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

News Release
Report Urges Congress to End Boondoggle Green Subsidies Now
Congress has a golden opportunity now, during final negotiations over the budget, to wipe out green subsidies passed back in 2022 as part of the…

Blog
New CEI paper: End IRA Subsidies Now
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the flagship climate spending law from the Biden administration. Estimates place its cost between $936 billion and $1.97…

Study
End IRA Subsidies Now
Introduction “The first lesson of economics is scarcity,” wrote economist Thomas Sowell. By contrast, “The first lesson of politics is to disregard the first lesson…
Search Posts
News Release
CEI leads coalition opposing carbon tariffs and the PROVE IT Act
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to Congress opposing a bill that would lay the groundwork for a carbon tax on…
Letters
Carbon Tariff Coalition Letter
Dear Members of Congress:As the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is reportedly going to mark-up the PROVE IT Act (S. 1863) this week, the…
Blog
Policy hurdles to natural gas delivery pose winter danger for Americans
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) just released its 2023-24 Winter Reliability Assessment and it has concerning implications for the winter ahead. The report highlighted many…
The Center Square
Court blocks Biden effort to tighten regulations on washing machines, dishwashers
CEI’s Devin Watkins is cited in The Center Square on dishwasher regulation: “This decision allows manufacturers to build better dishwashers, not be encumbered by counterproductive…
Fox News
Biden admin’s crackdown on dishwashers dealt blow by appeals court
“In this opinion, the court has forced DOE to follow the law and even noted that one of the positions DOE took in this suit…
Breitbart
Federal Court Smacks Down ‘Arbitrary’ Biden Rule Regulating Dishwashers, Laundry Machines
CEI’s work from 2018 was cited in Breitbart on energy regulations: In 2018, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) asked the DOE to consider energy regulations…
Blog
Don’t make crypto the electricity scapegoat
A radical new tax proposed by the Biden administration would make cryptocurrency mining the scapegoat for electricity usage. The so-called Digital Asset Mining Energy (DAME)…
Town Hall
Biden Admin Targets Fridges, Freezers In Latest Slew of Appliance Crackdown
CEI’s Ben Lieberman is cited on Townhall about the latest appliance crackdown: Ben Lieberman, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told Fox…
Fox News
Biden admin launched an aggressive campaign targeting home appliances with eco regulations in 2023
CEI’s Ben Lieberman was cited in Fox News on the targeting of home appliances: “Ostensibly, these DOE efficiency standards are supposed to benefit consumers. That’s…
Comment
Comments to EPA SNPR for Power Plant Rule
Dear Mr. Fellner: I appreciate this opportunity to provide comments on the supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking for the proposed rule “New Source Performance Standards…
Blog
New Liquefied Natural Gas ruling makes Jones Act even more unreasonable
A new Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) decision will make compliance with the Jones Act even more onerous for natural gas producers. The…
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: COP28, House passes car legislation, and carbon taxes
If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental issues, then we encourage you to subscribe to this new publication…
Blog
Defense bill amendment could help undo China’s unfair advantage in environmental treaties
Congress is currently considering the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 (NDAA), including a long list of amendments added to the bill.
Blog
Senators asking the right question on nuclear license renewals
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) ranking member of the SenateEnvironment and Public Works Committee and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) ranking member of the Committee’s Subcommittee on…
News Release
CEI Statement on House Passage of CARS Act
In a vote of 221-to-197, the House today passed the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act (H.R. 4468). Introduced by Reps.
Fox News
Biden’s billion-dollar plan to build 500,000 EV chargers has yet to yield a single charger
CEI’s Daren Bakst is cited on Fox News regarding the EV plan: “Too many members of Congress think ‘Field of Dreams’ is a blueprint…
The Power Hour
The Power Hour | Free Markets, Free People, and a Clean Environment
CEI’s Myron Ebell joins The Power Hour radio show on December 6th, 2023. Listen to the show here.
News Release
CEI Statement on CARS Act
Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA) have introduced legislation that is expected to be considered on the House floor this week,…
Blog
COP28: The conference on penance
Dubai is currently hosting the 28th Conference on Penance (COP). Well, that’s what the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on…
The Hill
Why are some Republicans pushing new taxes and higher prices?
Here’s a concoction whose toxicity conservatives instinctively recognize: new taxes, higher prices, punishing energy use, and giving foreign countries leverage over how the U.S. regulates.
News Release
New CEI paper analyzes the top issues up for negotiation at COP28
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) continues its focus on COP28 in Dubai with a new paper by Henrique Schneider, who is a…
Study
Four Hot Issues at COP28
Over 75 different agenda items will be discussed and negotiated in Dubai at the 28th annual Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework…
Blog
The latest on nuclear power bans: Illinois poised to take an important step
The Illinois nuclear construction ban will soon be a thing of the past.Earlier this year, both state chambers, through a supermajority vote, passed a…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: The future of energy and environmental policy with Travis Fisher
In this week’s episode we cover the political path toward abundance, the need for permitting reform beyond the National Environmental Policy Act,…
PJ Media
Biden Uses Cold War Law to Nuke Your Gas Furnace
PJ Media cites CEI’s Ben Lieberman: The money comes from a presidential slush fund authorized by the Democrats’ trillion-dollar Inflation Reduction Act (that did not…
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: Carbon tariffs, CAFE standards, 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…
News Release
COP explainer begins CEI’s focus on United Nations Climate Change Conference in Dubai
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today begins its focus on the 28th meeting of the Conference of Parties of the the United Nations Framework…
Study
The UN’s Annual Climate Conference
I remember the first Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) I participated in.1 It was back in…
Daily Caller
Biden Admin Tries To Spin Faltering EV Market, But Its Talking Points Don’t Add Up
“Even a mediocre pizza restaurant could sell lots of pies if they give them away,” Marlo Lewis, senior fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, told…
Testimony
Ben Lieberman Testimony: Hearing on “Burdensome Regulations: Examining the Effects ofDepartment of Energy Regulations on America’s Job Creators.”
Chair Williams, ranking member Velazquez, and members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. My name is Ben Lieberman and I…
Blog
12 important amendments for the House Interior, environment spending bill
The House is currently debating H.R. 4821, its Interior and environment spending bill. There are many good amendments being considered on the floor. Here…
Blog
CEI’s The Surge: Climate change slush fund, the true cost of EVs, 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…
Blog
Pope’s letter on climate change misses mark
The Vatican is concluding the last week of the 2023 Synod of Synodality, a three-year series of discussions involving Catholic bishops and selected laypeople.
Blog
US to import more oil from Venezuela, still denying domestic energy projects
The Biden administration suspended certain sanctions on Venezuela’s oil and gas operations Wednesday. The Treasury Department stated that this action was taken “in…
Blog
The Surge: Energy and Environmental Updates – Appliance efficiency standards, IRA tax credits, and more
The following is the second edition of CEI’s new biweekly publication “The Surge.” If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and…
Comment
CEI comments on NHTSA’s proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) proposed corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards for passenger cars…
Blog
Congress should prohibit the EPA’s use of IRA subsidies to justify its regulations
Instead of taking a regulatory or “stick” approach to address many issues within the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislators specifically chose to use subsidies or…
Fox News
Biden admin issues eco regulations impacting air conditioners, refrigerators
Fox News cites Senior Fellow Ben Lieberman on EPA regulations targeting HFCs: “This is likely to raise the costs — it may raise it substantially…
Fox News
Biden’s depletion of emergency oil stocks comes back into focus amid Israel-Hamas war, price surge
Fox News cites Senior Fellow Ben Lieberman on the Strategic Petroleum Reserve: “There are a lot of reasons why the Biden administration should not have…
Fox News
Biden’s depletion of emergency oil stocks comes back into focus amid Israel-Hamas war, price surge
“There are a lot of reasons why the Biden administration should not have used the SPR to try to bring down prices — one of…
Blog
No, electricity markets are not free markets: A Q&A with Cato’s Travis Fisher
The following is a Q&A with Travis Fisher, director of Energy and Environmental Policy Studies at the Cato Institute Q: Could you…
Fox News
Biden admin issues restrictions on gas furnaces in latest war on appliances
Fox News cites Ben Liberman on the war against home appliances: “It’s just spreading to more and more appliances. It seems that almost everything…
News Release
Biden administration releases extreme five-year plan for offshore oil and gas lease sales
The Biden Administration released a new five-year plan for offshore oil and gas leases, approving just three lease sales. Director of CEI’s Center for…
Comment
CEI Comments on National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations Revisions Phase 2
To Brenda Mallory, Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality: The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) is a non-profit public interest organization committed to advancing the…
Blog
Biden’s war on energy continues with unprecedented restrictions on offshore oil and gas lease sales
Today, the Interior Department (DOI) released its five-year plan (2024-2029) for offshore oil and gas lease sales. In a press release, the agency…
Comment
CEI Comments on Proposed NEPA Implementing Regulations
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on Phase 2 of the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) proposed revision of its National Environmental Policy Act…
Blog
Introducing CEI’s The Surge: Gas stove bans, Biden admin blocking oil and gas leases, the Blackout Plan, and more
The following is the debut edition of CEI’s new biweekly publication “The Surge.” If you are interested in analysis and perspective on current energy and environmental…
Blog
Biden taps Strategic Petroleum Reserve more than any other president
Instead of actually addressing the root causes of high gas prices, President Joe Biden is depleting the …
Comment
Comments on the Department of Energy’s Proposed Energy Conservation Standards for Residential Water Heaters
I. INTRODUCTION The undersigned free market and consumer organizations have a longstanding interest in bringing to light the deleterious consequences of federal regulations, which are…
Blog
‘On a crash course with energy reality’: Study finds EPA’s Blackout Rule will hurt the US grid
Center of the American Experiment recently published a study modeling the impact of the Biden administration’s new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule regulating…
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