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Scientists Create Ethanol From Hydrogen They Created From Ethanol

Alas, today I had intended to put up my book review of Amanda Little’s book Power Trip, but I left the book on my desk in the office and I need to review some notes first. So that should be posted for my Thursday column. If you haven’t noticed, I...

Posted May 31, 2011    

Air Force Says Biomass-Based Jet Fuel is 10 Times the Cost of JP-8

Just over a year ago, I wrote an article called Is Camelina the Next Jatropha? If you recall, a few years ago jatropha was all the rage. It could grow in marginal soil, didn’t need much water, and could provide fuel that didn’t compete with food....

Posted May 26, 2011    

Democrats and Energy Policy

An Energy Epiphany I have often thought that if all domestic oil production and refining ceased in this country for a month, we would see an energy epiphany in the U.S. the likes of which we have never seen. Such an event would really drive home...

Posted May 23, 2011    

Beyond Emission Pricing – a Renewables Revolution in the True Sense

The following guest essay was written by Dr. Felix Mormann from Stanford Law School. Dr. Felix’s research focuses on the regulatory and policy challenges of climate change mitigation through sustainable energy solutions. Previously, Dr. Felix...

Posted May 19, 2011    

Analysis Requested by Senate Democrats Highlights the Risks of Their Energy Proposals

This essay highlights the reason I loathe politics. Here I present a case in which politicians present a partial story and withhold key findings in order to push a specific agenda. But their trump card is that if things don’t go as planned they can...

Posted May 16, 2011    

It’s Time for Obama to Spook the Oil Markets

The following guest post is from OilPrice.com. (Readers know my feelings about using the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to fight high oil prices). ———————————— It’s Time for Obama to Spook the Oil Markets The fate of the Obama presidency hangs not on...

Posted May 9, 2011    

How Much is Oil Worth?

The reason that oil company profits are so volatile is that sometimes the price of oil becomes pretty disconnected from the cost to produce it and convert it into finished products. This is because oil is a globally traded commodity, and like other...

Posted May 5, 2011    

Getting Even With ExxonMobil

It is no secret that consumers are suffering from very high gasoline prices. And as a result of these high prices, ExxonMobil just reported a first-quarter profit of $10.7 billion — 69 percent higher than a year ago.  The national level of...

Posted May 3, 2011    

Breaking Down Gas Prices for Whoopi Goldberg

 Introducing the “Energy Ticker” There has been a lot of important energy news this week; in fact so much that I could hardly hope to cover it all. Due to the volume of new energy stories every day, we at Consumer Energy Report have instituted...

Posted April 28, 2011    

The Witch-Hunt Begins as Gas Prices Continue to Climb

 The Usual Suspects  Summer is approaching, and that typically means rising gas prices. And when gas prices rise, our political leaders generally start looking around for someone to blame. Over the past few years it has become a regular...

Posted April 25, 2011    

I Can’t Take Donald Trump Seriously

I am constantly amused by the views of presidential candidates on energy policy. Their views are either so disingenuous or so naive that I often find it difficult to vote for a candidate. In the 2008 election, I could have voted for Barack Obama,...

Posted April 21, 2011    

‘Price Signal’ can be a Weapon for Managing Higher Gas Prices

The Steep Cost of Sudden Price Spikes One of my recent essays discussed the relationship between high oil prices and recession. Consumers who suddenly find themselves paying more for fuel are hit with the equivalent of a stealth tax, leaving less...

Posted April 18, 2011