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Marita Noon

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Elon Musk (Scott Olson / Getty)

SolarCity and the Silver Spoon

Having a successful business takes a lot of hard work, good market analysis, a better product or service than the competition, and advertising. Add in a bit of luck, and hopefully it will grow. If, however, you are a politically favored business—say solar—your story is different.

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GOP Energy Report Card, 2015

Last year, when Republicans gained a decisive edge in both houses of Congress, I made predictions as to the six energy-policy changes we could expect—as the two parties have very different views on energy issues.

Rally In Los Angeles Calls For Action Against Climate Change

With Paris Climate Conference Complete, What’s Next and What Does It Cost?

Recently, the Sierra Club announced an effort “to prevent the extraction of fossil fuels right from the start,” a campaign known as “Keep it in the ground.” The plan seeks to “shut down coal mines, and crack down on hydraulic fracturing, along with stopping the transportation of fossil fuels in oil trains, pipelines and coal export terminals.”

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Finding Fault with the Facts in the President’s Presentation in Paris

Paris, the City of Light, which earned its moniker by early on adapting natural gas to light its public spaces, hosts COP21 (the 21st Conference of the Parties)—often referred to as the UN Climate Change Conference—that aims to end the use of fossil fuels. There, more than 150 world leaders gathered under the guise of, supposedly, slowing the warming of the planet.

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Ethanol Loses Its Few Friends

Early in his campaign, now top-tier Republican presidential candidate, Ben Carson, supported ethanol—a position for which I called him out. It has long been thought, that to win in Iowa, a candidate must support ethanol. However, in a major policy reversal, Carson told a national audience during the CNBC GOP debate that he no longer supports subsidies for any industry, including U.S. ethanol producers.

afp-pope-francis-4

On Climate Change, Catholic Leaders Must Believe in Miracles

For the first time, “Catholic leaders representing all regional and national bishops conferences” have come together in a “joint appeal.” According to reporting in the New York Times, Cardinal Oswald Gracias, archbishop of Mumbai, India, called the October 26 meeting at the Vatican a “historic occasion.” What brought all these Catholic leaders together for the first time? Not the refugee crisis in Europe. Not the plight of Christians in the Middle East. Not a prayer meeting or a Bible study. It was climate change.

Franz von Holzhausen; Tesla Model X

Tesla’s ‘Success’ a Great Example of How Regulations Manipulate Markets

The American consumer resists marketing aimed at selling them electric and hybrid vehicles. For the first quarter of 2015, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Chevrolet sold 1,874 Volts—its electric car introduced in 2010 with “high expectations.” That roughly equals the number of Silverado pick-up trucks sold in one day.

anti-fracking campaigners

Duh: Earthquakes Not Caused by Fracking

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow gleefully teased the earthquakes in Oklahoma as “the story that might keep you up at night.” On her October 16 show, she stated that Oklahoma’s earthquakes are: “The terrible and unintended consequence of the way we get oil and gas out of the ground.… from fracking operations.” Yet, when her guest, Jeremy Boak, Oklahoma Geological Survey director, corrected her by saying “it’s not actually frackwater,” she didn’t change her tune.

Capitol at Night

Beyond the Bickering, Bill Lifting Oil-Export Ban Wins Bipartisan Support

Americans are sick of the bickering in Washington and want both parties to cooperate and get something done. Friday, October 9, offered proof that this can still happen. The house passed H.R. 702, the bill to lift the decades old oil export ban—with 26 Democrats joining the majority of Republicans and voting for it.

Sage Grouse

Five Victories for Responsible Land Use

Washington’s overreach has been rolled back by courts and commissioners. In little more than 30 days, there have been five distinct cases that you may have missed—each a victory for responsible land use.

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Oil Is Down. Gasoline Isn’t. What’s Up?

A little more than a year ago, oil prices reached above $100 a barrel. Gasoline averaged in the $3.50 range nationally. In late spring, oil appeared $60ish and the national average for gas remained around $2.70. The price of a barrel of oil has since plunged to $40 and below—yet, prices at the pump remain just slightly less than they were when oil was almost double what it is today.

solar

Obama’s Clean Power Plan: Solar Companies Win, Taxpayer’s Lose

President Obama’s Clean Power Plan, released in its final form on Monday, August 3, sparked jubilation in the solar industry. The same day, however, some other news reminded the public of what happens when government policy mandates and incentivizes a favored energy source: Taxpayer dollars are gobbled up and investors lose out.

Enrique Pena Nieto

Mexico’s Energy Reform Is Rolling, Albeit with Training Wheels

Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto reformed his country’s energy policy and invited outside intelligence and investment to boost slumping oil output. In late 2013, he amended the Constitution to allow private and foreign companies to explore and produce oil and gas in Mexico—for the first time in nearly eight decades. The amendments put an end to the government monopoly. Nieto hopes his reforms will bring in $50 billion in investment by 2018.