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: 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,…
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…
Chart of the Week: Winter Gas Prices Reach All-Time High Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.…
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…
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.”…
Gas prices are above $3.60 per gallon nationally, the unemployment rate is hovering at 9 percent, and the country is $14 trillion in debt. Although it is not the be-all and end-all, there is a solution that would help lower energy prices, create jobs, and bring revenue into the financially…
Will shifting the United States military to alternative fuels reduce casualties and geopolitical threats? That is what some are contending.[1] Their answers focus on two main factors: the material and human costs of transporting fuel in a battle zone and oil revenues received by unfriendly regimes. Digging just…
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…
Rory Cooper discusses America's oil supply. …
(Archived document, may contain errors) I I 9.5 August 13, 1979 THREATS TO US. ENERGY SECURITK THE CHALLENGE OF ARAB OIL INTRODUCTION In recent years oil has become qn increasingly politicized commodity- replete with ominous national security implications for the United States. As control of the.world oil market has been wrested away from the…
BP has correctly received most of the blame for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. As the contractor of the rig, there is little question that BP is responsible for the accident. However, reports of federal regulatory exemptions and passed safety inspections should raise questions about the federal government’s responsibility and…
Abstract: Current law states that oil or gas companies do not have to pay more than $75 million in liability costs for accidents they cause—no matter how great the damages. Republicans and Democrats agree that the cap is too low. But simply raising it…
Responding to the BP oil leak, President Obama instituted a moratorium on deepwater (over 500 feet) drilling. Though a judge ruled against the moratorium, drilling has not restarted. In addition, though no official moratorium was issued for drilling in shallower water, the permitting process has slowed considerably.[1] …
This weekend, White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley stated that the Obama Administration might release stocks from the nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) as a way to counter higher gasoline prices. That would be a mistake. The SPR, managed by the Department of Energy (DOE),…
Abstract: Rising oil and gas prices are a concern to consumers, Congress, and the Obama Administration. The impact of higher oil prices goes far beyond the gas pump and affects the U.S. economy, as a new Heritage Foundation analysis shows. In addition to unrest…
Since the Gulf oil spill nearly a year ago, the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement has...…