Lawmakers have introduced legislation that would allow renewable energy producers to form Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs). MLPs are taxed as limited partnerships but publicly traded on the stock market. In the energy sector, the ability to form MLPs is available for mineral extraction, natural gas, oil, pipelines, geothermal, and the transportation and storage of…

Senators Barbara Boxer (D–CA) and Bernie Sanders (I–VT) recently proposed the Climate Security Act of 2013,[1] which includes a tax on the use of carbon. Heritage analysis of the bill shows that it would increase the cost of energy, reduce incomes, lead to fewer jobs, and have minimal impact (if any) on global warming. The economic impacts would include (after adjusting…

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…

Dr. Ernest Moniz, if confirmed by the Senate as next Secretary of Energy, will be taking over a Department wrought with controversy from the past four years. During a time when energy development should be driving the economy forward, pernicious subsidy policies, missing leadership on nuclear waste disposal, and unnecessary limits on conventional fuel development on…

The President and his first-term Administration have encumbered American energy policy with subsidies, mandates, and micromanagement. Energy Secretary nominee Dr. Ernest Moniz seems to offer a seamless continuation of this approach by advocating a policy that dictates or manipulates the production, use, and path of energy in America from Washington. While energy policy is…

Senator Ron Wyden (D–OR), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, is expected to put forth a bill to reform nuclear waste management in the U.S. According to media reports, the bill under consideration maintains the same basic structure of America’s current, failed system for waste management.[1] While such a bill might meet some near-term…

In a recent speech at Argonne National Laboratory, President Obama reiterated his desire for an Energy Security Trust.[1] Under the President’s proposal, the trust would divert billions of dollars of revenues generated from oil and gas production on federal lands to subsidize alternative fuel technologies. The Administration’s plan has three fatal flaws. First, it…

Advocates of loan guarantees claim that this subsidy is a success when the recipient company remains in business. This is a superficial and misleading way to view loan guarantees. Indeed, loan guarantees are among the most pernicious ways that governments distort markets and harm American families and businesses alike. Here are seven reasons why. 1. Loan Guarantees Deny…

In order to compel American businesses and consumers to act in a manner that suits the federal government, various federal agencies have created mandates and energy-efficiency programs for vehicles, homes, manufacturing processes, appliances, and more since the 1970s. Proponents of those programs argue that they save consumers and businesses money, reduce energy use, and…

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.…