Country’s First ‘Enhanced’ Geothermal Plant Comes Online

Enhanced geothermal electricity is now a reality in the United States. Late last month marked a new breakthrough in next-generation clean energy technology. Fervo Energy, a Houston-based geothermal project developer, announced that its first commercial “enhanced” geothermal plant went online and began producing usable electricity in Nevada. According to a Canary Media report: A next-generation geothermal […]

Gas is Dead. Long Live Gas!

Natural gas is one of the go-to bogeymen for many climate hawks. This is despite the remarkable economic and climate contributions of natural gas over the last decade or so. As such, activists and policymakers have made a concerted effort over the last few years to begin constraining the industry and phasing out the fuel’s […]

Podesta emails: Fracking ban is ‘an extreme position’

This might be news to the “keep it in the ground” folks, but you aren’t on the Clinton campaign radar, according to recently released Podesta emails. Just prior to Super Tuesday, Democrat presidential candidate Bernie Sanders released an ad in Colorado last saying he is “the only candidate to oppose fracking,” which prompted this response […]

Anti-fracking ballot measures’ failure is a win for Colorado, but it’s only temporary

The announcement today by the Colorado Secretary of State’s office that Initiatives 75 and 78, two anti-energy measures targeting hydraulic fracturing and oil and gas natural resource development and endangering property rights throughout the state failed to gather sufficient signatures to make the November ballot, was certainly welcome news for us at the Independence Institute’s […]

Update on the BLM’s fracking regulations: White House response

By John Knetemann Last Wednesday, an Obama-appointed Federal judge rejected the Bureau of Land Management’s new regulations on hydraulic fracturing. During a press briefing at the White House, the first question asked was on this ruling. Press Secretary Josh Earnest responded with the following: Well, my understanding is that this is something that will be […]

Smack down: Bureau of Land Management fracking regulations rejected

By John Knetemann All the Bureau of Land Management has is a hammer, and everything to them is a nail. Today, Wyoming federal judge Scott Skavdahl rejected the Bureau of Land Management’s new fracking rules published under the name “Oil and Gas; Hydraulic Fracturing on Federal and Indian Lands.” According to the Bureau of Land […]

May 2 Colorado Energy Cheat Sheet: Supreme Court rules on fracking bans; ALA report on ozone misleading; some officials want all the regulations

Craig Power Station in Craig, Colorado The Colorado Supreme Court’s long-awaited ruling on local fracking bans and moratoria has upheld long standing precedent: The Colorado Supreme Court today upheld decades of state law that places authority over hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, squarely in the hands of state officials. The court ruled in a pair of […]

February 18 Colorado Energy Cheat Sheet: Costly Clean Power Plan event video; EPA Animas River spill gets Congressional scrutiny; fracking ban off 2016 ballot

The Independence Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute joined forces on February 16 in Denver to provide an update on the Environmental Protection Agency’s costly Clean Power Plan, including where the rule stands with regard to the U.S. Supreme Court stay issued earlier in February, as well as the impact of the death of Associate […]

January 13 Colorado Energy Cheat Sheet: Oil and gas drive Colorado's economy, but outlook uncertain; Western Slope feels effects of regulation; WOTUS repeal?

Oil and gas development contributes a rather large percentage to Colorado’s economic condition, and new numbers confirm its continued importance to the state: A new economic report shows that oil and gas development contributed billions to Colorado’s economy in 2014 generating benefits that researchers conclude “impact every citizen in the state.” Prepared by the Business […]

January 13 Colorado Energy Cheat Sheet: Oil and gas drive Colorado’s economy, but outlook uncertain; Western Slope feels effects of regulation; WOTUS repeal?

Oil and gas development contributes a rather large percentage to Colorado’s economic condition, and new numbers confirm its continued importance to the state: A new economic report shows that oil and gas development contributed billions to Colorado’s economy in 2014 generating benefits that researchers conclude “impact every citizen in the state.” Prepared by the Business […]

December 30 Colorado Energy Cheat Sheet: the anti-fracking force awakens; EPA receives a lump of coal in its budgetary stocking; pot is not green

Theeeeeeey’re baaaaaack! As promised, the anti-energy, anti-fracking folks have delivered nearly a dozen ballot initiatives that focus on either banning hydraulic fracturing altogether or a host of other setback measures. The group has cleverly dubbed themselves Coloradans Resisting Extreme Energy Development, or CREED, likely to inspire confusion among voters who might be only familiar with […]