The president spoke about energy again Thursday, saying his all-sources strategy will ensure a prosperous future:

“If we’re going to avoid being at the mercy of these world events, we’ve got to have a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.”

The president is right: A sustained strategy that uses all of America’s energy sources is the key to U.S. energy security. API President and CEO Jack Gerard:

“More oil and gas development here at home would benefit the nation. It would increase the security of our energy supplies, create jobs, boost revenue tour government and help put downward pressure on prices at the pump.”

Ah, but the president’s so-called all-of-the-above strategy actually appears to be an almost-none-of-the-a... more »

In his State of the Union message last month, President Obama staked out the administration’s position on trade, citing new deals with a number of countries around the world and the quest for new trade opportunities:

“We’re also making it easier for American businesses to sell products all over the world. Two years ago, I set a goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years. With the bipartisan trade agreements we signed into law, we’re on track to meet that goal ahead of schedule. And soon, there will be millions of new customers for American goods in Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.  … I will go anywhere in the world to open new markets for American products.”

Some in Congress apparently didn’t get the memo about new markets for American products. There’s an effort afoot to re... more »

It's said never get into an argument with folks who buy ink by the barrel, but here goes.

Another salvo has landed in what the Council on Foreign Relations' Michael Levi calls the New York Times' "war on shale gas", with Friday's article on natural gas leases, one that again shows the newspaper's tendency on this issue to push an agenda.

A brief aside. There was a journalistic dust-up last month when the Times said it no longer would use freelancer Natasha Lennard in covering Occupy Wall Street's activities because of her lack of objectivity on the movement. Lennard went on to post a piece saying she was happy not working for the Times because she felt "journalism must break the chains of objectivity and report truth. It's worth noting that the Times had no problem with Lennard's reportin... more »

Twice in the past week the administration has made decisions affecting America's energy security. Twice it has come up empty - going 0-for-2 on the Keystone XL pipeline and a new federal five-year plan for offshore leasing.

Unfortunately, it's not a game. These decisions could significantly limit access to North American resources and make our energy future less secure - while also costing jobs and growth that could generate additional revenues for government.

Certainly, deferring a decision on the Keystone XL to early 2013 is important. The administration says more time is needed for consideration - in addition to three years of review, including three separate environmental studies that determined the pipeline wouldn't pose a significant environmental risk. That's 20,000 U.S. jobs deferr... more »

The Western Energy Alliance (WEA) has a new analysis showing that oil and natural gas leasing on federal lands in the Rockies is significantly down since 2008.

How down? Using Bureau of Land Management (BLM) leasing data from 2008 through the current federal fiscal year (ending Sept. 30), WEA says the number of parcels offered has declined 70 percent. Acreage is down 81 percent and revenue 44 percent. The numbers would be worse if not for production gains in the Bakken formation in North Dakota and Montana and the Niobrara in Wyoming.

The question is, why? Answer: Lack of access to federal lands for energy development. For example, WEA says, just four parcels in Colorado have been offered for lease in 2011 and just 17 in Utah. WEA's Kathleen Sgamma:

"High value lease sales in these areas i... more »