Institute for Energy Research

Biden Cancels Keystone XL Pipeline Permit

President Joseph R. Biden canceled the Keystone XL pipeline permit on his first day in office, despite the pipeline being completed at the border, the greenhouse gas emissions from the pipeline's operation becoming carbon-free by 2023, the Canadian government supporting the pipeline, the technology advances that have resulted in a decline in greenhouse gas emissions per barrel of oil sands by 30 percent since 1990, the thousands of jobs that will be lost, and the less safe and more expensive movement by rail and truck that will be used to bring the Canadian oil into the United States instead. To make the $8 billion project more palatable for the Biden administration, Keystone XL's owner TC Energy announced an array of initiatives to accompany the pipeline's construction.

China's Actions Defy Commitment to Carbon Neutrality

China is not only building coal-fired plants in its own country, but it is also building them around the world. As of 2019, China had 2,363 active coal-fired power plants and was building another 1,171 plants in China and hundreds more in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. Most of China's plants (80 percent) have pollution control equipment that remove sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates, but the coal plants China is building in Africa and most likely elsewhere do not. And none of the plants China is building remove carbon dioxide despite China pledging it will be carbon neutral by 2060. Coal plants can operate for 40 to 60 years or even longer. China's party leaders know that its so-called production of renewable generating technologies, many of which are not connected to the grid, is a good smokescreen for its coal power—and few Western governments will dare to criticize China. Clearly, President-Elect Biden will not criticize China either.

New York To Purchase Batteries to Back-Up Offshore Wind

New York will purchase a 100-megawatt battery system to back up its offshore wind fleet, which is expected to total 9 gigawatts of capacity by 2035. The battery will be supplied by South Korean developer 174 Power Global, who has announced plans for the battery system, which will store energy to be used during peak demand in New York City. NY utility Con Edison will buy the power and bid it into the wholesale market for seven years. The batteries will be housed in dozens of containers and connected to a nearby Con Edison transmission substation, which will be able to supply 400-megawatt-hours of power into the grid.

Wind Power Problems Rise to Prominence

People from California to New York and from France to Germany are becoming aware of the problems with wind power due to its noise pollution, scenic disruption and unfulfilled promises. In Germany, many anti-wind groups have launched litigation against developers and government to either prevent wind farms from being built or to seek substantial financial compensation for the loss of the use and enjoyment of their homes.

Climate Injustice

What is the most we should take from a poor person to make somebody who is already four times as rich two-thirds of a percent richer yet? Most of us would probably argue for zero. If it does not seem fair to take anything from a poorer person to add less than one percent to the income of a much richer person, then you may need to rethink climate policy.

French Fishermen Join U.S. Fishermen in Fighting Offshore Wind

French fisherman have declared that they would rather die fighting than allow an approved offshore wind farm to be built off Brittany, and have vowed to take direct action to prevent construction.  The Saint-Brieuc offshore wind farm is a 496 megawatt project due to begin construction in the spring. The wind farm poses a threat to the livelihoods of local fishermen by destroying a prolific and sustainable scallop bed. According to the fishermen, the project does not respect the sea and seafarers.

Biden Plan Rids the United States of Oil and Gas

In his debate with President Trump on October 22, Democratic Party presidential candidate Joe Biden said he would rid the nation of oil and gas—“over time, over time”. Biden’s costly and radical energy transition from oil and natural gas to renewable energy would hurt the U.S. economy, put the United States on a path to third-world status, subject the nation to rolling blackouts as the nation saw in California this past summer, lose American jobs to offshore countries, and help China to prosper more than ever for the Chinese control the supply chain for the critical metals that the United States needs for solar, wind, and electric vehicles. Biden’s transition is reminiscent of Germany’s Energiewende, or energy transition to renewable energy, where Germans are already paying three times the amount for residential electricity as U.S. homeowners.

Biden’s Carbon Plan Will Raise Energy Costs, Deliver Minuscule Climate Benefit

According to Democratic Party presidential nominee Joseph Biden’s carbon plan, “he will demand that Congress enacts legislation in the first year of his presidency that: 1) establishes an enforcement mechanism that includes milestone targets no later than the end of his first term in 2025, 2) makes a historic investment in clean energy and climate research and innovation, 3) incentivizes the rapid deployment of clean energy innovations across the economy, especially in communities most impacted by climate change.”

Eight States Ban Plastic Bags, but More Prohibit Local Bans

Eight states—California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Vermont—ban the use of plastic bags in supermarkets and other businesses. Soon, New Jersey will be added to the list as its legislature recently passed a ban. Some cities (e.g. Boston, Chicago, and Seattle) have also enacted bans on plastic bags. Fifteen states, however, enacted laws to restrict local officials from enacting a ban on plastic bags to ensure that laws would be uniform throughout their states.

History of U.S. Offshore Oil Drilling

The exploration history of the U.S. offshore oil and natural gas industry began in the Pacific Ocean at the end of the 19th century. In 1896, a 300-foot pier was built off the Santa Barbara Channel in California and a standard cable-tool rig was mounted on it. By 1897, this first offshore well was producing oil, which lasted for 25 years. Another 22 companies joined in, constructing 14 more piers and over 400 wells within the next five years. Early explorers noticed bubbles in the water from natural seeps of oil that gave them clues that oil might lie beneath the ocean. In 1911, Gulf Refining Company abandoned the use of piers, drilling in Caddo Lake, Louisiana, using a fleet of tugboats, barges, and floating pile drivers. The well (Ferry Lake No. 1) was drilled to a depth of 2,185 feet and produced 450 barrels per day.

What a Biden-Harris Fracking Ban Would Mean

Hydraulic fracturing has made the United States the top oil and natural gas producer in the world and it has made the nation energy independent for the first time in 62 years. Yet, during stages in the campaign, potential Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his running mate Kamala Harris advocated a ban on fracking and a ban on drilling, sometimes entirely and sometimes only on federal lands and waters. A recent study shows that banning federal leasing and fracking on public and private lands would:

The Drawbacks of Ethanol

On May 31, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule allowing the year-round sale of motor gasoline blends containing up to 15 percent ethanol (E15) and thereby increasing the availability of E15 blends in the United States. Prior to that, E15 was not sold during the summer months, defined as June 1 to September 15, to limit evaporative emissions that contribute to ground-level ozone. Most motor gasoline sold in the United States contains up to 10 percent ethanol (E10). Under free market conditions, some ethanol is added to gasoline for its value as an oxygenate, creating a cleaner burning fuel and raising the octane rating of motor gasoline, which is useful in today’s higher compression, more efficient engines.

California Wildfires Raise the Risk of More Rolling Blackouts

The California wildfires are raising the risk of more electric-power blackouts because smoke and ash particles can block sunlight and settle on solar photovoltaic panels. California politicians have mandated that 60 percent of the state’s power must come from renewable energy by 2030 and 100 percent by 2045.

China Dominates the Global Lithium Battery Market

After years of planning, China now dominates the world's production of new generation batteries that are used in electric vehicles and most portable consumer electronics such as cell phones and laptops. As the demand for electric vehicles grows, it is expected that most of them will be built with Chinese batteries, and most of those batteries will be lithium ion, which are also popular for cellphones and laptops because of their high energy per unit mass relative to other electrical energy storage systems. For the foreseeable future, the United States will be dependent on Chinese supply chains to produce the batteries that power America's technologies. That will be particularly true if Joe Biden is able to implement his "clean energy" and climate plans that will transform our energy system, creating an even bigger role for batteries.

Coronavirus Pandemic Results in Low Summer Transportation Fuel Demand

Coronavirus fears, closed office buildings, remote school instruction, travel restrictions, and closed destinations all combined to keep transportation fuel demand low this summer. In particular, demand for motor gasoline and jet fuel fell to their lowest level in years.

Green Labor Day, Not!

So many want to forget 2020, but let’s make this Labor Day one to remember. A day to remember what happened the last time a candidate promised a ridiculously expensive program to create millions of green jobs. Literally doubling down on a failed campaign pledge from 2008, Joe Biden promises 10 million green jobs and lays out a game plan almost identical to the Obama-Biden stimulus that flunked the green-jobs test, but funneled billions and billions of dollars to politically powerful corporations and financiers.

The Bitter Truth Behind The Biden-Harris Green Energy Future

Transitioning to 100% renewable energy sounds like a sweet deal, right? And, sure, who doesn’t like the idea of saving the earth from climate change. It’s for the children after all. And what wouldn’t we do for the children? It turns out the reality of “clean” energy is not as sugary sweet as some have portrayed. The impact to our land is much worse than many realize, which questions the environmental value of what would be left behind.

Biden’s Electricity Plan Follows California’s Lead

California prides itself on being at the forefront of the so-called energy transition, having set its first renewable portfolio standard in 2002, requiring 20 percent of its electricity to come from renewables by 2010. In 2008, California increased the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 33 percent by 2020, followed by SB 350, which in 2015 increased the standard to 50 percent by 2030.

Texas Set to Capitalize on California’s Self-Made Electricity Problems

While billboards in California might not literally bear the slogan “Move to Texas: We have electricity!”, the real-life contrast between the two most populous states is stark. Texas does stand to capitalize on the electricity problems in California, which are caused primarily by the state’s politicians’ demand for renewable energy generation that does not produce power when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. Modern life itself relies on electricity and many Californians are indeed looking to Texas as a safe haven from the Golden State’s electricity problems and other woes. Not only are millions of Californians who are working from home during the coronavirus pandemic being inconvenienced, but power shutoffs endanger public health, particularly elderly residents who are more likely to succumb to heat stroke.

China Dominates the Rare Earths Supply Chain

With its detailed blueprint for global dominance, authoritarian China threatens to become a world superpower. An aspect of its plan is to exercise control over the supply chain of critical materials and rare earths. China already dominates the supply chain for most of the key future industries—electric vehicles (dependent on lithium-ion batteries and key materials cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, lithium, and rare earths), green energy such as solar panels and wind turbines (dependent on rare earths), and portable electronic devices (dependent on batteries and rare earths). Many of the rare earths are also critical to the military and aerospace industries.