To the untrained ear, subjects like “Green this” and “LEED-certified that” might be expected to turn off the typical Republican, according to those who buy into the stereotype that those whose politics are right-of-center are disinterested in anything considered “environmentally conscious.” On the flip side, that same untrained ear might expect doctrinaire Democrats to balk at any profit-motivated business solution to significant government problems. But Reps. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) are managing to shred these paper tigers, without abandoning their respective ideological credentials. With a little help from their friends, Rep. Gardner and 11 more House Republicans have joined with Rep. Welch and 15 of his Democratic colleagues in forming the House Energy Savings Performance Caucus.
Light at the End of the Pipeline
At a time when the national debt exceeds $16.5 trillion, the unemployment rate is 7.9 percent, and the United States is searching for ways to reduce dependence on oil from the Middle East, it sure would be nice to have a project that assuages all three concerns at the same time. Such a project exists – it is called the Keystone Pipeline. Yet despite the overwhelming evidence of the positive impact that the pipeline would have on the American economy, as of March 7, 2013, the Obama Administration and the State Department had delayed making a decision to approve or reject the project for 1,630 days.
The Case Against Keystone XL Gets Weaker
Late Friday afternoon, right around when most people likely tuned out and stopped reading the news, the State Department released a report stating that the Keystone XL Pipeline would have little impact on climate change.
Weatherization—Money Continues to Pour
It has been three and a half years since Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and the wasted money in this bill has taken its toll on taxpayers. President Obama and cheerleaders for the $838 billion stimulus promised it would be the antidote to a floundering economy, creating anywhere from “thousands and thousands” of jobs to 3.5 million jobs, depending upon which Obama administration spokesperson was making the rounds on the Sunday morning talk shows.
Mandating the Hypothetical: EPA’s Cellulosic Biofuels Mandate
It is no secret that many federal regulations in the United States are ineffective and burdensome to the economy. However, the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirement for oil producers to purchase non-existent cellulosic biofuels may be the most absurd.
The Trouble with BLS’s Pliable Green Jobs Definition
In 2009, when Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus), economists and pundits alike scoffed at the Obama administration’s estimates of the number of jobs that the bill had “created or saved.” Greg Mankiw, Harvard economics professor and former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, called the term “an act of political […]
Taxpayers Charged Billions to Anoint Green Car Manufacturing Winners
In an effort to alleviate the burden of rising gasoline prices on the economy and reduce vehicle emissions, Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) in 2007. The legislation ramped up fuel economy standards and encouraged the use of renewable fuels.
Solyndra Scorches Taxpayers
It is a shame that the Obama administration didn’t pay as much attention to the details of Solyndra’s business plans and financial liabilities as it did to the details of the President’s photo op at the company’s facility on May 26, 2010. Given the rampant mismanagement and weaknesses associated with the Energy Department’s whole Loan Guarantee Program (LGP), there was plenty of incentive to do so.
Mountain of Government Waste at Yucca
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has been searching for a long-term site to store its nuclear waste. The nation’s spent nuclear fuel, which can remain radioactive for thousands of years, is currently sitting in more than 100 temporary facilities scattered across the country, often within close proximity to highly-populated metropolitan areas. In 2008, after decades of examination and dozens of lawsuits, the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to complete construction and make operational the repository under Yucca Mountain, located in the heart of the Nevada desert, 90 miles north of Las Vegas. After approximately $15 billion has been spent on the project and federal courts across the country have reiterated the federal government’s obligation to store the waste, President Obama is intent on killing the Yucca Mountain repository.
A-Maize-ing Waste: Why Ethanol Subsidies Must Be Repealed
“I once was lost but now am found; Was blind, but now I see” the amazing waste in the ethanol subsidy program, admitted Vice President Al Gore. A November 27, 2010, Wall Street Journal article confirmed that the ethanol cheerleader and environmental eminence of the climate change movement had backtracked on his support for the program, saying it was a “mistake,” and that he only supported it because he had a “certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa” during his presidential run.