June 2011 Archives

Was President Obama right or wrong in his decision to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?

Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced last week the U.S. government, in coordination with other member countries of the International Energy Agency, was releasing oil reserves to relieve pressure on the global oil market. The United States is releasing 30 million barrels of oil from the SPR, which is roughly 5 percent of the total reserve. Administration officials said they would consider whether more oil should be released in a month. This is only the third time an administration has tapped the SPR since it was created in 1973 in response to the Arab oil embargo. The other two times were in response to a war and natural disaster.

What precedent is this administration setting by tapping into the reserves at a time of ongoing unrest in the Middle East and seemingly sustained high oil prices? What does this say for the nation's energy policy overall? Should it provide more impetus to wean the United States off foreign oil and to other sources of energy? Should it be a sign that the administration needs to invest in more domestic oil and gas drilling?

12 responses: Amy Harder, Jan Mueller, David Kreutzer, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., Barry Russell, Robbie Diamond, Carl Pope, Brent Erickson, Kathleen Sgamma, David Holt, Charles Drevna, William O'Keefe

After the Senate's rebuke of ethanol subsidies last week, sacred energy cows appear to be no more.

The Senate voted on Thursday to immediately repeal $5.4 billion worth of ethanol subsidies. It was largely a symbolic vote that shows Washington's appetite for subsidized energy is diminishing in the face of budget constraints and tea party sway. In the wake of that vote, ethanol proponents are ramping up negotiations to reform the industry's federal support. Democrats are calling on Republicans to put oil and gas tax breaks on the table for deficit-reduction negotiations. Republicans, meanwhile, want renewable-energy subsidies eliminated. It appears no sector is safe anymore. Proposals to subsidize other forms of energy, like natural gas-powered trucks and electric cars, face an uncertain future.

What implications does last week's vote on ethanol subsidies have on the ethanol industry in particular and for the larger energy sector? What energy subsidies should Congress consider as part of the overall budget deal? Do proposals for new energy subsidies stand a chance at passage?

13 responses: Mark Muro, Kenneth Berlin, Margo Thorning, Gary Fazzino, Richard Revesz, Jonathan H. Adler, Bill Meadows, Amy Harder, Bill Dickenson, Daniel Gatti, Brent Erickson, Conrad Schneider, William O'Keefe

Should President Obama restart the nuclear waste repository site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada?

The administration is standing firm in its 2009 decision to yank funding for Yucca Mountain and look for another solution to store America' nuclear waste for the long term. But bipartisan criticism of the factors that went into the decision is growing. A House subcommittee holds a hearing this week to examine a Nuclear Regulatory Commission Inspector General report submitted to Congress and the commission last week.

Should the administration reverse course on Yucca Mountain? Is that even possible at this stage of dismantling the project? What are alternatives for storing America's long-term nuclear waste? What does the fight over Yucca Mountain mean for the nuclear industry's future in the United States? What are the environmental and safety concerns that Obama's blue-ribbon commission on nuclear waste should consider as it prepares to release its interim report next month?

10 responses: Steve Bolze, Paul Sullivan, Carl Pope, Amy Harder, Amy Harder, Chuck Gray, Marvin Fertel, Victor Gilinsky, Amy Harder, William O'Keefe

In light of the Obama administration's ongoing review of federal regulations, should the Environmental Protection Agency delay the various clean-air regulations that it's rolling out now?

EPA is in the process of drafting and finalizing several significant sets of standards to control air pollution from power plants, manufacturing plants, oil refineries, and industrial boilers. Multiple sources told National Journal last week that EPA was looking to delay proposing greenhouse-gas standards for power plants and oil refineries, the most politically contested set of rules at the agency now. EPA has already said it would indefinitely delay mercury standards for boilers.

What factors should EPA consider when deciding whether to delay a set of standards and deciding the length of the delay? What signal do the delays send to Congress? What influence will the 2012 presidential and congressional election cycle have on EPA issuing its regulations?

11 responses: Lance Brown, Richard Revesz, Michael Bradley, Amy Harder, Michael Brune, Phil Kerpen, Frank O’Donnell, Fred Krupp, Charles Drevna, Bill Snape, William O'Keefe