Mother Jones (2009): Institute for Energy Research/American Energy Alliance

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 8, 2025 No Comments

“IER/AEA have thousands of individual donors, reflecting the intellectual case for a free market and the goodness of civil society. This is a proud fact.”

A Mother Jones article from 15 years read: “Meet the 12 loudest members of the chorus claiming that global warming is a joke and that CO2 emissions are actually good for you.” And number 12 of the “dirty dozen” was the educational nonprofit Institute of Energy Research and its advocacy arm, the American Energy Alliance.

IER/AEA would surely make the list today–and be ranked higher. This is a badge of honor. The message of classical liberalism applied to energy remains strong and consistent. Consumers matter. Taxpayers matter. Energy resource efficiency matters. Respect for the energy decisions of voluntarily consenting adults matter.

Here is the piece by Josh Harkinson from December 5, 2009, verbatim, with my critical comments.…

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Carbon Management Demotion (“Big Oil’s” failed political bet)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 2, 2025 No Comments

“Let the lesson be clear. Avoid political bribes intended to get a company to do what consumers do not want done. Respect taxpayer neutrality. Value economic freedom. Pursue good profit, not bad.”

Political capitalism is risky business. And Big Oil, as renewable companies (PPL Corp., Ørsted), is paying the price. Eating at the table of the Climate Industrial Complex, rather than proudly concentrating on its core business of serving consumer demand, has resulted in many federal loan cancellations. Think Exxon Mobil.

Turning to Big Gas, two Calpine grants for carbon capture and storage took a hit: 550-MW gas-fired Sutter power plant in Yuba City, California and 810-MW Baytown power plant in Baytown, Texas.

As reported in a press release last week from the U.S. Department of Energy:

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Memorial Day Weekend! (Motoring to summer ’25)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- May 23, 2025 No Comments

Get happy. Summer beckons. Not only hike and bike but drive to a better environment–your self-selected one. And once there, grill, baby, grill.

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The automobile is environmentalism-on-wheels. The open road is freedom to escape the concrete for the great beyond. Mountains, rivers, hills, forests, even beautiful green golf courses–it is all a drive away. 

The old Marathon ads said it best …a full tank of freedom. And Shell: “Let’s Go!” And Exxon: “Happy Motoring!”

Don’t worry about the anti-travel crowd who fret about emissions of the trace greening gas, carbon dioxide. Forget the spin and go for a spin!

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Each year, MasterResource celebrates the beginning of the peak-driving season knowing that our free-market philosophy is about energy abundance and affordability and reliability. There is so little to apologize for. When is the last time you got a bad tank of gasoline or diesel, anyway?…

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Deepwater Horizon at 15: Remember “Beyond Petroleum” BP

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- April 30, 2025 1 Comment

“On the 15th anniversary of the BP blowout, the real takeaway is that oil companies that think they are ‘beyond petroleum’ are value destroyers for shareholders and for the environment.”

Every April commemorates BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill (April 2010). To the anti-energy Left, Deepwater Horizon is the epitome of oil-gone-bad, coming some 21 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It was not supposed to happen again, but ….

The sad facts of Deepwater Horizon will forever remain; the multiple failures behind the seafloor accident meticulously documented. But a paradox remains. Mighty BP, captained by John Browne, the leading “environmentalist” of the petroleum industry, created a corporate culture that resulted in lax safety and environmental protocols. By saving about $5 million out of $100+ million in drilling costs, the company ended up paying out in excess of $60 billion.…

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CERA Misreport: Chris Tomlinson (Houston Chronicle) Goes Sarcastic

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- March 20, 2025 1 Comment Continue Reading

“Take Back the Truth” (Energy Transfer plays offense)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- February 6, 2025 No Comments Continue Reading

‘Free Enterprise Zone’ for Electricity?

By Kennedy Maize -- January 29, 2025 1 Comment Continue Reading

Energy & Environmental Review: December 23, 2024

By -- December 23, 2024 No Comments Continue Reading

Houston: Oil and Gas Capital (‘energy transition’ hyperbole falls flat)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- August 8, 2024 1 Comment Continue Reading

AEA: Kamala Harris on Energy

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- July 26, 2024 3 Comments Continue Reading