Institute for Energy Research

China Set Records in 2009. What’s in Store for 2010?

In 2009, China surpassed Germany as the world's biggest exporter, adding to the list of economic areas where it ranks number one. According to China's customs agency, the country's 2009 exports totaled more than $1.2 trillion. Germany's foreign trade organization estimated that that country's exports were $1.17 trillion for 2009. This is yet another sign of China's rapid rise and of the movement of world economic power from West to East.[a] China is also the world's largest automobile market, having surpassed the U.S. in 2009. Plus, it is the biggest steel maker, and has the largest hydroelectric facility, the fastest train, and six of the world's ten longest bridges.[ii]

America: Awash in Natural Gas—as Long as Hydraulic Fracturing is Allowed

Frigid weather across the United States has resulted in a recent increase in demand for heating fuels. Not too long ago, Americans thought that they would be in need of greater natural-gas imports from Canada, the Middle East, and other areas to meet increasing demand, inasmuch as natural gas is the main heating fuel in the U.S. But thanks to a large deposit of shale rock containing natural gas (the deposit stretches from New York to West Virginia^[a]) and thanks to a drilling technique called hydraulic fracturing, there is now ample domestic natural gas to meet both residential heating demand and industrial and electric utility demand. And not only is this area of the U.S. endowed with natural gas resources, but other shale deposits of natural gas are located in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, among other states.^[ii]

Hydraulic Fracturing Creates Jobs, Increases Energy Security

WASHINGTON – America’s shale gas resources can play a critical role in securing America’s energy future, members of a key Energy and Commerce subcommittee heard today — but only if the technology needed to produce those resources remains intact and under the regulatory oversight of the states. Subsequent to this morning’s hearing, Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement:

$135,295 per Job: Obama Announces $2.3 Billion to Create 17K Green Jobs

WASHINGTON – Following President Obama’s remarks on “green” jobs and “clean energy technology,” Thomas J. Pyle, president of the market based Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement on the President’s commitment of $2.3 billion additional taxpayer dollars to further subsidize the wind and solar energy industry:

Lease Rules Will Make It “More Difficult, Expensive Time-Consuming” to Produce American

WASHINGTON – Earlier today, Interior secretary Ken Salazar outlined a series of changes to federal leasing rules aimed at making it more difficult, expensive, and time-consuming to explore for and produce abundant reserves of American energy on federal, taxpayer-owned land. Subsequent to the announcement of the new rules, Institute for Energy Research (IER) president Thomas J. Pyle released the following statement:

DOE: Fossil Fuel Remains Economic-Driver Through at Least 2035

Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) — the independent statistical analysis arm of the US Energy Department — issued its Annual Energy Outlook, an evaluation of the United States energy consumption and production for the next 25 years.

Five Troubling Aspects of the Copenhagen Accord

Even though the climate change PR machines are spinning away in the aftermath of Copenhagen’s COP 15, a few of the Copenhagen Accord’s more troubling consequences are not getting the attention they deserve.

New Poll: Nearly 7 in 10 Americans Favor Offshore Energy Development

Washington, DC – Today, Rasmussen Reports released a poll finding that nearly 70 percent of Americans support responsible offshore energy exploration and production. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the non-partisan Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued this statement:

Investigative Journalists Take Issue with IER Analysis of Recent Energy Report

Investigative journalists from Grist, the self-proclaimed “nation’s favorite independent source of green news and views,” recently tweeted some criticism about IER’s overview of the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) 2010 Annual Energy Outlook.

Fossil Energy Still King in 2035–Carbon Dioxide Emissions Rise with Fossil Fuel Growth

The United Nation’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen isn’t stopping the Energy Information Administration (EIA) from forecasting an increase in carbon dioxide emissions in the early release of their Annual Energy Outlook 2010 reference case forecasts.[1]

Endangering the Economy in an Attempt to Pass Cap-and-Trade

For years Congress has struggled to pass legislation to regulate carbon dioxide emissions because Americans know that the regulation of carbon dioxide emission is a tax on energy. Today, the Obama Administration is pushing a new scheme that would create regulations so burdensome that Congress is forced to pass a cap-and-trade bill to reduce the economic pain caused by the regulations. The Administration admits their plan will harm the economy, but they are using it as a threat in order to urge Congress to pass their proposal to tax and regulate energy use.

China Secures Oil and Gas Resources; U.S. Prefers to Wait for Green Energy

Around the world, China is investing in oil and gas resources to fuel its booming manufacturing industries and transportation sector to continue its sky-rocketing economic growth.

EPA Ruling Opens Door for Unelected Washington Bureaucrats to Systematically Cripple US Economy

Washington, DC – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a formal endangerment finding on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses, claiming that such gases endanger human health and welfare. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the market-based Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement regarding EPA’s action:

1.2 Million Energy Jobs Available, Will Obama Admin. Open OCS for Business?

Washington, DC – Tomorrow, President Obama, business and labor leaders, academics and other elected officials will gather at the White House for a jobs summit. Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research (IER), issued the following statement on the positive economic impacts that safe, responsible offshore energy exploration could have on our nation’s ailing economy and our long-term energy security:

Fact Checking Secretary Salazar’s Press Conference

Washington, DC – Yesterday afternoon Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar held a press conference to defend the Administration’s energy leasing program and to announce the 2010 onshore leasing schedule. The Institute for Energy Research released the following fact check of the Secretary’s comments:

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

The Department of Interior recently issued a press release that stated, “Since January of 2009, the Minerals Management Service has conducted two offshore auctions and Interior’s Bureau of Land Management has held 29 onshore oil and gas lease sales. Together these sales offered more than 55 million acres of U.S. public land for oil and natural gas exploration and development and generated more than $931 million in revenues that are shared between the states and federal government.”

Actions Speak Louder Than Words on Domestic Energy Production


Washington, DC – Earlier today, the Interior Department announced that new energy development leases on certain federal lands will be considered in 2010.

What Can the U.S. Learn from China’s Energy Policy?

PDF Version (1.1 MB) “The joke among China hands goes like this: If the Americans and the Chinese start talking about a major project today, in two years the Chinese will be done and the Americans will still be talking and applying for permits.” – Michael Economides

What President Obama (Should Have) Learned about Energy Policy during his Visit to China

Washington, DC – In anticipation of President Barack Obama’s return from Asia, the free-market Institute for Energy Research (IER) today released and delivered a policy brief for the president and his advisors on China’s booming energy economy and growth.

IER: Technology, Innovation Remains Key to Safe, Increased Offshore Energy Development

Washington, DC – Offshore energy exploration and production in the United States is safe and environmentally sound. Over the past 50 years, the U.S. oil and gas industry has developed innovative, 21st century technologies and exploration techniques that are efficient, pose little threat to the environment, and ensure worker safety.