• The Heritage Network
    • Resize:
    • A
    • A
    • A
  • Donate
  • energy

    Ethanol Mandate Ignores the Free Market

    In the midst of one of the most severe droughts on record, Washington’s ethanol mandate is making the corn shortage even worse. Markets have responded quickly and flexibly to the drought where they can, but some corn buyers are sidelined by the rigid government ethanol mandate. Corn prices are skyrocketing, … More

    Morning Bell: Can Conservatives Be Environmentalists?

    Efforts to protect the environment in America have ignored the most powerful force for improving the environment: free people. The results of these misguided policies have been higher energy prices, lower incomes, less access to resources, and technological stagnation—often failing to produce tangible environmental benefits. It doesn’t have to be … More

    Wind PTC Already Phasing Out—for Certain

    The production tax credit (PTC) for wind energy is set to expire at the end of this year, but its supporters are arguing for an everlasting extension using twisted logic. For a while, the argument was that businesses need certainty. The law as it currently stands provides certainty—eligibility for the … More

    Powering America Vignette: What is Radiation?

    “What is radiation?” That simple, three-word question largely embodies the concerns that many Americans have about nuclear power. The answer can be just as complicated as one wants to make it. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, radiation is “energy radiated in the form of waves or particles.” Jim Hopson puts it … More

    Powering America Vignette: Living Near Nuclear Facilities

    What’s it like to live near a nuclear power plant?  To many, such a prospect might seem dangerous or scary.  But like with most things nuclear, perception is often very different from reality. The fact is, research shows that living near a nuclear power plant poses no particular safety or … More

    “No More Solyndras Act” Shows Addiction to Energy Subsidies Is a Bipartisan Problem

    The latest political squabbling over the No More Solyndras Act is a reminder that politically entrenched energy subsidies enjoy bipartisan support. The No More Solyndras Act prohibits any new loan guarantees from Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. For applications that are already under consideration or have … More

    Powering America Vignette: Uranium Mining and Milling

    While nuclear energy is unique, uranium, its primary fuel, occurs naturally within the earth much like other, better understood energy sources such as coal, oil, and natural gas.  In each case, extracting the fuel is an essential first step in the production of power. Despite the similarities, uranium mining can … More

    Chart of the Week: Household Income Soars In Energy-Producing States

    North Dakota’s energy boom helped the state surpass California and Alaska to become the No. 2 oil-producing state in America. But oil isn’t the only thing that’s booming. Household income rose faster in North Dakota than any other state between 2005 and 2010. Only the District of Columbia — home … More

    A Two-Gallon Compact Car

    How would you like to buy a nice compact car with a two-gallon gas tank? It costs only $36,000, and it takes seven hours to fill the tank. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu wants lots of those cars, though he insists they will be $10,000 cheaper. The car alluded to … More

    Morning Bell: Obama’s War on Domestic Energy Production

    Today, the Senate will vote on the fate of one of the most expensive regulations of all time–a regulation that threatens to create an America with no new coal-fired power plants, where existing energy producers might have to close their doors, snuffing out jobs and making electricity dramatically more expensive. … More