“Bad Romance”: Shale Gas Boom and the Emergence of Strange Alliances
Energy / Environment

“Bad Romance”: Shale Gas Boom and the Emergence of Strange Alliances

Shale gas discoveries has proliferated in the United States as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, a relatively new technology, has allowed an efficient way to extract shale gas, producing a cheaper and cleaner source of energy than coal.  The shale gas boom happening in the United States which has resulted in an economy-boosting decrease in gas prices … Continue reading

If Pop Stars Were Clean Energy, Taylor Swift Would Be Natural Gas
America / Culture / Energy / Environment / Politics

If Pop Stars Were Clean Energy, Taylor Swift Would Be Natural Gas

If Keystone XL is the Kim Kardashian of energy, what is Taylor Swift? Obviously Miss Swift is natural gas. Media and music darling, Taylor Swift (aka T-Swift) has spent the last few years cultivating the perfect image: “The patriarchy-friendly, virginal, good, pure, feminine, pretty blonde girl that has been an American ideal for decades,” says … Continue reading

War on Coal: Why We Should be Moving Forward
Energy / Environment / Politics

War on Coal: Why We Should be Moving Forward

Last Tuesday, President Obama gave his climate change speech at Georgetown University, addressing one of the more controversial environmental issues: the increasing amounts of carbon pollution being produced from our power plants, and the lack of regulations on them. During his speech, Obama noted that there were absolutely no limitations on coal-fired power plants, allowing … Continue reading

Top 5 Most Ridiculous Government Spending Programs: Energy and Environment Edition
Energy / Environment

Top 5 Most Ridiculous Government Spending Programs: Energy and Environment Edition

5. Overlapping Renewable Energy Subsidies. Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) estimates that redundancies in government spending alone amount to roughly $250 billion.  That’s three times the cost of sequester cuts.  Right now 23 agencies and 130 sub-agencies are in charge of some 679 renewable energy initiatives, according to the Government Accountability Office.  One would think with … Continue reading

Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom
America / Energy / Environment / Environmental Regulation / Foreign Policy / Regulation

Geopolitical Impacts and Pokemon: Looking for a Bipartisan Voice Amidst an Oil Boom

The Bipartisan Policy Center recently hosted an event discussing the geopolitical impacts of the US’s recent tight oil boom. Tight oil, or shale oil, production has increased with the expansion of hydraulic fracturing technology used to access shale gas from shale or sandstone formations. Amidst the rallying cries of a “qualified abundance” instead of a … Continue reading

How Green is Our Gas?
Energy / Environment

How Green is Our Gas?

The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions recently released a new report detailing how to incorporate natural gas into an emissions- and carbon-free future, with recommendations for use by sector. They launched their report with a meeting featuring a “CEO-level” discussion and a “sector-level” discussion.   The two panels followed the format of the report. … Continue reading

The Lesser of Two Prairie Chickens
Energy / Environment / Environmental Regulation / Regulation

The Lesser of Two Prairie Chickens

In a previous post, I wrote about the challenges of balancing economic and environmental interests when crafting regulatory policy.  I argued that while regulations often incur significant economic costs, more regulation doesn’t necessarily translate into greater environmental benefits. This issue came up at a House Natural Resources Committee hearing on Tuesday about state and federal approaches … Continue reading