The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022. The bill was badly mistitled and intentionally so.The Biden administration and Democrats in Congress took advantage of Americans’ desire for a response to high and rising prices for food, fuel, and other basic consumer goods. The people of the United States wanted federal leadership to take steps to alleviate inflation. Of course, the inflation itself was an artifact of federal … [Read more...]
Biden’s Gas Tax Suspension: Meager Help and Deficit Spending
Today President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass legislation suspending the federal tax on gasoline for July through September, “to give Americans a little extra breathing room as they deal with the effects of Putin’s war in Ukraine.”Not Much SavingsPut the emphasis on “little.”The average driver drives 1,125 miles per month, and the average car gets about 25 miles per gallon, so the average driver uses about 45 gallons per month. The federal gas tax is 18 cents per gallon. Multiply that by … [Read more...]
Biden energy policy at a glance: You give me 94 bucks and I’ll give you 2.3! Happy?
So, President Joe Biden is taking 50 million barrels of oil out of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to cool the rapid rise in gasoline prices. Will it work?Not for long---if at all.We use about 20 million barrels per day. So 50 million is enough to supply all our oil for only about 2.5 days. Of course, we'll spread it over far more days, at far smaller quantities per day, but that's the total effect.Meanwhile, it's a complete misuse of the SPR, designed, when created in response to the Arab … [Read more...]
Biden/Harris appointees to Department of Energy—Not a Bit of Energy Expertise
On August 20 the Biden/Harris Administration announced five new appointees to the federal Department of Energy.Here are their qualifications:progressive political activismdegree in political scienceprogressive political activismdegree in environmental scienceprogressive political activismdegree in education and ethnic studiesprogressive political activismdegree in what?progressive political activismdegree in political scienceNow we can rest assured. America's energy problems are over!See the … [Read more...]
Unmasking the Latest Bipartisan (and Dangerous) Climate Bill
It is summer in the United States, which means temperatures are hot and western forests and grasslands are burning—as has been the case as long as people have lived here. In our current age, however, in which there is alleged to be a political “solution” to nearly every problem, politicians believe they can use governmental policies to give us better weather and change the nature of wildfires.So far, Congress, state legislators, and the Biden administration have launched a blizzard of new … [Read more...]
Why “Follow the Money” Doesn’t Cut It
Dr. David Kreutzer, an economist formerly with the Heritage Foundation and now with the Institute for Energy Research, was Cornwall Alliance's livestream guest July 27 to discuss why President Joe Biden's "Net Zero by 2050" plan not only won't succeed but can't. (You can watch it on Facebook or YouTube.)When I announced this on Facebook, a friend from back in high school days---a fellow Christian and sincere person---commented, "No, thank you. I prefer to hear and read people with expertise who … [Read more...]
Why “Green Energy” Isn’t “Clean Energy”—or a Good Substitute for Fossil Fuels
Remember President Obama’s “Clean Power Plan”? It aimed to reduce global warming (aka climate change) by cutting American emissions of carbon dioxide from electricity generation. It never got very far, and the Trump Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) killed it.But now President Biden has his own version. He announced his “Energy Efficiency and Clean Electricity Standard” in March. The Washington Post reported it would “turbocharge the country’s transition from fossil … [Read more...]
Rare Earths First? Or Last?
As Joe Biden and Kamala Harris take the reins of government and launch their program to “transition” America away from fossil fuels, they need to consider some hard realities. Chief among them is that no Green New Deal can succeed without major increases in US mining and processing – unless they want to make America even more dependent on China and Russia.Rare-earth metals are essential to 21st century technologies, including smartphones, lasers, night vision systems, weapons guidance … [Read more...]
EU’s Carbon Border Taxes and Joe Biden’s Clean Energy plans: A double threat for developing countries
The introduction of the European Union’s Carbon Border Taxes and Joe Biden’s announcement of Clean Energy plans has raised double alarm in developing countries.The new European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) law will impact all countries exporting to EU, especially those countries without carbon pricing mechanisms. Countries like India, China, Indonesia, Philippines, and even developed ones like Australia, Poland are likely to significantly affected by the CBAM.Climate Justice and … [Read more...]
Biden’s Climate Appointments and the Potential Disruption to the Global Fossil Fuel Market
With President-elect Joe Biden about to assume office, he will soon roll out his “clean energy” plan, aimed at reducing America’s dependence on fossil fuels.But such a move will cause ripples beyond America’s borders. It will likely impact key developing countries that have become increasingly reliant on fossil fuel imports from the booming U.S. oil and gas industry.Biden’s Clean Energy PlanIn December 2020, Joe Biden appointed his climate team, which included a person who served under the Obama … [Read more...]
