The Heartland Institute

Overriding a veto by Gov. Beverly Perdue (D), both houses of North Carolina’s legislature have implemented a budget that cuts taxes, reduces public spending, and makes significant changes to the Tar Heel State’s environmental policies. Environmental Bureaucracy Slashed With its historic June 15 veto override, state lawmakers gave ...

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 ...

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) has announced plans to permanently close 70 of the state s 278 parks, in an effort to help the state rein in its enormous budget deficit. The park closures will allow the state government to save $11 million in fiscal year 2011-12 and $22 million in FY 2012-13. We regret closing any park ...

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is recommending the state end its ban on natural gas production through hydraulic fracturing (also known as fracking) techniques. According to the DEC, high-volume fracking should be permitted on privately held lands under rigorous and effective state regulation. High-volume ...

States cannot sue owners of coal-burning power plants under public nuisance laws, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled. According to the Court, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency s regulatory authority over greenhouse gas emission levels precludes the states from pursuing their own legal actions. Nuisance violations are covered ...

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 ...

Following in the footsteps of neighboring Pennsylvania and Michigan, Ohio lawmakers have approved legislation opening the way for oil and gas drilling on state lands, including state parks. Proceeds from the drilling will go to pay for an estimated $500 million in much-needed maintenance and repairs at state parks. Overwhelming ...

The rock band U2 may be well-known for its outspoken liberal political advocacy, but U2 s lead guitarist The Edge (David Evans) is coming under fire from environmental activists for seeking to build several mansions along the Malibu, California, coast. Prolonged Battle for Mansions On June 17 the California Coastal Commission rejected ...

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 federal government is again offering money it does not have to entice a state—Iowa—to spend money it does not have on something it does not need. Iowa is being asked to provide state funds to match federal funding for a so-called "high-speed rail" line from Chicago to Iowa City. The new rail line would duplicate service ...

The momentum continues to build against state-specific global warming restrictions. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has announced he will pull the Garden State out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) by the end of the year. Under RGGI, New Jersey had committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions to 10 percent ...

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 ...

Confused visitors will be forgiven for thinking Oregon State University is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Congressman Pete DeFazio and the progressive-socialist wing of the Democratic Party. Or for likening what s going on there to political retribution as practiced in Third World thugocracies. The idea that three outstanding students ...

A new poll of Massachusetts residents brings more bad news to global warming alarmists. According to the poll, conducted by the left-leaning MassINC public policy organization, only 59 percent of Massachusetts residents say global warming is occurring and humans are at least partly responsible for recent global warming. More importantly ...

Hoping to jumpstart a floundering state economy, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is spearheading an effort to tap abundant oil and natural gas deposits buried thousands of feet below ground in the Buckeye State. Kasich, who took office in January, wants Ohio to develop an exploration industry that will provide jobs and lure businesses ...

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 ...

The natural gas boom in North Texas is not only producing energy and jobs, it s also sparking action in the state legislature regarding hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in the energy-rich Barnett Shale. By injecting water, sand, and trace chemicals at high pressure into a wellbore, drilling teams are able to unlock natural ...

In another sign of growing unease over the economic costs of carbon-dioxide cap-and-trade schemes, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) is considering withdrawing his state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Credits Have Minimal Value Addressing a town hall meeting in Nutley, New Jersey in late March, Christie said ...

The Montana Senate, in a move designed to address the state s double-digit unemployment rate, has voted 27-23 to relax some state environmental rules. The legislation is aimed at decreasing regulatory burdens on businesses and opening the doors to more economic development in the state. Focus on Creating Jobs I would be more ...

Marcellus Shale natural gas production in Pennsylvania is boosting employment, improving personal income, and providing much-needed state revenue, according to a newly released study by Pennsylvania State University. County-Specific Tax Data Researchers at the Penn State Cooperative Extension Marcellus Education Team analyzed various ...