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Deal to Double Fuel Economy Standards a Bright Spot for Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook July 29, 2011 Comment (1)For weeks, the American public has focused on President Obama's inability to forge compromise with Congress. So, as the debt ceiling debate drags out on the Hill, the president can only hope that people pay as much attention to the compromise he actually did reach over fuel economy standards this week. [See where the auto industry spends its money in Congress.]
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No New Oil Refineries Since the 1970s, But Capacity Has Grown
Tweet Share on Facebook July 29, 2011 Comment (7)Patrick DeHaan is a senior petroleum analyst at gasbuddy.com.
No new refineries built in decades? True or false?
"There have been no new refineries built since 1976" is a phrase commonly placed in stories revolving around high gasoline prices, refinery problems, or oil prices. There seems to be, however, more than meets the eye to this claim. While the phrase is technically correct, there are some glaring omissions that mislead motorists into thinking there has been no capacity added to refineries since the last new facility was brought online in 1976.
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Approving Keystone XL Pipeline Would Create Jobs and Lower Gas Prices
Tweet Share on Facebook July 27, 2011 Comment (45)Thomas Pyle is the president of the Institute for Energy Research
Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed legislation to require the Obama administration to reach a decision on the Keystone XL crude oil pipeline, which would run from Alberta, Canada to Houston, Texas, by Nov. 1 of this year. Seeing that the project proposal was first submitted in 2008, the House insisted that the administration has had more than ample time to reach a final conclusion.
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House Warms Up for Debt Vote with Interior-Environment Bill
Tweet Share on Facebook July 26, 2011 Comment (5)Jessica Rettig covers energy issues for U.S. News.
As its leaders scramble around House Speaker John Boehner's debt ceiling proposal, it seems fitting that the House has decided to tackle legislation that's just as, if not more, partisan in the meantime: the Interior-Environment appropriations bill.
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Connecticut Passes California for Most Expensive Gas Prices
Tweet Share on Facebook July 21, 2011 Comment (5)Patrick DeHaan is a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com.
For the first half of this year, two states have been battling each other for the dubious crown of most expensive gasoline in the lower 48. Traditionally, the spot is reserved for California, but more recently, Connecticut has raced past the Golden State to take the honor (where this award is stored and who gives it away is beyond me, but for today, I’ll assume that role).
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Obama Anti-Coal Energy Agenda Would Hurt America
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2011 Comment (5)Daniel Kish is senior vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research.
When the Obama administration's Environmental Protection Agency released its new Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, or MATS, for coal-fired power plants in March, it received acclaim and praise from the usual anti-energy groups. The Natural Resources Defense Council claimed the rules were "economically prudent." The Center for American Progress proclaimed that it was a boost for "clean tech innovation and American competitiveness." The Clean Air Council insisted that the rules were "good for the economy and America's workforce."
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Overtaxing Oil Comes at a High Cost
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2011 Comment (4)In the current stalemate on raising the debt ceiling, President Obama has ratcheted up the rhetoric against the American oil and gas industry. Big Oil, he insists, benefits from generous federal subsidies and enjoys favorable treatment from the current tax code. The president maintains that increasing taxes on these companies will help close the federal deficit while avoiding any adverse economic consequences.
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Why Gas Prices Are Going Back Up
Tweet Share on Facebook July 11, 2011 Comment (8)Patrick DeHaan is a senior petroleum analyst at gasbuddy.com
To all motorists: be prepared for higher gasoline prices ... coming soon to a pump near you.
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Nuclear Disaster Like Fukushima Unlikely in U.S.
Tweet Share on Facebook July 8, 2011 Comment (21)Jack Spencer is a nuclear energy policy research fellow at the Heritage Foundation.
Years will pass before we fully understand what happened at the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Nonetheless, broad lessons can be learned based on information available.
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7 Ways the Nuclear Industry Is Responding to Fukushima
Tweet Share on Facebook July 1, 2011 Comment (18)Tom Fanning is chairman, president, and CEO of Southern Company, one of the largest electricity producers in the United States.
The nuclear energy industry is committed to the relentless pursuit of safer nuclear energy. As an operator of six reactors at three nuclear energy facilities in the Southeast—and the first to build the next generation of nuclear technology in the United States—we make it our mission to never settle for "safe enough."
