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
CEI-led coalition urges Congress to end Green New Deal policies embedded in the Inflation Reduction Act
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to Congress urging lawmakers to make it a priority to get rid of the Inflation Reduction…

Blog
House should support the Protecting American Energy Production Act
This week the House of Representatives is expected to consider the Protecting American Energy Production Act (H.R. 26), which was introduced by Rep.
The Independent Institute
Wind and Solar Tax Credits are Destroying the Grid
Rising power demand is revealing the fatal flaw in the increasing penetration of wind and solar on the grid. It’s time to admit that enough…
Search Posts
Associated Press
Citizens Showing Leadership in Climate Change Issues
Associated Press covers CEI’s opposition to a carbon tax. With President Donald Trump withdrawing the United States from the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, Congress…
Bloomberg Politics
Trump Plays Down Health Hazard in Justifying Climate Rule Repeal
Bloomberg Politics quotes Myron Ebell on the importance of curbing Carbon Dioxide and how that should pose a greater priority to the Trump administration.
Free Beacon
Clean Power Plan Repeal Will Save $33 Billion in Compliance Costs
The Washington Free Beacon quotes Myron Ebell on her opinion of how cutting the Clean Power Plan will afford…
Time
Energy Companies Don’t Like the Clean Power Plan — or President Trump’s Plan to Kill It
Time quotes Myron Ebell about the ability of the Trump Administration to deregulate Power Plants. Donald Trump boasted last month that the Obama…
Washington Examiner
Repealing The Clean Power Plan Will Benefit All Americans
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt's proposal to repeal the so-called Clean Power Plan is the most notable step President Trump and his team have…
Blog
State of the Union: Trump Has Much to Take Credit for on Energy, Environment, and Climate
Message to President Trump on energy and environment issues: Don’t become comfortable with the status quo and sink back into the swamp; keep on doing…
The Washington Post
The Energy 202: The Conservative Backlash to Trump’s Solar Tariffs Begins
The Washington Post covers the Trump administration’s tariffs on solar panels. The U.S. solar industry was finally dealt a blow this week…
Politico
Trump’s Failing War on Green Power
Politico discusses the Trump administrations recent energy policies with Myron Ebell. President Donald Trump and Republicans have tried again and again during the past…
Blog
Washington Governor Inslee Working on Climate Policy for an Environmental Group
My CEI colleague Chris Horner has discovered through state freedom of information laws that environmental pressure groups and major charitable foundations have been directing as…
The Hill
‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Is Back in Trump Era
The Department of the Interior on Jan. 4 released the draft of an Outer Continental Shelf oil and natural gas leasing plan that would dramatically…
Blog
Will Trump EPA Reconsider California Greenhouse Gas Waiver?
The Trump Justice Department will no longer use Clean Air Act enforcement penalties to provide multibillion-dollar subsidies for electric vehicle infrastructure.
Blog
Department of Interior Announces Ambitious New Offshore Oil Plan
Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke has announced an ambitious new oil and gas leasing plan for the federal Outer Continental Shelf.
The Daily Caller
With the Stroke of a Pen, Trump Claims Victory in the Decades-Long Battle Over ANWR
The Daily Caller covers the ANWR provision of the tax reform bill. President Donald Trump signed tax reform legislation that also ends the battle…
Blog
A Banner Year for Deregulation on Energy, Climate, and Environment
2017 has been a banner year for advancing free market policies across the board on energy, climate, and environmental issues.
Blog
EPA Considers ‘What Comes Next’ after Ending Obama-Era Clean Power Plan
This week's Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking is a brainstorming exercise for what comes in the wake of the EPA’s rescission of the Clean Power…
Blog
French President Holds Climate Finance Summit on 2nd Anniversary of Paris Treaty
On December 12, on the second anniversary of the signing of the Paris Climate Treaty, French President Emmanuel Macron held a climate finance summit in…
Blog
Results Are In: Freedom to Export Lowers Energy Prices
A study released today by Texans for Natural Gas (TNG) demolishes the long-running scare campaign waged by corporate rent seekers, eco-activists, and “progressive” politicians…
Fox News
Here’s How Trump Could Make a Quick (and Complete) Exit from the Paris Climate Agreement Right Now
Last June, President Trump announced he would withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement climate treaty on greenhouse gases. It was…
The Daily Caller
Trump’s EPA Chief Says Obama ‘Short-Shrifted’ the Proper Process to Regulate CO2
The Daily Caller covers statements made by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt and a petition CEI filed with the EPA to reconsider the endangerment finding.
The Daily Caller
Obama Mega Donor Financially Backed Solar Company Now Seeking Trade Tariffs
The Daily Caller covers new developments in a company advocating for trade tarrifs on solar panels, which CEI has opposed in a letter with the R…
CNBC
Trump Disappoints Fossil Fuel Proponents and Corn Belt Base as EPA Leaves Biofuels Program Mostly Unchanged
CNBC discusses the release of the EPA’s 2018 renewable fuel standard targets with Marlo Lewis. Faced with competing demands from two pillars of President …
The Daily Caller
Eco-Billionaire Tom Steyer Is Noticeably Absent from Fight Against Solar Tariff Push
The Daily Caller discusses solar tariffs. Billionaire green energy champion Tom Steyer has been strangely silent about a slew of trade tariffs analysts believe…
The Daily Caller
EPA Progresses Through HUNDREDS Of FOIA Requests Left Unanswered Under Obama
CEI Senior Fellow Chris Horner cited in the Daily Caller’s piece on the EPA progressing through hundreds of FOIA request left unanswered under Obama.
The New American
State Dept. Sued for Secret Records on UN Paris Climate Accord
The New American covers CEI’s second FOIA lawsuit against the Department of State. On November 11, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) filed its second…
CNBC
Climate Skeptics and Coal Boosters Gather to Cheer Trump’s Energy Agenda — and Hold His Feet to the Fire
CNBC covers the Heartland Institute’s America First Energy Conference where Myron Ebell spoke. … The conference, preceded by a day of closed-door…
The Daily Caller
Docs Show Dems Are Outsourcing Paris Climate Campaign to Liberal Outlets
The Daily Caller discusses the use of activist groups by Democratic governors to push a climate change agenda with Chris Horner. The coalition of…
The Washington Post
This Group Thinks Trump Hasn’t Done Enough to Unravel Environmental Rules. Here’s Its Wish List.
The Washington Post discusses the effectiveness of environmental deregulation under the Trump administration with Myron Ebell. The activists gathered behind closed doors in a…
Law360
Conservative Think Tank Sues for Paris Climate Deal Info
Law360 covers CEI’s FOIA lawsuit against the Department of State. The Competitive Enterprise Institute sued the U.S. State Department in D.C. federal court Monday,…
Politico
Suit Filed for Obama-era Paris Records
Politico’s Morning Energy covers CEI’s FOIA lawsuit against the Department of State. The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed a lawsuit Monday seeking records during the…
The Washington Times
Democratic Governors Outsource Climate Campaigns to Activist Groups, Emails Reveal
The Washington Times covers the use of activist groups by Democratic governors to push climate change agendas. It may look as if Democratic governors…
The Daily Caller
State Dept Is Withholding Paris Accord Documents, So a Think Tank Is Suing It
The Daily Caller covers CEI’s second FOIA lawsuit against the Department of State for withholding documents related to the Paris Climate Agreement. The libertarian…
The Washington Examiner
Competitive Enterprise Institute Re-ups Lawsuit Against State Department for Not Releasing Paris Climate Emails
The Washington Examiner covers CEI’s second lawsuit against the Department of State over a FOIA request for documents relating to the Paris Climate Agreement.
The New York Times
U.S. Report Says Humans Cause Climate Change, Contradicting Top Trump Officials
The New York Times covers the release of Obama-era climate reports by the Trump administration. Directly contradicting much of the Trump administration’s position on…
Blog
Energy Company Efforts in Hurricane Harvey Recovery
Sometimes it's good to have an oil company for a neighbor.
Blog
Carbon Tax: Political Poison for the Conservative Movement
The struggle for hearts and minds in this country is to no small degree a contest between a movement that is pro-energy and anti-tax and…
The Daily Signal
EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Bars Government-Funded Science Advisers from Panels
The Daily Signal discusses EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to prohibit scientists who receive grants from the agency from serving on the agency’s advisory boards with…
The Hill
EPA Blocks Scientists Who Get Grants from Its Advisory Boards
The Hill covers EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to prohibit scientists receiving grants from the agency from serving on the agency’s advisory boards. The…
The Washington Examiner
Scott Pruitt Bars EPA Grant Recipients from Serving on Advisory Boards
The Washington Examiner covers EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s decision to block scientists who receive agency funding from serving on advisory boards. Environmental Protection Agency…
The Daily Caller
Pruitt Is Right To Withdraw Obama’s ‘Clean Power Plan’
Tom Harris, in an op-ed for The Daily Caller cites an article by Marlo Lewis, Jr. regarding the Clean Power Plan. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator…
Blog
House Passes Two Bills to Reform EPA Settlement Abuse
By a 238-183 bipartisan vote on October 24, the House of Representatives passed the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2017 (H.R. 732).
Blog
EPA Releases Report on Pro-Growth Energy-Related Actions
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week released a report on its actions to implement President Trump’s “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and…
The Daily Caller
EXCLUSIVE: Podesta’s ‘Green Company’ Forced to Close Because Hillary Lost the Election
The Daily Caller discusses the closing of a biofuels company headed by John Podesta with Marlo Lewis. Joule Unlimited, a secretive green energy company that…
The Daily Signal
EPA Chief Set to Bar Government-Funded Experts From Agency’s Science Panels
The Daily Signal discusses the EPA’s changes to its scientific advisory boards with William Yeatman. Pruitt revealed that he will issue a directive aimed…
Blog
EPA Administrator Pruitt’s Welcome Efforts to End Sue and Settle
On October 15, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a directive taking on the practice known as “sue and settle,” whereby environmental…
Blog
Senate Budget Resolution Breathes Life into ANWR
By a 51-49 vote, the Senate this past week passed a budget resolution that creates a fast-track process for writing legislation to permit drilling in…
OneNewsNow
How Could EPA Avoid ‘Sue and Settle’ Problem?
OneNewsNow discusses the EPA’s “sue and settle” directive with Chris Horner. Lawsuits involving environmental groups and the EPA may not be going away, even…
Politico
New Challenge to Endangerment Finding
Politico’s Morning Energy covers a coalition letter, led by CEI, urging the EPA to review the “endangerment finding.” A group of 60 skeptics of…
Bloomberg BNA
Longer, Costlier Legal Battles Ahead as EPA Vows No Settling
Bloomberg BNA discusses the EPA’s ‘sue and settle’ directive with William Yeatman. EPA Administer Scott Pruitt’s refusal to settle environmental lawsuits means longer and…
Blog
Would Coal Miners Do Better Under Obama than Trump?
That’s allegedly the big takeaway from a presentation given on Tuesday, October 17, to the Energy Bar Association by Brattle Group analyst Marc Chupka.
The Daily Caller
Conservatives Renew Campaign to Invalidate a Key Pillar of Obama’s Global Warming Legacy
The Daily Caller covers our joint letter with the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) with 60 climate and health experts urging the EPA to reconsider…
Letters
CEI Submits Letter to EPA on Burdensome Endangerment Finding
View full document as PDF Dear Administrator Pruitt: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and the Science and Environmental Policy…
Newsmax
EPA Proposes Clean Break with Dirty Energy Politics
Newsmax discusses the EPA’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan with Marlo Lewis. Last week, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued…
The Washington Examiner
Repealing the Clean Power Plan Will Benefit All Americans
Although there is no shortage of policy reasons to repeal the Clean Power Plan, the plan also exceeds the legal authority delegated to the EPA…
The Washington Examiner
EPA Has ‘Plenty of Tools’ to Battle Climate Change Without Obama Regulations, Experts Say
The Washington Examiner discusses the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan with Myron Ebell. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt could…
Blog
My Take on Energy Department’s Prompt Letter to FERC
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the federal agency responsible for regulating interstate power flows, but the Federal Power Act authorizes the Department of…
The Guardian
Fightback Begins Over Trump’s ‘Illegal and Irresponsible’ Clean Power Repeal
The Guardian discusses the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan with Myron Ebell. The US is set for a fresh battle…
The Washington Free Beacon
Clean Power Plan Repeal Will Save $33 Billion in Compliance Costs
The Washington Free Beacon covers the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Repealing the Clean Power Plan will save $33 billion…
The Daily Caller
Despite EPA Actions, Obama’s Climate Agenda ‘Has Not Been Fully Dismantled Yet’
The Daily Caller discusses the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan with Myron Ebell. While Republicans and industry groups cheer the…
Breitbart
EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Proposes to Save $33 Billion with Repeal of Obama-Era Energy Plan
Breitbart covers the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt proposed to repeal the agency’s…
Bloomberg Politics
Trump Plays Down Health Hazard in Making Climate Rule Repeal
Bloomberg Politics discusses the Trump administration’s proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. When President Barack Obama unveiled his plan to pare emissions from…
The Hill
Overnight Energy: EPA to Propose Clean Power Plan Repeal
The Hill covers the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt announced Monday that the formal proposal…
Breitbart
Exclusive–Trump’s EPA Transition Chair Myron Ebell: ‘Scrapping’ Clean Power Plan ‘Key Part of Deregulatory Agenda’
Breitbart covers the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. Myron Ebell, the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s (CEI) director of Energy and Environment programs and…
Breitbart
Exclusive: EPA Document Proposes to Eliminate Clean Power Plan ‘in Its Entirety’
Breitbart covers the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to repeal the agency’s Obama-era climate change program,…
HuffPost
Trump Administration to Propose Scrapping Major Obama-Era Climate Change Policy
HuffPost covers the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan. The Trump administration is poised to scrap a policy limiting greenhouse gas emissions from…
Blog
EPA Proposes Clean Power Plan Repeal Rule
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will soon release the agency’s proposed rule to repeal the Clean Power Plan.
Blog
Past-Due Nomination of EPA’s Number Two Official Is Welcome News
President Donald J. Trump nominated Andrew R. Wheeler to be deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency on October 5th. Wheeler has worked since…
Blog
New Study on Self-Dealing at the IPCC
According to a new study published this week in the journal Scientometrics, an in-depth analysis of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s AR5 report…
The Daily Caller
Trump Will Soon Unveil His Own ‘Global Warming’ Policy – Here’s What That Might Look Like
The Daily Caller discusses the possible replacement of the Clean Power Plan with Will Yeatman. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is preparing to repeal…
Politico
CEI Sues for Paris Documents
Politico’s Morning Energy covers CEI’s FOIA lawsuit against the State Department regarding Paris Climate Treaty documents. The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed …
The Daily Caller
State Department Sued for Internal Records on the Paris Climate Accord
The Daily Caller covers CEI’s FOIA lawsuit against the State Department. A libertarian think tank filed suit against the State Department for records regarding…
The Washington Examiner
Competitive Enterprise Institute Sues State Department for Climate Change Communications of Obama Officials
The Washington Examiner discusses CEI’s FOIA lawsuit against the State Department with Chris Horner. The Competitive Enterprise Institute filed suit Tuesday against…
The Daily Caller
Cities, Activists Are Turning to the Courts to Enforce Global Warming Policies
The Daily Caller discusses the trend of activists taking legal action to enforce global warming policies with Chris Horner. The U.N. issued a report…
Axios
Axios Generate
Axios discusses the endangerment finding with Myron Ebell. “I don’t think you’re going to see [EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt] challenge the endangerment finding. I…
Blog
President Trump Outlines ‘American Model’ Tax Code
On Friday, September 29, President Trump outlined his tax reform package in a speech to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in Washington, D.C.
CQ Researcher
Should Climate Change Be a National Security Priority?
Climate change should not be a national security priority. Directing the Pentagon to focus on it will actually make America less secure. Generals know how…
Houston Chronicle
Trump Faces Next Climate Hurdle
The Houston Chronicle discusses the Paris Climate Treaty with Myron Ebell, President Donald Trump, three months after he pulled the U.S. out of the Paris…
Blog
Sen. Graham’s Perplexing Pivot to a Carbon Tax
Lindsey Graham's enthusiasm for a carbon tax may be less popular than he imagines.
Blog
White House Officials Raise New Hopes that U.S. Will Stay in Paris Climate Treaty
The Wall Street Journal set off a kerfuffle early Saturday evening, September 16, when it sent out an email news alert headlined, “Trump Administration…
CNBC
Trump Is Still Pulling Out of Paris Agreement, Despite Chatter of a Reversal, Experts Say
CNBC discusses the possibility of President Trump pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement with Myron Ebell. President Donald Trump is unlikely to reverse…
The Greeley Tribune
Yeatman-Cooke: The Math Behind Xcel’s ‘Colorado Energy Plan’ Defies Reality and History
Xcel Energy recently announced that it would use Gov. John Hickenlooper’s July executive order calling for climate change policy as reason to bypass the Colorado…
World Net Daily
Trump’s Inner Circle ‘Fighting’ to Keep Paris Climate Deal
World Net Daily discusses the future of the Paris Climate Accord with Chris Horner. Key White House officials are denying any change in President…
Blog
Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman: Partisan of EPA Overreach
Gov. Whitman supported Hillary Clinton for president in 2016 and was in favor of the Obama administration's so-called Clean Power Plan.
The Washington Examiner
Hurricanes Present New Challenge to Trump’s Fast-Track Permit Plan
The Washington Examiner discusses the Trump administration’s infrastructure plan in the wake of recent hurricanes with Myron Ebell. The Trump administration, wanting to rebuild…
The Hill
Trump Officials Eying Replacement for Key Obama Climate Rule
The Hill discusses the Trump administration’s possible replacement of the Clean Power Plan with Myron Ebell. The Trump administration is planning to pursue a less…
Blog
Renewable Energy Update: Rolling Blackouts Down Under
Australia’s green energy policies are under siege and California has been stymied in its grid power grab.
Politico
Trump May Replace Obama’s Big Climate Rule — Not Just Repeal It
Politico discusses nex steps for the Trump administration in regards to the Clean Power Plan with Myron Ebell. The Trump administration is opening the…
Blog
House Moves on Interior-EPA Appropriations Bill with Policy Amendments
The House of Representatives this week considered an appropriations bill that combines eight separate spending bills for FY 2018.
Blog
Fuzzy Math behind Xcel’s New ‘Colorado Energy Plan’
The Colorado utility is claiming that unnecessarily retiring cheap power and then replacing it with new expensive power would somehow save ratepayers money.
Blog
Ten Years of Analysis and Advocacy for Affordable Energy
Here’s to ten more years of expanding production and supplies of affordable energy for all.
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Blog
Fuel Economy Regulations Threaten Vehicle Safety
In 1992 a federal appeals court found that CAFE undercuts vehicle safety, by causing cars to be made smaller and light in order to meet…
The Daily Caller
There’s A ‘Strong Moral Case For Energy Abundance.’ Here’s Why [VIDEO]
The Daily Caller interviews Myron Ebell on the future of energy policy and the moral case for energy abundance. Energy…
Blog
Climate Alarmists Exploit Hurricane Harvey to Score Political Points
Global warming alarmists exploit every weather disaster, and so it is no surprise that they are out in full force for Hurricane Harvey.
Bloomberg BNA
Corporate America May Be Best Hope to Re-Engage Trump on Climate
Bloomberg BNA discusses the possibility of a renegotiation of the Paris Climate Agreement with Myron Ebell. You’d think U.S. companies would be ready to…
Blog
President’s Summer Policy Update
When it comes to the institutions of capitalism, the advance of human welfare, and liberty, we are here because we love the work.
Blog
Motor Vehicle Fuel Efficiency Standards Are Inefficient: Study
The federal government’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program is a highly inefficient method for reducing either motor vehicle greenhouse gas emissions or U.S. oil…
Blog
EPA to Revise Greenhouse Gas Rules for Refurbished Trucks
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt this week approved a petition to revise the agency’s heavy truck greenhouse gas emission standards rule.
The Daily Caller
REPORT: ‘Many Of The EPA’s Functions Could Be Abolished’
The Daily Caller covers Myron Ebell’s suggested reforms for the EPA as part of CEI’s newest publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. Many Environmental Protection Agency…
Study
Rethinking the Environmental Protection Agency
View Full Document as PDF The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget is the most impenetrable of all federal department and agency…
Blog
Weak Allegations Fill NYT’s Latest Ill-Founded Pruitt Expose
The New York Times is back with another attempted blockbuster on Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt.
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

Jacob Tomasulo
Policy Analyst
- Climate
- Energy
- Energy and Environment