Nebraska Gov. Heineman to the Left of Obama Administration on Keystone Pipeline

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  September 1st at 04:21 PM  | 

After three years of cumbersome red tape, environmental impact studies, and endless litigation, the Canadian Keystone KL Pipeline extension project is close to obtaining final approval from the State Department.  This $7 billion pipeline project, when completed, would transport over 700,000 barrels of oil per day from the Canadian tar sands in northeast Alberta to the hungry oil refineries on the Texas Gulf coast.  This | Read More »

It’s Not Easy Going Green

By: Steve Maley (Diary)  |  July 4th at 08:04 PM  | 

It sounded like such a good idea. Back in 2009, NRG Energy Inc. hatched a plan to “go green” using switchgrass and sorghum as boiler fuel supplement. It was hoped that it might replace up to 10% of the coal which fires its Big Cajun II power plant in New Roads, LA. All the elements were in place: land near the plant (up to 30,000 | Read More »

It’s Game Time for Farm Subsidies and Ethanol in Washington

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  June 13th at 06:15 PM  | 

This week’s legislative schedule in both houses of Congress will provide Republicans (and faux moderate Democrats) a unique opportunity to efface farm welfare by eliminating ethanol credits/tariffs and direct farm subsidies. On the House side, the annual Agriculture Appropriations bill is expected to hit the floor as early as Tuesday.  Earlier this month, the Appropriations Committee passed the FY 2012 Ag bill, cutting $2.6 billion | Read More »

End subsidies to ethanol

By: Chris Chocola (Diary)  |  June 13th at 02:06 PM  | 

We’ve Key Voted a “Yes” vote to Senator Coburn’s Amendment to kill Ethanol Subsidies. Bad economic policy should be eliminated. Period. Exclamation point. End of story. We have an opportunity to strike deep into the heart of Big Ethanol – Senator Coburn’s Amendment repeals not only the tax credit, but it also repeals the tariff on imported ethanol. It’s a great first step on the | Read More »

Huntsman Not Ready for the Big Dance

By: Matt Schultz, Iowa Secretary of State (Diary)  |  June 6th at 08:30 AM  | 

From the diaries by Erick “Is Jon Huntsman not coming to Iowa because he opposes ethanol subsidies or because he is afraid to explain his positions on other issues? Iowa Congressman Steve King opposes ethanol subsidies and he continues to get reelected with large margins of victory.” Over the years I have heard presidential candidates state reasons for skipping the Iowa caucuses. It always leaves | Read More »

Sarah Palin Opposes All Energy Subsidies

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  May 31st at 01:31 PM  | 

As the presidential election heats up, we will continue to track where the candidates stand on ethanol and energy subsidies.  The issue of ethanol subsidies is vital to conservatives for several reasons.  First, ethanol epitomizes everything that is wrong with onerous government interventions; corporate cronyism, market distortions, higher prices for vital goods and services, and government dependency.  Also, with food and energy prices at an | Read More »

Mitt Romney Still Loves His Ethanol, Especially in Iowa

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  May 27th at 05:21 PM  | 

Say anything you want about Mitt Romney, but at least he isn’t flip flopping this time around.  Instead of disavowing his support for Romneycare, he fully embraced the monstrosity, albeit on a state level.  Now, amidst the growing disquiet over the outrageous ethanol subsidies, and following Tim Pawlenty’s mea culpa on the issue, Mitt Romney is doubling down on his support for this odious subsidy.  | Read More »

Let’s Nail Democrats on Their Duplicity with Energy Subsidies

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  May 18th at 09:26 AM  | 

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”~ President Ronald Reagan Democrats (and the Maine Republicans ladies) are agog to demonize oil companies and punish them with punitive tax increases.  Their effort was defeat yesterday 52-48, but they plan to continue | Read More »

Children Of The Corn – How Ethanol Damages America!

By: Repair_Man_Jack (Diary)  |  April 11th at 09:50 AM  | 

The market for ethanol is propped up by the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), a Soviet-style production quota. Conservatives should be appalled by this reversion to Stalin-era central planning. Should taxpayers have to subsidize ethanol too? – (HT: globalwarming.org) So let’s make a deal! I’ll give you a new source of fuel that has 1/3 the energy of your gasoline. In return for that, I’ll dramatically | Read More »

The Circle of Corn-based Ethanol.

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  April 3rd at 06:30 PM  | 

It’s quite fun, for given values of “fun:” The US Government subsidizes the production of corn-based ethanol, as a substitute/supplement for gasoline. To maintain a demand, the US Government pushes for standard gasoline mixtures containing 10% ethanol.  This will supposedly decrease pollution and increase efficiency. Corn is then turned into ethanol wholesale. Corn-based food prices rise.  That includes critters that eat corn, by the way. | Read More »

On Ethanol, Conservatives Should Stand With Tom Coburn

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  March 29th at 01:44 PM  | 

Senators Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) are out to get rid of the ethanol subsidy. The subsidy was put into the tax code to make it much harder to get rid of. How much harder? Well, according to Grover Norquist, if we get rid of the ethanol subsidy, we are raising taxes. I’ve written before how Grover Norquist gets lots of money from | Read More »

The Devastation of Market Distortion is Coming Home to Roost

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  March 16th at 05:14 PM  | 

Wholesale Food Prices Highest since 74′ Food Stamps Surge in West These two headlines are quintessential examples of the perennial cycle of government intervention.  They offer a vivid portrayal of how the Democrats perfidiously inflate the price of food so that the maximum number of people will be dependent upon their food programs, thus granting them a permanent electoral constituency. Obama and the Democrat economists | Read More »

Secretary Chu’s Insidious Economics of Energy

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  March 2nd at 04:32 PM  | 

Earlier today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu reiterated his insouciance to the plight of the American consumer of oil and gas.  Chu told members of the Senate Budget Committee that there is no need to tap into the Strategic Petroleum Reserves because it will be corrected by spare world oil capacity: “we have spare capacity, we expect naturally that the market forces will take care of | Read More »

Haley Barbour and the Regressive Economics of Farm Subsidies

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  February 22nd at 09:32 PM  | 

Farm subsidies are the most popular form of corporate cronyism among many Republicans.  Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, this regressive form of ‘progressive’ market intervention garners enthusiastic support from Republican presidential contenders, especially preceding the Iowa Caucuses.  Haley Barbour is the latest potential presidential candidate to prostrate on the altar of the farm lobby and support the $20 billion fleecing of the taxpayer.  Even with the | Read More »

Hey Barack, Resign Now, and Now Means Yesterday

By: Daniel Horowitz (Diary)  |  February 7th at 10:00 PM  | 

From the diaries by Leon… While our nation languishes amidst record food and energy prices, unprecedented underemployment (including those excluded from the workforce) and economic stagnation, crippling regulations, and an administration in contempt of two court decisions, the media would rather distract us with the Islamist uprising in Egypt.  It is imperative that we keep up the pressure on Obama and the Democrats by denying | Read More »