Calling it "an annual rite of spring," Energy In Depth (EID) debunks the latest Cornell "study" on emissions from shale gas development. Although the study got the attention of The New York Times and other major publications, EID points out on its blog that this isn't the first time that Cornell University Professor Robert Howarth has issued studies or abstracts alleging that shale gas production, especially the process of hydraulic fracturing, emits more methane than previously thought. His goal: casting a pall on the environmental benefits of using clean-burning natural gas.

As EID reports, last year Howarth withdrew his initial two-page abstract after calculation errors were found. This year he's at it again with some of his colleagues and has fed information to some major U.S. newspape... more »

In today's episode, I interview the American Council for Capital Formation's Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, Margo Thorning about the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulations aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

Use the audio player below to listen to information about the article and follow along with the show notes. I hope you find the podcast informative.

00:12 Starting on January 1st this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency began phasing in regulations that are aimed at reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources. Those sources include hospitals, power plants, refineries and other facilities. But now serious questions are being raised about whether these regulations make sense... more »

In another example of overreaching, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have joined forces to produce the first ever greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and fuel economy standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses.

The two agencies say the new proposed rules will generate $41 billion in net savings, reduce GHG emissions by 250 million tons, and lower oil imports by 500 million with the introduction and use of 2014-2018 model year vehicles. But will they really do that?

No, says blogger Marlo Lewis at MasterResource. He crunched the EPA's own numbers and arrived at a very different conclusion:

"Although the ostensible objective of the rule is to reduce GHG emissions and oil imports, the overwhelming share of the claimed benefits... more »

The staff at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a whip snapping at its heels. For more than a decade now, the agency has been developing and refining its methodology for a "top down" inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the United States based on macroeconomic information. With that, the agency's career professionals have been rushing for the past two years to establish a "bottoms up" process for inventorying GHGs, including carbon dioxide and methane, and have ordered large and small facilities all over the country to collect emissions data and file reports.

If you thought the government already had a good handle on the GHG emissions generated in the United States, you'd be mistaken. The fact is, this reporting rule is designed to gather detailed emissions data to inf... more »

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plan to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is being challenged in court--again. The most recent suit was filed Thursday by more than 90 companies and trade associations which are questioning the EPA's finding that GHGs endanger public health.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the suit alleges that "EPA violated its statutory duty" and made a "sweeping judgment" about carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions without independent scientific review. Additionally:

• Politico reports that the White House is stalling the release of EPA's guidance on how large companies including refiners and power plants are supposed to reduce GHG emissions. According to the report, some officials want to cap the costs on pollution controls against EPA's will.
• A report... more »