded use of biofuels. Natural gas prices in the U.S. rise 93% in eight months. Political wrangling…
Newsletter
Bush’s Climate Plan, Carcinogens in Plastic and Free Trade
President Bush outlines a new plan for national climate policy. A new study raises concerns about a connection between plastics and cancer. Democratic leaders in…
Op-Eds
Junk Science: A New ‘Green’ Body Count Begins
Food riots caused by rising food prices have erupted around the world. Five people died in uprisings in Haiti, perhaps the first of…
Study
A Free Market Approach to Energy Security
Proposed measures to achieve "energy independence" have the potential to inflict significant economic damage on America.
News Release
Bush on Global Warming: A Big Mistake that Could Have Been Worse
President Bush's speech on global warming today lays out a blueprint for slow motion economic decline. It legitimizes global warming alarmism and undermines opposition…
Newsletter
Judicial Salaries, Food Riots and the Olympic Torch
New York state judge Judith Kaye sues to have the salaries of state judges increased by 20%. The head of the International Monetary Fund warns…
Op-Eds
Will Greenery Promote Growth, and Save the World (and Money)?
In Europe, consumers pay up to $9 a gallon for gasoline, in part because European Union governments tax gasoline at rates of $2 to $3…
Newsletter
Global Health Threats, Foreclosure Relief and Food Riots
Members of Congress hear testimony on whether global warming will become a threat to human health. Senators agree on a foreclosure relief plan for mortgage…
Newsletter
China Under Fire, Free Trade and High Gas Prices
Demonstrators disrupt the Olympic torch ceremony in Paris to protest China’s human rights record. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi objects to the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement negotiated…
Op-Eds
Green jobs law an empty promise
If lawmakers in Olympia are serious about global warming, there is a simple solution that economists agree is the easiest, most efficient…
News Release
Will Global Warming Harm Human Health?
This week committees in both the Senate and House of Representatives will be holding hearings on whether global warming will cause future harm to…
Op-Eds
CEI Fights Sierra Club Demands for CO2
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and more than a dozen other conservative groups filed an amicus brief March 21 against a Sierra Club…
Newsletter
Al Gore’s Ads, Cultural Diversity and the Farm Bill
Al Gore launches a $300 million ad campaign to promote his global warming agenda. The Maryland legislature moves to mandate “cultural diversity” programs at all…
Study
California’s Energy Policy
Full Document Available in PDF Global warming policies championed by former Vice President…
Op-Eds
A Maverick Climate Policy
Republican nominee for president John McCain recently returned from a whirlwind tour of Europe meant to promote his global statesmanship. In Europe,…
Comment
Brief of Amici Curiae In the Matter of Deseret Power Electric Cooperative
Before the Environmental Appeals Board United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, DC In the matter of:…
Newsletter
Bandwidth Flood, Ethanol Victims and Insurance Mandates
Politicians debate the possibility of requiring Americans to purchase health insurance. Ethanol mandates continue to raise prices on agricultural producers around the country. Internet experts…
Citation
Affordable Energy
Citation
Affordable Energy
Citation
Affordable Energy
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Affordable Energy
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Affordable Energy
News Release
CEI Launches National Ad Campaign on the Impact of Al Gore’s Global Warming Policies
Developing World Most at Risk from Energy Constraints…
Citation
Energy Rationing
Citation
CEI’s Ad Campaign
Op-Eds
Energy Dollars and Sense
Rising energy costs threaten the U.S. economy, and the GOP doesn’t seem to care. Last December, Congressional Republicans joined a Republican president in support of…
Op-Eds
Candidates Fail Energy Independence Test
All the presidential candidates say they’re for energy independence. So why didn’t they do something about it when they had the chance?…
Op-Eds
Looming Lightbulb Liability
The speeding freight train carrying toxic waste liability for makers, sellers and purchasers of compact fluorescent lightbulbs, or CFLs, was only faintly audible in the…
Op-Eds
Lights out, America?
The lights may soon go out in Washington, D.C. — and it could happen where you live, too. "Electric power has already…
Op-Eds
Ethanol mandate would harm CO economy
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Colorado, beware: An army of well connected lobbyists has persuaded Congress to adopt an ethanol policy that's…
Citation
Carol Browner’s Socialist Ties
Op-Eds
Somewhere, Mr. Edison Gently Weeps
A New Yorker cartoon from several years ago shows a vast, cubicle-filled office, with a manager explaining that the "dim fluorescent lighting is meant to…
Op-Eds
A Lightbulb Tea Party?
“No man's life, liberty or property is safe while the legislature is in session.” That comment by New York State Surrogate Court Judge…
Op-Eds
Living up to green ‘standards’
In his HGTV show “Living with Ed,” actor and environmentalist Ed Begley Jr. shows his viewers how to live green. Begley certainly more…
News Release
Senate Holds Hearing on Irrelevant Climate Plan
Washington, D.C., November 8, 2007—This morning the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will meet to hear testimony on legislation that would severely restrict…
News Release
Congress Seeks Costly Light Bulb Mandates
Contact: Christine Hall, 202.331.2258 Washington, D.C., September 12, 2007— Congress today is debating plans for forcing costly "energy efficient" lighting standards on…
Letters
A Joint Letter to the U. S. House of Representatives on H. R. 6 and Other Legislation to Raise Energy Prices
A Joint Letter to the U. S. House of Representatives on H. R. 6 and Other Legislation to Raise Energy Prices Washington,…
News Release
Stringent Government Rules Can Turn Deadly
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Digest
1. The Week in Global Warming News 2. CEI’s Insider Information 3. Issue of the Week: Marlo Lewis’s Senate Testimony4.
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Digest
1. The Week in Global Warming News 2. CEI’s Insider Information 3. Issue of the Week: A Federal Renewable…
Study
Gone with the Wind
As part of comprehensive legislation to raise energy prices, the Senate is once again considering proposals to set a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for electric…
News Release
CEI’s ‘Send Your Underwear to the Undersecretary’ Campaign Goes *Virtual*
Washington, D.C., June 18, 2007—CEI’s campaign against the U.S. Department of Energy’s disastrous washing machine efficiency rules has gone virtual. Rather than physically mailing underwear…
Letters
A Joint Letter to the U. S. Senate on S. 1419, the Making Energy Less Affordable Act
Washington, D. C. 14th June 2007 Dear Senator: The undersigned organizations are writing to share our concerns about S. 1419,…
Study
Corn-Based Ethanol
A boom in ethanol production is taking place today for variety of reasons. Undoubtedly, the most significant factor is government support and subsidies for biofuel…
Study
First, Do No Harm to Motorists
Sam Kazman explores why Congress should focus its attention not on making C.A.F.E. standards more stringent, but on scrapping them and, at a minimum, avoid…
News Release
Gas Price Gouging Bill “Unconscionable”
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., May 22, 2007—The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act introduced by Rep. Bart Stupak (D.-MI)…
News Release
Send Your Underwear to the Undersecretary
Sending real underwear to the Undersecretary can be a bit of a hassle, so we've provided a way for you to email a "virtual…
News Release
Campaign Exposes Naked Truth About New Energy Efficient Washing Machines
Contact: Sam Kazman, 202-331-2265 Washington, D.C., May 16, 2007—The federal government’s new energy efficiency standards for washing machines have destroyed the ability of many top-loaders…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH First Lady Laura Bush delivers remarks in the White House Rose Garden for Malaria Awareness Day .
Study
A Free Market Agenda for the 110th Congress
Washington, D.C., January 10, 2007—Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute releases its policy recommendations for the new leadership on Capitol Hill: This Liberal Congress Went to…
News Release
A Free Market Agenda for the 110th Congress
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., January 10, 2007—Today the Competitive Enterprise Institute releases its policy recommendations for the new leadership…
Op-Eds
Be afraid of the dark: Misguided NIMBYs foster future of blackouts
The electric Reliability Organization (ERO), established with statutory authority after the widespread blackouts of 2003, has issued its first report. It makes for…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH & SAFETY A new report by the Centers for Disease Control finds dramatically lower levels…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TRANSPORTATION Communities in states such as Michigan, Florida, Texas and…
Op-Eds
Energy-saving Light Bulbs Initially Dim Enthusiasm
News Release
Broadcast of “Corporate Aftershock” Book Forum
Watch a webcast of the forum on the new book, Corporate Aftershock: The Public Policy Lessons from the Collapse of Enron and Other Major…
CEI Planet
February Edition of CEI Monthly Planet
Full Document Available in PDF Articles in this edition:…
Op-Eds
Electricity Restructuring Is No License For Central Planning
Economists sometimes gets confused—specially when the real world doesn't fit into their…
Study
Short- And Long-Range Impacts Of Increases In The Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standard
Full Document Available in PDF…
Op-Eds
New Laws Are Unnecessary
Politicians of all stripes are rushing into the Enron fray, eager to use this event as the pretext for enacting new regulations and…
Op-Eds
U.S. Shouldn’t Seek Energy Independence
The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have raised fears about U.S. dependence on Middle Eastern oil. It seems that nearly everyone believes that if the United…
Op-Eds
Energy Independence: It Doesn’t Work
The Sept. 11 attacks have raised an old idea: By reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, can we reduce America’s vulnerability to oil shocks that…
News Release
Energy Commission Expands California’s Crisis
Washington, DC, July 9, 2001— After only a few weeks of expanded price caps, what was once the California energy crisis is already spreading…
Study
California’s Power Market: “Gray” Days Ahead?
The Golden State has power problems; rolling blackouts began yesterday. Many, including Governor Gray Davis, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and several consumer groups, blame the state’s…
Comment
Comments Of The Competitive Enterprise Institute On The Department Of Energy’s Proposed Conservation Standards For Clothes Washers
I. SUMMARY The proposed clothes washer energy conservation standards will impose a substantial and unnecessary burden on American consumers. These proposed rules are in violation…
Op-Eds
Got a Computer? More Power To You: Mills/Huber Op-ed in Wall Street Journal
It takes electrons to move bits Published in the Wall Street Journal September 6, 2000 It takes electrons to move bits. The…
Study
Electricity Deregulation: Wired or Tangled in the 106th Congress’s Committees?
When policymakers embark upon restructuring as opposed to deregulating a heavily regulated industry, they risk creating more regulation than existed before. This is…
Study
Electricity Reform in Colorado: A Resource Guide for Citizens & Policymakers
Executive Summary ·Deregulation of telecommunications, natural gas, and transportation saved American consumers billions of dollars, created new choices among sellers and spurred numerous…
Study
The Deadly Effects of Fuel Economy Standards: CAFE’s Lethal Impact on Auto Safety
Full Document Available in PDF…
Study
Electric Chairmen Can Throw Switch on Phony Deregulation
View Full Document as PDF The local electric power monopoly is the only game in town for consumers, something reformers have…
Study
Electric Avenues: Why “Open Access” Can’t Compete
Full Document Available in PDF The regulation of electricity markets…
News Release
Clinton Electricity “Deregulation” Re-Regulates Industry
Washington, DC, March 25, 1998 — “If the Clinton administration’s ‘Comprehensive Electricity Competition Plan’ is to deregulate electricity, government oversight of the power industry…
News Release
Free-Market Think Tank Enters Electric Power Business
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a free market think tank, today announced its entry into the electric power market and demanded that utilities open…
Study
CAFE’s “Smashing Success”: The Deadly Effects of Auto Fuel Economy Standards, Current & Proposed
Full Document Available in PDF…
Op-Eds
Bring competitive power to the people
On Jan. 26, the Michigan Public Service Commission approved a contract which would allow Wisconsin Public Power Co. to provide electricity to the Copper…
Study
The Economic Fallacies of Demand-Side Management
Full Document Available in PDF Recent years have seen the emergence of…
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