Like many Americans, I shake my head at the Obama Administration’s energy decisions. I am firmly convinced that the United States economy has been jeopardized by their actions, both made and not made. But hope springs eternal, and it is that time of year.
To many of you, I have a well-deserved reputation as a committed advocate for free energy markets. So it might seem incongruous to some that I would support a cabinet nomination by a progressive president.
Yet, here I am. President Obama has nominated Dr. Ernest Moniz to be the next Secretary Of Energy. I support that decision, and I believe all conservatives/market fans should do so also.
When I was CEO of the Center for the Advancement of Energy Markets (CAEM), the Board of Directors voted to issue an invitation to Dr.…
Continue ReadingAfter 20 years and many extensions, the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC) was scheduled to expire at the end of 2012. Neither the House nor the Senate saw fit to extend this overly generous corporate benefit when it was considered on its own merits, and the PTC did, in fact, expire.
But in the final hours of the fiscal cliff negotiations, a provision in the American Taxpayer Relief Act (P.L. 112-240) surreptitiously added a $12 billion, 1-year extension of the PTC. [1]
This move was done behind closed doors, without debate, any opportunity for amendment, or obligation of the Congress to find a way to pay for it.
The abuse of the Public Trust did not end there. With this extension, a critical change to the PTC was introduced that relaxed the eligibility requirements for the credit.…
Continue Reading“If we really want a sustainable future for all of humanity and our planet, we shouldn’t plunge ourselves back into darkness. Tackling climate change by turning off the lights and eating dinner by candlelight smacks of the “let them eat cake” approach to the world’s problems that appeals only to well-electrified, comfortable elites.”
– Bjørn Lomborg, “Earth Hour Is a Colossal Waste of Time—and Energy,” Slate, March 17, 2013.
For many years, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) has deftly combined scholarship with activism–and a dash of humor–in the pursuit of liberty. Many of their scholars, such as Marlo Lewis at this site, are leaders in their respective fields.
Several years ago, they responded to turn-out-the-lights Earth Hour with turn-on-the-lights Human Achievement Hour. And now comes 2013. “On March 23, some people will be sitting in the dark to express their ‘vote’ for action on global climate change,” CEI states.…
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