Back in May, we posted a critique of a Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) study that purported to show how ethanol mandates and subsidies had held down gasoline prices for American motorists. We pointed out that despite its fancy bells and regression analysis, the study—which was touted by the Renewable Fuels Association [...]
New Congressional report exposes the fact that fuel economy mandates are ideologically driven and will put Americans’ safety at risk
For years we at the Institute for Energy Research have highlighted the problems with the Obama administration’s corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) mandate. We have written comments to the administration (here and here) and explained how raising the fuel economy standard will reduce safety, price drivers out of the market, and reduce automobile choice and [...]
August 10, 2012 | Corporate Average Fuel Economy, Emissions Standards, News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
AEA calls for RFS Enforcement Cease Fire
WASHINGTON D.C. — American Energy Alliance President Thomas Pyle released the following statement upon annoucements that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack had declared more than half of U.S. counties as disaster areas due to the record drought affecting U.S. farmers. A dramatically reduced corn crop has caused prices to rise by about 60 percent since mid-June, [...]
August 1, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
Low Carbon Fuel Standards Will Raise Fuel Prices
Recognizing that American motorists will reject any policies that raise fuel prices, the people pushing new regulations on the energy sector are trying to have their cake and eat it too. For example, a new report [.pdf] claims that a national Low Carbon Fuel Standard would not only reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but it [...]
July 19, 2012 | Corporate Average Fuel Economy, Emissions Standards, News, Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats
IER President Calls for Investigation into Navy Biofuel Contracts
WASHINGTON D.C. — IER President Thomas Pyle sent a letter today to four congressional chairmen calling for an “immediate, exhaustive and unyielding” investigation of the Defense Department’s decision to fuel naval exercises in the Pacific ocean using biofuels that cost $27 per gallon. The letter was sent to Chairman Buck McKeon of the House [...]
July 10, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
EPA’s Folly; Refiners’ Punishment
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Renewable Identification Numbers, RINs, are causing the refining industry a lot of grief and the American public a lot of money. If nothing changes, the grief and the money wasted could grow rapidly, damaging the economy and family budgets. RINs are a byproduct of the Renewable Fuels Standard that [...]
July 9, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
Scathing “Green Jobs” Report
The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently released a scathing memo on Section 1603 of the Obama stimulus plan. The grant program, administered by the Department of Energy, was frequently touted as a way to create “green jobs” while simultaneously benefiting the environment. Yet the new memo documents that the program was a complete [...]
July 2, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
American Energy Alliance Releases ‘Phantom Fuels’ Video
WASHINGTON D.C. — The American Energy Alliance released a video today exposing the failure of renewable energy mandates that raise the cost of producing and consuming transportation fuels in the United States. The “Phantom Fuels”video tells the story of cellulosic biofuel, a plant-based fuel source that is not commercially available despite federal law requiring [...]
June 18, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
NRDC Misleads on Keystone
A recent report by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) makes the case that Americans should reject the Keystone XL pipeline because its construction would raise gasoline prices in the U.S. The NRDC report is based on absurd economic arguments and distorted analysis from another research group. Most ironic of all, NRDC has been [...]
June 8, 2012 | News, Renewable Fuel Standard
We Can Learn from Canada
The United States should start taking lessons from Canada regarding oil development and its relationship to a pro-growth regulatory and tax structure. Canadian production of oil sands in northern Alberta is expected to reach 4.1 million barrels a day by 2020, up from last year’s production level of 1.6 million barrels per day. This area [...]
June 4, 2012 | Renewable Fuel Standard, Threats, Tier 3 Standards
