The Heartland Institute

(An updated verison of this policy document can be found here ) Motor fuel taxes affect everyone who uses any kind of transportation. These taxes, which are paid as an excise duty – a tax on the sale of motor fuel – increase the cost of transportation for individuals. They are designed by most national and state governments ...

Despite $700 million dollars in development costs and taxpayer subsidies of $250,000 per vehicle, Chevrolet is selling very few Chevy Volts, Seton Motley of News Busters reports today in an eye-opening column. The federal government and various state governments repeatedly bill taxpayers for a litany of “can’t miss” automobile ...

Two prominent environmental activist groups, the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council, are rallying against California Gov. Jerry Brown’s efforts to fast-track construction of high-speed rail in the state. Special Environmental Exemptions Brown is asking the state legislature to give high-speed rail special exemptions ...

Four years after approving a $9 billion high-speed rail proposal, Californians strongly oppose high-speed rail and would vote against it if given another chance, a University of Southern California/ Los Angeles Times poll reports. Only 33 Percent Support In the 2008 elections, Californians approved borrowing $9 billion for high-speed ...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is grossly overstating the economic benefits of its various environmental restrictions, environmental expert Richard Trzupek told the Energy and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Trzupek, a chemist and environmental consultant, told the House subcommittee ...

A state judge has struck down a license for a uranium mill issued by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. In his much-anticipated ruling, Denver District Judge John McMullen said CDPHE did not allow adequate public comment before issuing a license to Energy Fuels, Inc. to operate the mill in rural Paradox ...

Few recent topics have engendered as much virulent discussion and debate as hydraulic fracturing (“fracing”) – the high-pressure injection of fluid into deep wells to fracture shale rock holding natural gas. Proponents, including the Obama Administration, hail fracing’s potential to reduce America’s dependence on foreign energy sources ...

Oregon Fish and Wildlife officials are seeking federal approval to kill protected marine birds to protect juvenile salmon. Harassment Not WorkingIn an April 5 letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife division administrator Ron Anglin reported current efforts to protect juvenile salmon through harassment ...

The production of oil and natural gas through hydraulic fracturing methods creates only a low risk for inducing earthquakes that can be felt by people, the National Research Council, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, concludes in a new study. Only a very small fraction of natural resource extraction activities has ...

The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT or the Committee) appreciates this opportunity to submit the following comments in response to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s notice, Eagle Permits; Revisions to regulations governing takings necessary to protect interests in particular localities, as issued by the DOI/FWS and published ...

This post from Global Warming.org argues that, "the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), is engaging in meetings to promote and enact a carbon tax. The meeting agenda with some substantive content is included in the document. ...

Palm Beach County has allocated $200,000 of taxpayer money to hire a staffer to address global warming. County officials created the position despite a $15 million county budget deficit. Think Globally, Pay Locally The new global warming czar will direct the county’s efforts to reduce global temperature increases and adapt to ...

Fish and wildlife officials in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington may continue killing California sea lions preying on salmon near the Bonneville Dam, a federal district court has ruled. The court’s decision is a defeat for the Humane Society, which had sought an immediate injunction against the states. Male California sea lions gathered ...

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead has sent a letter to U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar asking for the end of federal Endangered Species Act protections for grizzly bears in the Yellowstone ecosystem. More Than 600 Area Grizzlies The Yellowstone grizzly was listed as threatened under the ESA in 1975, when the area’s grizzly bear population ...

Ohio lawmakers have enacted new restrictions on hydraulic fracturing, creating the most stringent law in the nation. The House voted in favor of the restrictions 73-19, and the Senate approved the bill by a vote of 21 to 8. Gov. John Kasich (R) signed it into law on June 11. Content of New Requirements Under the new measure ...

The central component of California’s Global Warming Solutions Act (AB32) is taking effect this year, and with the state facing a $15.7 billion deficit, political leaders have ended a long debate over how to spend revenue the Act is expected to generate. The central component is “cap and trade,” a complex system that aims ...

Michigan’s economically beleaguered Upper Peninsula is experiencing a dramatic economic turnaround thanks to a resurgence in mining. Mining gained momentum this year after a state judge rejected efforts by environmental activist groups to block permits issued by the state’s Department of Environmental Quality. Miners Investing ...

Germany and Japan are making headlines for shutting down their impressive nuclear power portfolio, but far more countries are refraining from burying their head in the sand. After all, the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that killed thousands proved the safety and reliability of nuclear power. We now know a 9.0 Richter Scale ...

The State of Wyoming and the Colorado Mining Association have petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate the federal government’s Roadless Area Conservation Rule, also known as the Roadless Rule. Power Reserved for Congress The petitioners argue the U.S. Forest Service exceeded its authority in enacting the Roadless Rule by ...

Review of Eco-Tyranny: How the Left’s Green Agenda Will Dismantle America , by Brian Sussman (WND Books, 2012), 315 pages, ISBN- 978-1936488506 The United States has more energy resources than Saudi Arabia, but for some strange reason we are not allowed to access these resources. As a result, we are an energy-rich nation behaving ...