As the nation approaches the New Year, reporters around the country are writing about the energy outlook for 2011. There are quotes from analysts predicting oil and gasoline prices; opinion leaders discussing energy policies likely to be considered by the 112th Congress; and professors explaining the relative merits of fossil fuels and alternatives.

There also are some very knowledgeable and thoughtful bloggers who have done a significant amount of research into energy issues and have provided their insights online and in print. Here are some bloggers' comments about U.S. energy policy that recently caught my eye. Read them carefully and you'll see they share a common theme:

Byron King, who wrote extensively about the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, recently turned his attention toward the gove... more »

For the past couple of years, U.S. policymakers have been debating two different ways of addressing this country's energy needs. Some politicians believe the United States should embrace the development of alternative energy resources, including wind, solar and biofuels. Others say America should focus on domestic fossil fuels because alternative energy sources are not as affordable or efficient as coal, oil and natural gas.

Which approach is the best course of action?

Marc D. Weidenmier of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research examines this question in a new study. He asserts that the recent clamor for alternative energy has been driven by record-setting crude oil prices in the summer of 2008, and he analyzes the impact of oil price spikes on the U.S. economy. Weide... more »

API President and CEO Jack Gerard yesterday sent a letter to Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar, providing the industry's thoughts and concerns about the proposed Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI). This new entity, as proposed by the government, would provide a forum for a collaborative government-industry research initiative aimed at improving the safety of U.S. offshore energy development.

In his letter, Jack reiterated the oil and natural gas industry's commitment to improving safety and told the Secretary that API has formed a task force to provide the government with feedback on the OESI proposal. First and foremost, Jack wrote in support of "a collaborative approach" to research and development (R&D) in offshore deepwater drilling safety, containment and oil spill response... more »

Do you know the definition of piling-on? It's the phenomenon that occurs when several actions or events land on your shoulders all at once. While the weight of the pile usually isn't insurmountable, it can be challenging and often makes one wonder about the motivations of those who add to the heap.

The oil and natural gas industry has been experiencing a situation in which the government seems to be engaging in piling-on. During the past several days:

• The administration announced a plan to sharply raise the fees for offshore rig and platform inspections;
• The president announced an infrastructure rebuilding program to be funded by higher taxes on the oil and natural gas industry;
• The president asked Congress to permanently cancel $50 million for a deepwater drilling research and developme... more »

Whenever this nation is confronted by a major incident such as the Gulf oil spill, opinion-leaders step forward to offer their thoughts in print and online op-ed pages. Their comments are often thought-provoking and informative.

Last week in The Los Angeles Times, for example, Jerry Taylor and Peter Van Doren of the Cato Institute lamented the "profound intellectual poverty" that is informing the current energy-policy debate, and argued that the "demand for zero environmental risk is unrealistic." They wrote:

"As long as human beings are involved in drilling (or coal mining or petrochemical refining or nuclear power operations or oil transport or natural gas delivery), accidents will happen. The environmentalists' call to flatly reject expanded offshore drilling as unacceptably risky is i... more »