While Americans across the country were celebrating independence on Monday, Talking Points Memo (TPM) was churning out its “Chart of the Day” to support the false claim that the nation doesn’t have a serious spending problem. According to TPM, conservatives in Congress are focused on cutting discretionary spending as part …
Today’s release of the 2011 Long-Term Budget Outlook by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) yet again confirms what we already know: America’s budget is continuing down an unsustainable path, and the longer we wait to address this problem, the more painful the policy fixes will have to be. The CBO …
Treadmills for shrimp and poetry in zoos. The AARP recently decried these examples of government spending as part of a recent TV campaign against Medicare and Social Security reform proposals. AARP says that in order to balance the budget, Congress should consider cutting funding for these types of programs, instead …
Deepening federal budget deficits indicate that one component of the federal budget baseline—either spending or revenue—is out of alignment. Closer inspection reveals that spending is the root cause, but both spending and revenue deserve equal treatment in policy discussions about reducing debt and deficits. Often, however, Members of Congress and …
Coloring President Barack Obama’s budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2012 are the undeniable shades of masked fiscal disaster and a want of long-term solutions. According to analysis (pdf) by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the President’s budget would result in $1.43 trillion and $1.16 trillion deficits for FYs 2011 …
In sharp contrast to the pro-nuclear energy rhetoric of the Administration, some nuclear power plant owners are considering shutting down their facilities. Exelon, owner of the New Jersey Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, recently announced that it plans to close the plant 10 years early because of EPA regulations aimed …
Following reports of an alleged blockage of shipments of rare earth minerals from China to the U.S. and Europe, Congressman Edward Markey (D–MA) turned to the Obama Administration for clarification and to express his concern. In a letter to the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Commerce, as well as the …
Yesterday the Obama Administration lifted the moratorium on deepwater drilling that it imposed on the oil industry following the BP oil spill in late April. This announcement comes ahead of the expected November 30 end date for the moratorium. According to The New York Times: We have made and continue …
What was normally a peaceful, quiet way of life for residents of Vinalhaven, an island off the coast of Maine, suddenly became loud and unbearable when utilities operating three new wind turbines flipped the switch to “on.” A recent New York Times article reports that some Vinalhaven residents are learning …
A new report by the Energy Policy Institute, in collaboration with the American Council on Global Nuclear Competitiveness, titled “Economic and Employment Impacts of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors,” investigates how four separate scenarios of small modular reactor (SMR) construction could affect the U.S. economy. Growing interest and discussion surrounding the …
