Institute for Energy Research

EPA Pushes Ethanol on American Consumers

As if our current ethanol requirements are not enough, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has upped the amount of ethanol that can be blended into gasoline from 10 percent to 15 percent for vehicles of model year 2001 and newer. Some American consumers are astute enough to recognize that their mileage per gallon of gasoline declined with the 10 percent blend currently in use, thereby increasing the frequency of fill-ups. Now that trend will be increased if EPA has its way. Ethanol is 34 percent less efficient than gasoline, does little to decrease our greenhouse gas emissions, is heavily subsidized, and has been accused of increasing food prices both directly and indirectly through livestock feed costs.

Ending Permitorium Could Lower Oil Prices More Than Reducing SPR

Believe it or not, there apparently is a consensus among most policymakers that lower gasoline prices would be a good thing for Americans, and that increased access to oil is the way to achieve them. The only difference is, some officials only want certain kinds of oil to be used to help Americans in this fashion.

Drill, Drill, Drill (but only in Brazil)

President Obama making the case for offshore oil development in Brazil while the Gulf of Mexico remains in limbo.

The Obama Administration Is Slowly Reissuing Offshore Drilling Permits

The Obama administration would like you to think that major strides have been taken to increase drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. But, that is hardly the case. The administration has been touting the four drilling permits it has issued, but in reality, but these are not new permits--they have only reissued four permits that it suspended last year. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) also touted its approval of Shell's supplemental exploration plan in the Gulf of Mexico. But due to the way the approval process was set up by BOEMRE, it is very likely environmental groups will sue the plan before any work actually occurs. These approvals are simply a mere drop in the bucket compared to what drilling and oil production could be garnered in the Gulf. We will applaud the administration's actions when new work is actually occurring in the Gulf of Mexico.

Japan’s Nuclear Accident has Some Countries Reviewing Nuclear Plant Safety

The earthquake and tsunami that recently hit Japan knocked out the back-up power that runs the cooling system on several of Japan’s nuclear reactors, exposing fuel rods, and damaged components to several of the reactors. The Japanese have worked tediously to avoid a full meltdown by cooling the control rods with seawater from the Pacific Ocean and deploying helicopters and fire trucks to more effectively disperse water on the units. Japan’s reactors were tested to withstand an earthquake of a 7.9 magnitude. Unfortunately, the earthquake that struck last Friday was of a 9.0 magnitude.

The Oil From Ipanema

WASHINGTON- Now that gas prices are topping $4 per gallon, President Obama is touting the benefits of increased oil exploration and production . . . in Brazil. While his administration works to decrease American energy production, President Obama encouraged Brazilians to become a “new, stable source of energy” for the U.S. In response, Daniel Kish, vice president of policy at the Institute for Energy Research, issued the following statement:

It’s Deja vu All Over Again

WASHINGTON- The rising price of gasoline has triggered a rite of passage in Washington – cries of excessive speculation and price gouging. Yesterday, Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) proposed setting federal price caps on gasoline. Today, a group of Democrat lawmakers put forward a proposal to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In response, Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, issued the following statement:

Mr. President, Stop Misleading the American People

WASHINGTON- In today’s press conference, the President boasted of record high domestic oil production. Once again, President Obama is spinning the facts in order to deflect the blame for the rising price at the pump. In response, Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, issued the following statements:

Tilting at Turbines

Obama Administration Pushes Electric Vehicles

"We can break our dependence on oil...and become the first country to have one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015," President Obama said in his January 2011 State of the Union address. Is the Obama Administration's goal of one million electric vehicles on the road by 2015 a way to break our dependence on oil? Is it a worthy goal? Is it doable? To get to the target, the Obama Administration wants to change the current $7,500 tax credit to an up-front rebate to entice consumers to purchase these vehicles. However, even with these huge rebates, electric vehicles are more expensive than gasoline and diesel-fueled vehicles due to expensive batteries that have yet to become cost competitive and due to vehicle characteristics that are subpar due to low vehicle mile range between charges, space limitations, and lack of infrastructure to recharge.

Geithner Unwittingly Makes Case for Drill Baby Drill

It is not often that we agree with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, but he was exactly right in his remarks on the global energy situation. After meeting with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, Geithner sought to reassure the public by saying that "major producers of oil" and the "major developed economies" had adequate reserves to counteract any supply disruptions from the unrest in Libya.

Malthus Lives on With Peak Oil Alarmists

The 18th century British scholar Thomas Malthus believed human population growth was unsustainable because he thought that population growth was exponential (2-4-16) while the food supply only grew arithmetically (2-3-4). Malthus argued that this relationship between population and food supply was a recipe for social catastrophe.

China is Awash in New Vehicle Sales and Is Investing in North American Oil Projects

In 2011, China is expected to lead the world in car sales for the third straight year. Its sales in 2011 are expected to be near 20 million vehicles compared to less than 13 million vehicles for the United States. And, these vehicles will be mainly run on oil-based fuels. China's oil consumption increased 12.9 percent in 2010, hitting the 10 million-barrel-per-day mark in November, and its oil imports have risen 17.5 percent. Recognizing the need for oil resources, its state-owned oil companies are buying oil and gas assets around the world.

Virginia is Not for Ethanol Lovers

The Virginia House of Delegates – lead by Delegate Bob Marshall (R-Manassas) – has provided some sound advice for the Federal government: re-think federal ethanol policy.

Pelosi’s Fake Committee Hearing on Fake Green Job Creation

On Monday minority House leader Nancy Pelosi held a fake committee hearing on green jobs. We say "fake" because, according to Greenwire (subscription required), the affair was simply a meeting of the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, as opposed to a genuine Congressional hearing.

Girlie Man Energy

Move over Al Gore. Arnold Schwarzenegger is the new public face of climate alarmism and government-driven energy transformation. But what the irony! When it comes to energy, Arnold is pushing bloat over muscle when he speaks of wind and solar (“green” energy) displacing oil, gas, and coal. Politically correct renewables are dilute and resource intensive compared to the muscular energies found in the ground. Seen another way, the flow of solar (including the wind) is BTU-impoverished versus the sun’s work over the many millions of year. It is not even a beach fight.

Permit? What Permit?

Michael R. Bromwich, director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE), announced this week that the agency is at last granting one solitary deepwater drilling permit in the Gulf of Mexico. Could it be that the Administration is finally softening its position of maintaining a “permitorium” against all offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico?

Secretary Salazar Heads to the Hill to Beg for Bureaucratic Bucks

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will appear before the House Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to defend his department’s inaction on offshore permits. In addition, Secretary Salazar will be making the case for a $358 million budget, fifty percent more than was allocated in fiscal year 2010. In anticipation of these hearings, Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, issued the following statement:

Deathbed Conversion

WASHINGTON- In reaction to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement issuing the first permit for deepwater drilling since the Deepwater Horizon accident, Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research, issued the following statement:

Natural Gas could Power Europe into the Future

For those dreaming of wind and solar energy powering the future, natural gas could be a nightmare — especially in Europe. Yesterday, the New York Times writes: