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    Clean Energy: Cap and Trade Lite

    In his State of the Union address last month, President Obama requested that Congress pass legislation mandating a national clean energy standard (CES). A CES targets the CO2 emissions from the electric power industry by setting minimum percentages of total power (electricity) generation that must come from sources that emit … More

    Green Energy Backers Unwittingly Undermine Case for Federal ‘Investment’

    Democrats determined to shield the administration from accusations of political cronyism are unwittingly undermining the larger policy vision that they themselves have supported, and the president has championed: the so-called “green energy economy.” Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Diana Degette (D-CO), ranking Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its investigative sub-panel, … More

    Pollution Costs and GDP

    Instead of the intellectual vandalism that typifies too much of Paul Krugman’s writing, it would be more useful if he returned to writing about economics…with facts. In a recent column he says: So if you really believed in the logic of free markets, you’d be all in favor of pollution … More

    In Australia’s Misguided Carbon Tax, a Warning for the U.S.

    On Sunday, the government of Australia announced that it will implement a US$24.74 per-metric-ton tax on carbon emissions. The damage the tax is expected to do to the energy sector there, and to the Australian economy generally, offers insight into what the effects of a carbon tax could look like … More

    Here Come Obama’s ‘Necessarily Skyrocketing’ Electricity Rates

    President Obama’s infamous words—saying electricity rates will “necessarily skyrocket” under his cap-and-trade program that would impose a costly energy tax on American consumers—are set to come true. Just ask the market. Although cap and trade is not law, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) backdoor train wreck of energy regulations is … More

    Tsunamis: Another Perspective on the Economic Impact of Carbon Restrictions

    All the world mourned the human toll taken by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Thousands of lives were lost; hundreds of thousands more shattered. Of course, natural disasters inflict economic destruction as well, and estimates of the recent disasters’ cost to Japan are now coming in. Catastrophe modeler Risk Management … More

    Skinning the Cap-and-Trade Cat with Clean Energy Standards

    Speaking before a new Congress in his State of the Union address, President Obama gave an alternative suggestion for Congress now that cap and trade is out of the picture. He pitched an aggressive clean energy standard, saying he wants 80 percent of our electricity to come from carbon-free sources … More

    Environmentalists New Plan Same as Old Plan: Higher Energy Costs, Fewer Jobs

    The Washington Post‘s Juliet Eilperin reported yesterday that “U.S. environmentalists are engaged in their most profound bout of soul-searching in more than a decade” and are planning to “redirect strategies” in the coming year. Faced with the failure of cap and trade and the defeat of “many of their political … More

    Reject All Energy Mandates: It’s Just Another Subsidy

    With cap and trade out of the realm of possibilities, Members of Congress have turned their attention to mandating so-called clean energy. Some Members hoped for a lame duck vote on a renewable electricity standard (RES), which would require that a certain percentage of our nation’s electricity production come from … More

    Fighting Gridlock: Barton Claims New Class will Not Back Down

    There has been much of speculation that gridlock will characterize the 112th Congress, but not according to Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee. Congressman Barton (R-TX) was first elected in 1984 as a part of the Reagan re-election class and “did not come to … More