Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, writes:

"But what’s abundantly clear is that there are no silver bullets when it comes to this challenge. And the idea, as some in Washington have tried to suggest, that building a pipeline is the ultimate answer to the question of American energy security and job creation is nothing more than a pipe dream. The truth is that just two of the Administration’s programs – the DOE Loan Guarantee Program and the EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards – will create more than 10 times the amount of jobs generated by the Keystone XL pipeline, which will only generate a few thousand temporary jobs."

Let’s take them one at a time.

Yes, there are no silver bullets, we need a comprehensive energy policy embraci... more »

When you think about it, the Environmental Protection Agency is asking an awful lot from the country with its proposed, more restrictive standard on ozone. Underline the word "awful":

• 7.3 million U.S. jobs could be lost by 2020, according to a Manufacturers Alliance (MAPI) study.
• An additional $1 trillion in new regulatory costs per year between 2020 and 2030 again, according to the MAPI study.
• About 85 percent of the country in non-compliance with the new standard, including pristine areas like Yellowstone National Park. More below.

Here's the kicker: EPA has no real idea how the country would get in compliance. In its proposal the agency suggests new technologies will make compliance possible. Sounds like a leap of faith ... off a cliff. Howard Feldman, API's director of regulatory and... more »

Next Tuesday, the Senate is expected to debate and vote on Sen. Lisa Murkowski's resolution of disapproval to stop the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) under the Clean Air Act.

API has said repeatedly that the Clean Air Act is unsuited for regulating GHGs, and despite EPA's efforts to delay the pain of implementation through its so-called "tailoring rule," the impact on the economy and jobs could be severe.

During the past several weeks, numerous trade associations, states, labor unions, and elected officials have stated their opposition to EPA's regulation of GHGs, and bills are pending in both the House and the Senate to stop or delay EPA's plans.

Just this week another bill was introduced that would go one-step farther. It would block... more »

While members of Congress have been considering proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), the oil and natural gas industry has been investing in technologies that have reduced GHGs from its facilities and processes.

A new study, commissioned by API, found that GHG emissions from the U.S. oil and natural gas industry declined more than 48 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from 2007 to 2008, a reduction comparable to taking 9.7 million cars off the roads.

The study, "Emission Reductions Associated with U.S. Oil and Gas Industry Investments in Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Technologies"--conducted by T2 and Associates--shows that among the factors contributing to the reduction is the industry's investment of more than $58 billion in carbon mitigation technologies from 20... more »

Americans are less worried about a series of environmental problems than at any time in the past 20 years. That's the conclusion of a new Gallup poll released today. According to the poll, Americans are least concerned about global warming and most concerned about drinking water.

The poll, which was conducted by telephone in early March, shows for six of eight items the percentage of respondents who said they worry "a great deal" is the lowest point Gallup has ever measured. For all eight items, concern declined. The number of respondents who were worried about drinking water cleanliness fell from 59 to 50 percent during the past year. The number who were worried about climate declined from 33 to 28 percent.

Gallup attributes the decline to the fact that Americans "perceive environmental... more »