A Free-Market Energy Blog

Will U.S. Sovereignty be LOST at Sea?

By Larry Bell -- July 3, 2012

“The [LOST] treaty proposes to create a new global governance institution that would regulate American citizens and businesses without being accountable politically to the American people. Some treaty proponents pay little attention to constitutional concerns about democratic legislative processes and principles pf self-government, but I believe the American people take seriously such threats to the foundations of our nation.” [2]

– Donald Rumsfeld, “Why the U.N. Shouldn’t Own the Seas,” June 12, 2012.  

A proposed Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) which has not yet ratified by Congress will grant a newly established U.N. bureaucracy, the Kingston, Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA), power to regulate deep-sea oil exploration, drilling operations, seabed mining, and fishing rights beyond 200 miles of our coast. As part of the deal, as much as 7% of U.S.…

Continue Reading

The Inhibiting Power of Dilute Energy

By Jon Boone -- July 2, 2012

“Let’s stop politicalizing our electricity supply. Let’s eliminate all tax credits for energy production. Let’s require that utility scale generators produce firm, dispatchable capacity, and eliminate those that don’t.

Let’s demand that electricity grids and their regulators provide abundant highly reliable and secure electricity consistent with the most informed notions of public health. Abundant electricity will offer consumers real choice, resulting in lower prices and increased value.”

The most recent effort by those seeking profit from “green energy” evidently presumes that rate and taxpayers, if not most of the country’s citizenry, were born yesterday. Which made me think of Billie Dawn’s wicked malaprop in the movie classic, Born Yesterday: “This country and its institutions belong to the people who inhibit it.”

Few initiatives better illustrate how the nation’s future is being seized by those who would inhibit it than last week’s plea to “stop politicizing green energy.” …

Continue Reading

America's Bounty vs. Federal Frac Rules: Will We Lead or Lag the World?

By Donald Hertzmark -- June 29, 2012

Articles on this blog have consistently made the point that shale gas in the U.S. represents an unprecedented pathway to abundant, low-cost, clean energy supplies. In previous posts it was noted that unconventional gas resources, combined with new production technologies, could potentially break the global oil-natural gas price bond, just as has happened in the U.S.

Shale gas is now subject to active exploration in England, Australia, Poland, Ukraine, China, India, and to a lesser extent, South America. Canada has already moved to the development stage with its shale formations in British Columbia (Montney and Horn River). Mexico shares the prolific Eagle Ford shale formation with Texas, but its state-owned PEMEX has done little to develop that resource yet.

Other nations have rejected the gift of unconventional gas. Romania and Bulgaria, both heavily dependent on Russian gas, have said “no” to shale gas production, as has France.…

Continue Reading

Ignored Science, Neglected Economics: D.C. Circuit Upholds EPA Greenhouse Gas Rules

By Chip Knappenberger -- June 28, 2012
Continue Reading

'Determined Gentleman' vs. Big Wind (E&E News Profiles Droz, Taylor)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 27, 2012
Continue Reading

Pandora's NAAQS: CEI Comments on U.S. EPA's 'Carbon Pollution Standard'

By -- June 26, 2012
Continue Reading

Postmodern Climatology: Paltridge Weighs In

By Kenneth P. Green -- June 25, 2012
Continue Reading

'Peak Rock': The ONION Goes Neo-Malthusian (Fixity/depletion curse expands)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 22, 2012
Continue Reading

Wimp Power: Some Quotations from Wind's Critics

By -- June 21, 2012
Continue Reading

New Oil & Gas Talent Needed: Students, Retirees Take Note (industry needs freed renewable-energy talent too)

By Robert Bradley Jr. -- June 20, 2012
Continue Reading