Backgrounder posted April 12, 2013 by Derrick Morgan
Boxer–Sanders Carbon Tax Would Empower EPA to Crush Booming Energy Economy
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…
Issue Brief posted April 10, 2013 by Nicolas Loris, Katie Tubb
EPA Administrator Nominee Gina McCarthy: In Her Own Words
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…
Issue Brief posted April 10, 2013 by Nicolas Loris, Diane Katz, Katie Tubb
10 Questions for EPA Nominee Gina McCarthy
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…
Issue Brief posted January 24, 2013 by Nicolas Loris, Brett D. Schaefer
Climate Change: How the U.S. Should Lead
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.…
Issue Brief posted January 8, 2013 by David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D., Nicolas Loris
Carbon Tax Would Raise Unemployment, Not Swap Revenue
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…
Issue Brief posted October 31, 2012 by Diane Katz
Obama’s Regulatory Agenda: Calm Before the Superstorm
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 posted September 25, 2012 by David W. Kreutzer, Ph.D.
Funding World Climate Initiatives
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…
Issue Brief posted September 19, 2012 by Nicolas Loris
War on Coal: A House Bill to Stop the Regulatory Assault
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…
Backgrounder posted July 23, 2012 by Nicolas Loris
The Assault on Coal and American Consumers
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…
Issue Brief posted March 23, 2012 by Jack Spencer
Whitfield Stands Up to EPA for Lower Gas Prices
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,…
Backgrounder posted March 13, 2012 by James L. Gattuso, Diane Katz
Red Tape Rising: Obama-Era Regulation at the Three-Year Mark
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…
Backgrounder posted November 16, 2011 by Nicolas Loris
New EPA Inspector General Report: One More Reason to Reject Climate-Change Regulation
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…
WebMemo posted September 15, 2011 by Wendell Cox
How Smart Growth and Livability Intensify Air Pollution
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…
WebMemo posted August 1, 2011 by Andrew M. Grossman
High on Ozone: The EPA’s Latest Assault on Jobs and the Economy
The U.S. economy won a temporary reprieve with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement last week that new ozone standards, which had been slated for this summer, will be delayed. The EPA’s “reconsideration” of the ozone standards it set in 2008 and issuance of more stringent standards violate all three of the fundamental values EPA Administrator Lisa…