“The energy boom in North America demonstrates that competition and technology are powerful forces; indeed, markets work. When the price system is allowed to work, technology is brought to bear on supply (more) and demand (less) to the benefit of economies everywhere.”
Gone are the days of growing scarcity in the North American oil patch–and increasing petroleum imports from unstable regimes overseas.
The new consensus–that North American energy is plentiful and will remain so to at least the year 2040–is not based on hopes and hype. Over the last five years North America has experienced a true energy revolution, and it is continuing apace.
U.S. oil production is at its highest level since 1992, at over 7 million barrels per day (mmb/d), and Canada’s output exceeded 4 mmb/d at the end of last year, its highest level ever.…
Continue ReadingLike 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.…
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