The Heartland Institute

By a margin of 2 to 1, Pennsylvanians say the economic benefits of natural gas production in the Marcellus Shale deposit outweigh the potential environmental impacts, according to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac University. The poll showed 63 percent of Pennsylvanians support drilling, while 30 percent are opposed. Economic Prosperity ...

Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) is signaling he intends to promote affordable energy that will bring prices in the state down to a level that s more competitive with those of neighboring states. New Focus on Energy Scott spent most of his first six months as governor focusing on balancing the state s budget and reforming state ...

It has become a truism that environmentalists want alternative energy from wind, sun, water to replace our reliance on fossil fuels. The trouble with this truism is that it isn t true. Yes, in the abstract, environmentalists are all for so-called renewable sources of energy. But when it comes to specific projects it s another ...

New York State would benefit from more than $11.4 billion in new economic output, 100,000 new jobs, and $1.4 billion in new tax revenues if the state lifts its ban on natural gas production through hydraulic fracturing techniques, according to a new study authored by energy economists at the University of Wyoming, Penn State ...

Once seen as a potential bonanza by governments, investment bankers, and alternative energy proponents, carbon dioxide credits have become close to worthless in trading exchanges and are now being shunned by investors. Few Bidders for RGGI Credits A June 8 auction by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a cap-and-trade ...

State public utilities commissions (sometimes known as public service commissions) are largely responsible for rapidly rising electricity prices in many states. With the power to approve or reject proposed power plants, many state commissions are aggressively pursuing green agendas at the expense of affordable energy. Electricity ...

The 28-member International Energy Agency last week agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from the world s reserves in the next 30 days. Half would be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the United States, 30 percent from Europe and 20 percent from Asian countries. One day before that decision, Saudi Arabia ...

President Obama’s speeches sum up his views on oil, natural gas, and energy prices in just 44 words. “We have less than 2 percent of the world’s oil reserves. We’re running out of places to drill. We’re running out of oil. We need to end our $4 billion in annual taxpayer subsidies to oil companies. We need to invest in ...

As gasoline prices rise, most Americans cringe. But two oil-producing states are reaping benefits from higher gas prices, as rising oil prices translate to billions of dollars in tax revenue for Alaska and Texas. Revenues Flow into Alaska, Texas Gasoline prices have more than doubled since President Barack Obama took office. According ...

Wind power will fail to reduce carbon dioxide emissions as much as claimed by wind power advocates, concludes a recent study in the Renewable and Sustainability Energy Review , published by Elsevier. The study, “ Why wind power does not deliver the expected emissions reductions ,” adds to the growing weight of evidence that ...

Hiking Taxes on Big Oil Won t Produce More Energy By Bernard L. Weinstein* America desperately needs a sensible, comprehensive, and domestically-focused national energy strategy. But some members of Congress would rather be entertained by political theater. Last month, the CEOs of the nation s five biggest oil companies were ...

Ohio Gov. John Kasich asked for it, and now he has it: evidence that so-called " renewable" energy mandates raise electricity costs, subtract jobs and harm the economy. In April of this year our organization released a study of Ohio's Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, and the findings will not encourage citizens of a state ...

As oil prices continue to threaten all-time record highs, Shell Oil has announced it will have to cancel plans to produce oil this summer in a lucrative oil field off a remote portion of Alaska because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined Shell's planned oil production will cause too much air pollution and ...

Energy Policy Since Macondo: A Year of Living Dangerously By Bernard L. Weinstein* The world has changed since the Macondo blowout in the Gulf of Mexico a year ago that cost the lives of 11 rig workers and resulted in the biggest oil spill in the nation s history. Not only has the federal government tightened its ...

On March 30, President Obama repeated the familiar energy policy refrain of increasing the nation s independence from foreign oil in order to control energy prices. As The Wall Street Journal observed a day later, this cliche has been repeated by every president since Richard Nixon. That alone ought to make the prescription ...

Some federal programs are more damaging to the national economy than other federal programs. Accordingly, some federal spending cuts are more important to the U.S. economy than other federal spending cuts. By leaving intact Environmental Protection Agency funds to devise, implement, and enforce carbon dioxide restrictions, the House ...

As the Libyan government teetered on a long, painful endgame, oil prices surged as the 10th largest world oil supplier closed its ports. We may well see oil prices rise to $110-$120 per barrel. Gasoline at the pump would then rise to $4.00 a gallon. This inevitability will be disastrous to our commuting workforce and many ...

Legislators from both parties grilled Maryland Gov. Martin O Malley (D) in separate House and Senate hearings about the governor s plan to give taxpayer dollars to offshore wind power developers and force consumers to purchase the higher-priced electricity. The hearings indicated legislators are unlikely to support subsidies and ...

Eric Neumayer and Fabian Barthel, researchers with the London School of Economics Department of Geography and Environment, have published a paper in the peer-reviewed journal Global Environmental Change looking into the question, " Has economic damage from natural disasters increased over time?" Noting there was only one study of ...

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett (R) is holding firm against efforts to impose new taxes or fees on natural gas production in the state. Corbett has also fulfilled a campaign promise to end a moratorium, issued last year by former Gov. Ed Rendell (D), on new natural gas leases in state forests. Natural Gas Boosting Economy Corbett ...