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
Heartland Institute
New Study Shows Renewable Energy May Always Need Government Support
The Heartland Institute discusses renewable energy sources inability to be competitive in the marketplace with Myron Ebell. Myron Ebell, director of the Center for Energy…
Blog
Power Plant Rule: EPA Defies Stay to Develop Legally Dubious Incentive Program
The EPA yesterday took another step to advance the Obama administration’s flagship domestic climate policy, the so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP). As Politico…
Blog
Wind Energy Industry Suffers Fuel Shortage in 2015
Wind energy can’t compete. Instead, it exists only by the grace of favorable politics. On the supply side, the industry enjoys the federal production tax…
Blog
The Treaty Not to Be Called a Treaty
The recent Paris Climate Agreement is clearly a treaty, but like the fable of the emperor’s new clothes, few people are willing to incur…
Breitbart
Lawfare: Left-Wing U.S. Attorneys General Wage Legal Blitzkrieg on Science, Freedom and truth
Breitbart discusses the subpoena sent to CEI as part of the attorneys general intimidation campaign to silence the climate change debate. Now the Attorney…
Blog
CEI Will Surmount Crimethink Persecution
Feisty, aggressive, unwavering, and sometimes unconventional—all terms I heard prior to joining CEI last week as president. The descriptions were spot-on. But before the first conversations ended,…
Blog
Our Take: The Climate-Related Subpoena
Since CEI was subpoenaed on April 8 for a decade’s worth of work from 20 years ago, many have asked “Why?” and “How?” Here is…
Blog
What Others Are Saying about CEI’s Climate Change Subpoena
Since CEI was subpoenaed by the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands on April 8, 2016, for energy and climate work from 20 years…
Blog
Haiku: “No Energy Left”
Inspired by SunEdison’s near bankruptcy (among other terrible news for the solar power industry) and infused with the spirit of Japanese culture…
Blog
House Energy and Environment Notes
Both chambers of Congress are in recess now, but there were some goings-on in the House last Wednesday that merit mention. The first was EPA…
Blog
Senators Urge EPA to Burst RFS Blend Wall
A bipartisan group of 19 Senators led by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is urging EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to get the Renewable…
Daily Caller
MIT: Green Energy Can’t Work Unless You Tax Everything
The Daily Caller reports discusses renewable energy with Myron Ebell and William Yeatman. “Windmills, solar panels, and ethanol could not compete with coal,…
Blog
Is EPA Trying to Centrally Plan the Auto Sector (in Addition to the Electric Sector)?
With the Clean Power Plan, President Obama’s marquee climate policy, the Environmental Protection Agency is trying to run the electricity sector. Of course, the agency…
Blog
News Cycle Contradicts Green Energy Revolution
Last Thursday, The Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Bennet and Christina Rogers reported that auto dealers “are telling auto makers to limit production of passenger cars in…
Blog
A Banner Day for Rule of Law, Constitution, and Common Sense
In an unexpected and unprecedented decision, the Supreme Court last evening granted an application by more than two dozen states to stay implementation of the…
Blog
In Defending Clean Power Plan before the Supreme Court, EPA/DOJ Misrepresent Clean Air Act with Lame Editing Tricks
Lawyers for the EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are trying to pull a fast one on the Supreme Court. Through creative formatting, they…
Blog
Don’t Put Eco-Finance Measures in Energy Bill
Cronyism and boondoggles in an energy bill is nothing new in the U.S. Congress. But this week, senators of both parties are taking the process…
Blog
In FERC Ruling, Supreme Court Announces Dangerous New “No Man’s Land” Principle
On January 26, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government in a high profile case, FERC v. Electric Power Supply Association. Media…
Blog
Is Any Component of Obama’s Energy Policy Not Shrouded in Obfuscation?
Last week, Bloomberg News’s Toluse Olorunnipa tweeted from a Detroit auto show that President Obama “slammed” Republicans for having predicted high gas prices during his administration. …
New York Times
Supreme Court Upholds Efforts on Managing Electricity Use Through Pricing
The New York Times quotes Myron Ebell's statement in response to the Supreme Court's ruling that federal regulators authority to issue demand response programs.
Daily Caller
Supreme Court Allows ‘Socialized Electricity’ To Make Green Energy Profitable
The Daily Caller quotes Myron Ebell's statement in response to the Supreme Court's decision to uphold federal agencies ability to artificially make green energy more…
Blog
Coalition Submits Comments to EPA on Proposed Clean Power Plan Model FIP
Today, January 21, 2016, is the final day for submission of comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) notice of proposed rulemaking concerning a Model Federal…
Blog
SOTU Response: Fisking O’s Climate Spiel
PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Look, if anybody still wants to dispute the science around climate change, have at it. You’ll be pretty lonely, because you’ll be debating…
News Release
CEI Takes the EPA’s Clean Power Plan to Court to Protect State Rights
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its Clean Power Plan in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
Coal Blog
EPA’s Clean Power Plan Does Not Deserve Judicial Respect
On August 3rd, President Obama announced his administration’s signature global warming policy, known as the Clean Power Plan. In the simplest of terms, the Clean…
Watchdog.org
Solyndra times five: What’s up with the $2.65 billion in federal loans to Abengoa?
Watchdog.org discusses with William Yeatman the potential for energy giant Abengo to go bankrupt, and the impact of this on taxpayers. “Potentially, we’re looking at…
Washington Free Beacon
Green Energy Investors Look to Cash in on Paris Talks
The Washington Free Beacon reports on business investors involvment in green energy and quotes William Yeatman's thoughts on the issue. William Yeatman, an energy…
Voice of America
Carbon Taxes, Cap-and-Trade Getting Another Look in US
Voice of America reports on the carbon tax and speaks with Marlo Lewis on the effect such a tax would have. Regardless of…
Blog
Fracking: The Gift Keeps Giving
“U.S. proved crude oil reserves hit levels not seen since 1972, surpassing 39 billion barrels in 2014, according to newly released federal data,” Michael Bastasch…
Blog
Who’s Playing Politics on the Keystone XL Pipeline?
“The White House on Tuesday said President Obama had no intention of bowing to a request from the company behind the Keystone XL oil pipeline…
Daily Caller
Inside The Supreme Court Case That Could Change How America Gets Its Power
The Daily Caller interviews William Yeatman on the Supreme Court case which is determining the legality of a policy that promotes "demand-side management" of green energy services.
Daily Signal
Solyndra Redux: Another Green Company May Lose Taxpayers Millions
The Daily Signal references CEI's expert William Yeatman for more information about the threat of renewable energy companies when paid through government subsidies.
Blog
“Losing Our Minds” over Green Energy
Eco-theocracy has swept America and Europe, resulting in governments devoting vast sums to build their Green Temples where “renewable energy” and “recycled materials” can be…
California Watchdog.org
SunEdison: A cloudy Picture For Another Renewable Energy Compnay
Californina Watchdog.org cites CEI's expert William Yeatman on government stimulus dollars spent in aid of renewable energy companies. “Government has no business picking winners and…
Blog
Reasons for Global Warming Skepticism
Democrats have developed a cottage industry in ridiculing and condemning Republicans as Luddites. How can any “reasonable” person deny that increased greenhouse gas concentrations in the…
Blog
Clean Energy Incentive Program: Why It Makes EPA’s Power Plant Rule Even More Unlawful
EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), which imposes carbon dioxide (CO2) emission rate targets and tonnage caps on state electric power sectors, is unlawful in at…
Blog
Is President Obama’s Energy Wish Coming True?
In a January 17, 2008, interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, then-Senator Obama said that “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket” under his plan to…
Blog
Party Bias in EPA’s Power Plant Rule?
What’s the main difference between EPA’s final rule to regulate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from state electric-power sectors—the so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP), released August 3—and…
Blog
EPA’s Proposed and Final “Clean Power” Plan: Which Is Worse?
“Climate Rule Worse than We Thought,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) warned today in an email alert about EPA’s so-called Clean Power Plan (CPP). He explains:…
Blog
A Primer on Expected EPA Climate Rules
In 2010, during the 111th Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid shelved a cap-and-trade bill because too many Democrats opposed the bill during caucus meetings. And during…
The Washington Free Beacon
Clinton Climate Plan Winners Include Supporters’ Clients, Employers
The Washington Free Beacon cites CEI`s William Yeatman on Clinton’s plan to dramatically boost U.S. solar power production: John Podesta, the center’s founder,…
Washington Examiner
Can this businessman’s green turn GOP green?
The Washington Examiner cites CEI`s Myron Ebell on Jay Faison`s donation to super PAC for a non-binding amendment affirming climate change as real and primarily…
Blog
Vatican Downplays Political Involvement in Climate Debate While Joining Forces with Radical Leftist Naomi Klein
Kathryn Jean Lopez reports on NRO’s The Corner that Cardinal Peter Turkson downplayed the political intentions of Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si’, when he spoke to…
Blog
Are There Broader Implications of the Supreme Court’s EPA Ruling?
“In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court blocked the Environmental Protection Agency’s mercury and air toxics standards, charging that the administration failed to adequately consider…
The Freeman
The Poor Need Affordable Energy
Affordable energy is fundamental to what economist Deirdre McCloskey calls the “Great Fact” of the explosion of human welfare. It remains central to the…
News Release
CEI’s William Yeatman on the Murray Energy Challenge to the Clean Power Plan
Today the oral argument in the Murray Energy case against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took place before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…
Blog
Yes, and Water Can Run Uphill!
A recent Washington Post story by Joby Warrick says much about the credulity of the media. The story extols the great gains in wind…
Blog
There Are No “Neutral Taxes” in Politics
Those favoring larger government are finding it harder to finance them by raising taxes. Proponents have sought to reduce opposition by claiming that they’re not…
Blog
Results of “Cash for Appliances”
Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (commonly called "the stimulus"), a $300 million program to subsidize consumer purchases of energy-efficient appliances called…
National Review
Dodd-Frank Will Cripple American Energy
The two recent federal court decisions on Obamacare subsidies — one for, one against — prompted fevered reactions and discussion. By contrast, two recent rulings…
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