With Congress unable to pass cap-and-trade legislation as easily as some Members hoped, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with its own set of global warming regulations. Read More.
The implementation of these rules will have a significant impact on the economy and small businesses Read More.
In his 2013 State of the Union speech, President Barack Obama called on Congress to pursue a solution to climate change, or else he would do it on his own. The same week, Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairman Barbara Boxer (D–CA) and committee member Bernie Sanders (I–VT) introduced the first major bill that would institute a carbon tax, the Climate…
In announcing his nominee for the next Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administrator, President Obama said Gina McCarthy “has focused on practical, cost-effective ways to keep our air clean and our economy growing. She’s earned a reputation as a straight shooter. She welcomes different points of views.”[1] The EPA needs to take an entirely different direction, and…
If confirmed as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), nominee Gina McCarthy will inherit an agency exceeding critical mass. This bureaucratic onslaught has decreased American freedom and the EPA’s ability to efficiently address real environmental challenges. Given that McCarthy has helped to build this epitome of regulatory excess, it is important…
During his 2013 inaugural address, President Obama told Americans that the United States “will respond to the threat of climate change” and will take the lead for other countries to follow suit. Even assuming the accuracy of climate change models, unilateral action by the U.S. is a costly symbolic gesture that would do nothing to successfully resolve climate challenges.…
Interested in raising revenue and reducing global warming, some policymakers in Washington are floating the idea of a carbon tax. In order to sway conservatives to support a carbon tax, proponents are pushing for either revenue neutrality or replacing the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) greenhouse gas regulations. These proponents ignore three critical realities…
After three years of unprecedented regulatory activity, the Obama Administration has noticeably slowed its rulemaking in recent months. A number of major rules remain under prolonged “review” by the White House, while publication of the regulatory agenda required by statute has not occurred. This flouting of the law is disturbing enough, but it is made worse by the…
Testimony Before The Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power United States House of Representatives September 11, 2012 My name is David Kreutzer. I am Research Fellow in Energy Economics and Climate Change at The Heritage Foundation. The views I express in this testimony are my own and should…
Coal’s share of electricity generation in the United States has been shrinking, partly as a result of low natural gas prices. However, an undeniable reason for coal’s demise is the regulatory assault on the industry by the Obama Administration. Alpha Natural Resources recently announced that it would close eight coal mines and eliminate 1,200 jobs in part because of what…
Abstract: For decades, coal has literally been the rock that has powered America with cheap, reliable energy. Yet the federal government is using every possible avenue to reduce coal’s role in American energy production by creating an environment in which coal production’s decline is inevitable. Congress should reform federal policies and regulations to enable the…
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, Transportation, Commerce,…
Abstract: As the new Congress assembles, many legislators are considering how to lessen the regulatory burden on Americans. President Obama, too, now says that he wants to root out unnecessary government rules. With regulatory costs at record levels, relief is sorely needed. But it is not enough to talk about fewer regulations. Policymakers must critically review…
Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released a report showing that the EPA did not comply with federal data guidelines when providing its technical support document (TSD) for the EPA’s 2009 “endangerment finding.” The EPA used the TSD to justify its endangerment finding and thus pave the way for the EPA’s proposed…
My name is Ben Lieberman and I’m the Senior Policy Analyst for Energy and Environment at The Heritage Foundation. I’m proud to say that I’ve either participated in, or attended, all four of the Heartland Institute’s global warming conferences. If there’s a fifth and a sixth, I’ll be there, too. I have gotten a lot out of all of them. What has impressed me most about…
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) wants to implement stronger air pollution restrictions on ozone (smog) for the stated purpose of improving public health.[1] These regulations are misguided because they would impose significant costs for little or no benefit.[2] At the same time, policies being implemented at the state and local levels and proposed at the federal…
Just hours before a congressional hearing this week related to the high costs of regulation, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a report purporting to show that the Clean Air Act (CAA) Amendments of 1990 will avert 230,000 premature deaths and yield economic benefits totaling $2 trillion in the year 2020.[1] The report is astonishing for a variety of…
(Archived document, may contain errors) T 965 November 2,1993 SHOULD CONGRESS BE ABOVE THE LAW Congress] can make no law which will not have its full operation on themselves and their friends, as well as on the great mass of society James Madison, Federalist No. 57 It has been said here many times tonight that we want to treat Senators the same as everyone else Mr.…
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson recently announced that her agency would proceed with twice-delayed regulations targeting power plants that emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Mrs. Jackson’s decision ignores three vital pieces of information that should make it easy for Congress to prevent unelected bureaucrats from regulating…
Abstract: During the first three years of the Obama Administration, 106 new major federal regulations added more than $46 billion per year in new costs for Americans. This is almost four times the number—and more than five times the cost—of the major regulations issued by George W. Bush during his first three years. Hundreds more regulations are winding through…
Over the past week, the Obama Administration has been hit with scandal after scandal. The Internal Revenue Service...…
Slapping the word rural in front of a bunch of green subsidies does not mean they’re not subsidies. But that’s exactly...…
In June 2008, presidential candidate Barack Obama said, “If we continue to let our trade policy be dictated by special...…
Congress and the White House have been focused for much of this year on the federal budget—rightfully so, given...…
Google is celebrating Earth Day with a doodle of sunny skies, mountain peaks, hills, and blue waters. Sure, it’s...…
Reuters’s environment correspondent Alister Doyle provides even more fodder for why a carbon (energy) tax or the...…
Today the Senate held a confirmation hearing for Gina McCarthy, President Obama’s nominee to head the Environmental...…
If confirmed as the next Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary, Dr. Ernest Moniz will take over an agency that has...…
Despite a fiscal cliff and sequestration worries, more than $1.2 billion in cash payments for energy projects (in lieu...…
It’s no secret that the White House, regardless of Administration, releases unpopular news on Friday afternoons. On...…
Research Fellow in Energy Economics and Climate Change
Research Fellow in Regulatory Policy
Herbert and Joyce Morgan Fellow
Senior Research Fellow, Nuclear Energy Policy