Though the military has an impressive record for developing technologies to meet its frequently unique requirements, adopting biofuels is unlikely to help meet any mission other than earning political brownie points. There are three reasons offered for why the military should spend money on biofuel development: (1) reducing battlefield exposure …
Do bank robbers stimulate economic growth? If you employ the logic used by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assess the impact of the stimulus bill’s renewable-energy subsidies, the answer would be “yes.” The NREL recently issued a report on the economic impact of the Section 1603 Treasury Grant …
As is frequently the case, petroleum futures markets are anxious about political instability in the Middle East. Of particular concern is the possibility that efforts to counter or eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons capability will lead Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about one-fifth of the world’s …
Adding to a long list of energy-efficiency legislation, two Members of Congress—David B. McKinley (R–WV) and Peter Welch (D–VT)—recently proposed a federal energy-efficiency bill that gives tax rebates to homeowners who make energy-saving improvements to their homes. This bill and its predecessors reward consumers for saving money. Let’s propose a …
What happened to gasoline prices the last time Obama invoked a coordinated release of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? Before Obama announces the SPR release, the price is already declining. He announces, and the price continues to decline; then, it levels off and starts to go back up. Immediately upon the …
Senate Democrats and Republicans are negotiating a number of amendments to attach to the highway transportation bill, including a possible vote on the NATGAS Act. The bi-partisan NATGAS Act provides a host of subsidies for producing and buying natural gas vehicles and refueling infrastructure. Similar legislation was introduced in the House …
In sharp contrast to wind turbines, the wind lobby is spinning at 100 percent capacity—in order to keep the industry in the taxpayers’ pockets. Their dizzying logic makes you wonder if they have been riding the blades instead of examining the facts. First, they make two contradictory assertions: (1) Wind …
