Energy policy is a national priority. Lawmakers should implement a long-term energy plan that allows free markets to balance supply and demand, ensures reliable and competitively priced energy for the future, and creates incentives for responsible stewardship of the nation's resources and environment.
Is nuclear energy safe? Can it really meet all of our energy needs? Powering America answers these questions and more by pulling back the veil on nuclear energy and follows the men and women who work in America's nuclear power industry. Read More.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The burden of regulation on Americans increased at an alarming rate in fiscal year 2010. Based on data from the Government Accountability Office, an unprecedented 43 major new regulations were imposed by Washington. Read More.
America needs an energy policy that promotes environmental sustainability and economic growth. Yet many Members of Congress and the Administration are promoting policies and promulgating regulations that centralize power in Washington. Read More.
Abstract: With regard to the Lacey Act, The Heritage Foundation and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) can agree on one point: The act should be enforced through the civil justice system or the administrative process. In a recent paper, however, the UCS has…
Abstract: If an “Arab Spring” uprising completely disrupted Saudi oil production, the U.S. and the global economy would face a massive economic and strategic crisis. Russia and Iran as oil-producing states would likely exploit the crisis to increase their power around the world while…
Rory Cooper discusses gas prices on FNC's "The O'Reilly Factor." …
The environmental movement has flexed its lobbying might through the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for decades. But never has it been more muscular than under the current administration. The green lobby’s influence has been the stuff of headlines in recent months. Even as gasoline prices soared, it…
Nick Loris discusses Obama's energy policy on FBN's Willis Report. …
Abstract: Government spending has been spiraling upward—and spending by nearly all government agencies can, and should, be cut. President Obama has just submitted his 2013 budget request to Congress, providing fertile ground for spending cuts.The Department of Energy (DOE), with its many research, development,…
Congressman Ed Whitfield (R–KY) released legislation yesterday that would force the Obama Administration to reveal how its environmental regulations impact gasoline prices. Specifically, the Gasoline Regulations Act of 2012[1] would create a Transportation Fuels Regulatory Committee consisting of officials from the Departments of Energy,…
Abstract: A major public concern about nuclear reactors has been that the spent nuclear fuel could remain stranded at the reactor site indefinitely. In the 1970s, courts prohibited the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from licensing new reactors unless it assured the public that the waste…
On this week’s Scribecast, Rob Bluey and Lachlan Markay interview Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) about his new book, “The Greatest Hoax: How the Global Warming Conspiracy Threatens Your Future.” They also discussed the rising price of gas and energy policy. The interview runs about 12 minutes. Click here to…
FYI: Heritage WebMemos are now called Issue Briefs. The national average for gas prices is almost $3.60 per gallon, increasing 40 cents from a year ago and jumping 20 cents from just one…
This Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear reactor. This occasion is a good time to consider the advances in nuclear power safety since that time and discuss the misinformation about this incident and the 1986 nuclear accident in Chernobyl, Ukraine, which is often associated with…
The Climate Action Report, a periodic report to the United Nations, was issued in early June. A media frenzy claimed that this report somehow contained revelatory new science that changed the debate on global warming. The report has little new science. But since 1992, when America embarked on the Rio…
Testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 July 24, 2008 Jack Spencer Research Fellow for Nuclear Energy Policy Domestic Policy Studies The Heritage Foundation My name is Jack Spencer and I am the Research Fellow for Nuclear Energy Policy…
On March 28, 2001, President George W. Bush announced that the United States would not implement the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.1 Given the current energy crisis as well as "the incomplete state of scientific knowledge of the causes of, and solutions to, global climate change and the lack of commercially…
Abstract: Natural gas is a plentiful domestic resource with tremendous potential to increase the U.S. energy supply. Tapping this resource will create jobs and boost an ailing economy. More affordable energy will support additional business formation and growth. The role of the government is to regulate—not over-regulate and hamper—natural gas…
With multiple wars ongoing, traditional threats looming, and new ones emerging, the U.S. Armed Forces are already under tremendous stress. So introducing a new assignment that needlessly bleeds scarce resources away from core missions to advance a political agenda is untenable. Yet this is exactly what the Obama Administration is…
Abstract: Renewable energy—harnessing the power of the wind and the sun—sounds wonderful until confronted with the facts. While wind and sun are indeed free, turning their energy into consumer-accessible electricity is not. Nor is it easy. Wind power must be used at the moment…
President Obama’s State of the Union address laid out his long-term economic recovery plans, which he claims will “work for everyone, not just a wealthy few.” That is, unless it is the pipeline construction business. President Obama’s politically intoned decision to reject TransCanada’s permit application to construct a 1,700-mile pipeline…
Two federal policies expired at the close of the year: the federal tax credit for blending ethanol into gasoline and a 54 cent-per-gallon tariff on imported ethanol. A diverse group of fiscal watchdogs, environmentalists, and free-trade proponents all hailed this as a major victory. While the tax credit and tariff…
Abstract: The Obama Administration has announced that it will delay the decision to approve or reject construction of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline until after the presidential elections in 2012. The pipeline would carry oil from Canada…
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 2360, the Providing for Our Workforce and Energy Resources (POWER) Act, which according to its sponsor, Representative Jeff Landry (R–LA), would “close a loophole in existing law that allows offshore renewable energy resources to be installed and serviced by foreign workers.”…
A congressional hearing on May 16 exposed further details on just the kind of political maneuvering that was going on...…
Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman clarified his position on how policymakers should deal with climate change. In a speech...…
Bloomberg reported Friday on the latest developments in the Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory push against...…
The invaluable Alaskan oil pipeline isn’t doing well these days. A remedy to help fix this precious resource is...…
Typically when the government and business get together, it’s the consumer who ends up paying. So when Washington,...…
The Obama administration’s rhetoric on nuclear energy has been promising. Unfortunately, actions speak louder than...…
From his sprawling new $9 million ocean-view villa in Montecito, California, with its high ceilings, wine cellar,...…
For Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, President Obama and the White House released a video praising Americans for our...…
It’s a common misconception that a tradeoff exists between economic growth and environmental cleanliness. For decades...…
The Hopi Nation's Tribal Council is telling the Sierra Club and other environmental groups they’re not welcome on the...…
Director, Center for Data Analysis and Lazof Family Fellow
Senior Research Fellow for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies
Research Fellow in Energy Economics and Climate Change
Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow
Senior Research Fellow, Nuclear Energy Policy