Department of Energy Archives - The Virginia Star

GOP Reps to Grill Top Biden Officials on Natural Gas Exports Pause

November 29, 2024 Admin

The House Oversight and Accountability Committee is bringing in top Biden administration energy officials for a Dec. 4 hearing on the administration’s decision to pause approvals for certain new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities.

Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon, a Republican from Texas, will be hosting the hearing, to which senior Department of Energy (DOE) official Brad Crabtree and top Biden climate adviser John Podesta have been invited. The hearing will be a continuation of oversight into one of the Biden administration’s most aggressive policy moves against conventional energy, and the lawmakers intend to inquire about allegations that the DOE effectively buried a 2023 draft study that would have undermined the justification for the pause before officially announcing the freeze in January 2024.

Lame Duck Biden-Harris Admin Working to Undermine Incoming Trump Energy Agenda After Kamala’s Loss

November 9, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

The lame duck Biden-Harris administration is already working to undermine the energy agenda of President-elect Donald Trump after he handed Vice President Kamala Harris a crushing loss in Tuesday’s election.

Less than 48 hours after Trump won decisive Electoral College and popular vote victories, federal agencies are moving to interfere with Trump’s plans to expand and unfreeze approvals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and to drill for more oil and gas on American lands, according to Bloomberg News and CNN. The Biden-Harris administration paused approvals for LNG export hubs in January and took numerous actions to restrict energy production on government-controlled lands, and Trump campaigned hard against those policies leading into November.

Ford Ditching Plans for Electric Vehicle SUV as Market Struggles Continue

August 22, 2024 Daily Caller News Foundation

Ford said Wednesday that it is canceling its plans to build a three-row electric SUV as the wider U.S. electric vehicle (EV) market continues to struggle.

The company announced that it expects to take up to $1.9 billion in write downs and other special charges related to its decision after losing billions of dollars on its EV product line in 2023. In addition to canceling its three-row electric SUV, Ford is also pushing back its plans to roll out an electric pickup truck model until 2027, a one-year setback.

Biden Energy Department’s Claim It Replenished Strategic Petroleum Reserve Misleading, Expert Says

August 12, 2024 Just the News

When the Department of Energy announced that it had successfully replenished the nation’s stockpile with the total purchased volume of 40 million barrels, the announcement had some people scratching their heads.

The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), as the stockpile is called, contained over 630 million barrels of crude oil when President Biden took office in January 2021. Last week, it had less than 376 million barrels. How did the DOE refill the SPR with only 40 million barrels?

Biden Admin Cuts Another Huge Check for Automakers to Go Electric as Electric Vehicle Market Struggles

July 12, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration announced Thursday that it is spending billions of dollars more to help automakers mass-produce electric vehicles (EVs).

The Department of Energy (DOE) is spending $1.7 billion to help manufacturers convert closed or struggling manufacturing facilities to produce EVs or EV components in eight states, including swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia, as the American EV market struggles. The funding complements $12 billion the DOE unveiled in August 2023 to help major manufacturers retrofit plants for EV production, and the agency projects that the cash announced Thursday will allow for the retention of 15,000 union workers while creating nearly 3,000 jobs.

Commentary: The Federal Government Loses More Money than Could Ever Be Accounted For

July 3, 2024 RealClearWire

Not long after Jeremy Gober started running a sleep center, he quit treating patients for narcolepsy and sleep apnea and went full-time submitting bogus insurance claims. According to Gober’s 2022 indictment, he committed at least one especially sloppy error: One of his make-believe billings included a Medicare claim for treatment in March 2018 for a patient who’d died in December 2017. Before Gober was caught, Medicare and California’s healthcare system, Medi-Cal, ended up paying him a total of $587,000 for claims that turned out to be fiction.

The payments to Gober were part of $260 million the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spent from 2009 through 2019 to reimburse healthcare providers in 15 states and Puerto Rico for services to patients who were dead, according to the inspector general of the HHS, which administers Medicare and Medicaid — programs with combined expenditures of $1.7 trillion.

Biden Admin Contracts 1 Million Barrels from Emergency Gasoline Stockpile to ‘Lower Prices’ Ahead of July 4th

July 2, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration is selling off a million barrels of gasoline from an emergency reserve in a deliberate effort to cut prices ahead of the upcoming holiday weekend.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it has awarded contracts to five energy companies to purchase the barrels the administration is releasing from the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve (NGSR), which is part of the federal Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) system. The NGSR releases are intended to “help lower gas prices ahead of the Fourth of July holiday,” according to DOE.

‘Incompetence’: Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Much Money It Sent to Chinese Entities for Risky Virus Research

June 22, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The Department of Defense (DOD) does not know how much money it directly or indirectly sent to Chinese entities to conduct research on viruses with pandemic potential, according to a new report by the DOD’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).

The OIG’s report found that DOD has supplied Chinese entities — whether directly or indirectly via subgrants — with taxpayer cash to research pathogens and the enhancement thereof, but the exact figure is unknown because of “limitations” in the DOD’s internal tracking system. Government funding for such research in China has come under scrutiny since the coronavirus pandemic, which multiple government entities believe started when an engineered virus leaked from a Chinese laboratory that was hosting U.S. government-backed gain-of-function research.

Biden Administration is Mandating Heat Pump Water Heaters, but Contractors Report Big Problems

June 11, 2024 Just the News

Rheem Heat Pump Water Heater being installed by workmen

In April, the Biden administration finalized efficiency standards for residential water heaters, as part of a broader climate goal of electrifying the American household.

The Department of Energy estimates that, under the new rules, 50 percent of newly manufactured electric storage water heaters will utilize heat pump technology to be in compliance. The standards go into effect beginning in 2029.

Dozens of Energy Orgs Ask Congress to Kill Bill They Say Would ‘Inevitably’ Lead to Carbon Taxes

June 4, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

Dozens of energy policy and advocacy groups signed a Monday letter to Congress to express their opposition to a bill they say could be the first step toward carbon taxes or tariffs.

The letter urges House lawmakers to vote against the PROVE IT Act, a bill that has not yet been introduced in the lower chamber but is expected to be soon. The PROVE IT Act — which has already been introduced in the Senate — would have the Department of Energy (DOE) study the carbon intensity of goods, including aluminum, steel, plastic and crude oil, produced in the U.S. and the carbon intensity of products from other countries, according to E&E News.

Commentary: Joe Biden’s Dangerous Natural Gas Game

June 2, 2024 RealClearWire

If the devil is in the details, bureaucracy is hell on earth. Though terrain familiar to the Biden administration, Republicans must prepare to navigate it.

Witness the debacle over liquefied natural gas exports, wherein the White House, by “pausing” most new approvals, has catapulted the energy security of key U.S. allies straight into the buzzsaw of its climate ambitions. (The category of exports that will continue to be authorized is tiny.) The Department of Energy claims that a multifactor impact study due in early 2025 is required to determine whether and how the moratorium will be lifted.

Biden Environmental Agenda Under Fire for Increasing Costs for Americans

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 The Center Square

The Biden administration’s energy policies are increasingly costly for Americans, a newly released report says.

U.S. House Oversight Committee Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., released the report, which argues Biden’s energy policies have increased costs for Americans and hurt the economy.

Lawmakers to Grill Biden’s Energy Secretary Over Energy Costs, Regulations

May 20, 2024 The Center Square

Lawmakers will grill President Joe Biden’s Energy Secretary at a newly announced oversight hearing scheduled for Thursday.

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm is expected to face lawmakers for questions amid elevated gas prices, a depleted strategic petroleum reserve, and ongoing criticism of Biden’s energy policies.

Taxpayer-Funded Research Investigated How ‘Populist’ Politicians Spread ‘Misinformation’ During COVID-19 Pandemic

May 13, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

The federal government funded a multilateral research project investigating how “populist” politicians allegedly sowed disinformation and eroded public trust during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) paid out a grant to support research investigating “how populist politicians distorted COVID-19 pandemic health communication to encourage polarized attitudes and distrust among citizens,” which made the public “more vulnerable to misinformation generally,” according to federal spending records. The project, titled “Pandemic Communication in Times of Populism,” received just over $160,000 from the NSF and is focused on how leaders in the United States, Brazil, Serbia and Poland approached the pandemic, stressing the importance of elevating public health experts over “populist” politicians, according to a presentation produced by the researchers.

Media Trumpet Study Finding Gas Stoves Impact Health While Ignoring Studies with Different Results

May 9, 2024 Just the News

Stanford researchers recently claimed to have found a link between childhood respiratory illnesses and the use of gas stoves.

The study, which was reported last week across multiple national news outlets, posed an interesting contrast to a study in February funded by the World Health Organization and published in The Lancet that found no such link and appeared to received no mention in any such outlet.

16 States Sue Biden Admin over Natural Gas Exports Approval Pause

March 24, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

A coalition of 16 states is suing the Biden administration over its January decision to pause approvals for new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export hubs.

The lawsuit, which names President Joe Biden, the Department of Energy (DOE) and high-ranking DOE officials as defendants, seeks declaratory and injunctive relief from the pause, which the White House announced on Jan. 26 to give the DOE time to assess the climate impacts of new LNG export capacity. The states filed their challenge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, alleging that the federal government broke the law by broadly denying relevant permits.

American Billionaires Bankrolled Activist Crusade Against Natural Gas Hubs Before Biden Signed Off on Approval Pause

February 9, 2024 Virginia Star Staff

American billionaires bankrolled an activist campaign targeting liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals that influenced the White House’s decision to pause new and pending approvals for the projects, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The philanthropic organizations of the Rockefeller family and Democratic megadonor Michael Bloomberg cumulatively provided millions of dollars to activists who pressured Biden administration officials to crack down on LNG export hubs over the past several years, according to the WSJ. The activists ultimately got their way on Jan. 26, when the White House announced that the administration would pause new project approvals as the Department of Energy (DOE) widens the scope of its reviews to include climate impacts of LNG export terminals alongside considerations like national security and economic benefits.

Court Blocks Biden Effort to Tighten Regulations on Washing Machines, Dishwashers

January 11, 2024 The Center Square

The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals pushed back on a Biden administration effort to tighten regulations on dishwashers and washing machines.

In 2022, President Joe Biden issued an executive order on his first day in office that led to the Department of Energy replacing a less strict Trump-era rule on those appliances with a more stringent rule for energy and water use.

Natural Gas Industry Files Legal Challenge Against DOE Rules Targeting Gas Furnaces

December 20, 2023 Just the News

The U.S. natural gas industry is pushing back against the Biden administration’s regulations targeting gas-powered residential furnaces.

Biden-Favored EV Bus Maker Proterra Goes Bust and Leaves a Trail of Broken and Irreparable Buses

December 9, 2023 Just the News

Across the country, towns and cities of various sizes envisioned an electrified public transit system that could shuttle residents with vehicles that produced no carbon-filled exhaust.

Many of those communities purchased buses from Silicon Valley-based Proterra, which was able to produce 550 buses over its 19-year existence before it went bankrupt in August.

Biden Administration Gave Loan of $3 Billion to Solar Company Facing Scamming Accusations

November 28, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden Administration’s Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a loan of $3 billion to a solar company that has been accused of scamming elderly customers, including customers with dementia.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, the scam by the company Sunnova Energy involved forcing elderly and dementia-afflicted customers into signing five-figure, multi-decade solar panel leases on their deathbeds. One such account was given by Texas resident Terry Blythe, who said that her 86-year-old father had been convinced by a door-to-door salesman for the company to sign a 25-year solar panel lease back in 2020. Upon her father’s death earlier this year, Blythe was stuck with the $34,000 contract herself.

Commentary: Biden Administration Now Wants to Ban Furnaces

October 7, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

In an attempt to force Americans to conserve energy, the Department of Energy is banning a whole class of popular furnaces, eventually raising heating costs and reducing product choices for families and businesses alike. And it is using an outdated law to give itself the authority to do so.

While the DOE did recognize many of the comments that I submitted arguing against its attempt to regulate gas furnaces, it did little more than brush them off. Unfortunately, higher costs and less choice won’t be so easy for American families and businesses to ignore.

Energy Sector Sees 88 Percent Increase in ‘Nonbinary’ Workers from Last Year

September 3, 2023 Just the News

The number of people who identify as “nonbinary” in the energy workforce has skyrocketed by more than 88% since last year, according to data from the Department of Energy.

The agency’s annual employment report (USEER), showed that last year, there were 22,723 individuals in the energy workforce who don’t identify as male or female (nonbinary). As of June 2023, that number had increased to 42,810—an 88.4% surge.

Biden Admin to Spend $1.2 Billion on Carbon Removal Tech That Might Not Work

August 14, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration announced Friday that it will spend up to $1.2 billion to fund two direct air capture (DAC) carbon removal projects, according to the Department of Energy (DOE), a technology which some reports have suggested may be an ineffective tool to counter climate change.

These projects in Louisiana and Texas will essentially be large vacuums that suck up carbon dioxide from the air, separate it with chemical processing and then condense the carbon dioxide for burial underground or for use in industrial products like cement, according to a DOE press release. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has promoted this particular form of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology, but DAC emits more carbon dioxide than it captures while relying on toxic chemicals, according to a January report from Food and Water Watch, a climate-focused nonprofit group that advocates for green policies.

Commentary: The Biden Admin Has a Bad Regulation for Every Room in Your House

August 7, 2023August 6, 2023 Admin

This year began with federal regulators targeting gas stoves, but we have since seen a host of other proposals going after washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, ceiling fans, water heaters, and others. They are all part of the Biden administration’s prioritization of the climate change agenda over the interests of consumers. Each runs the risk of boosting appliance prices, limiting choice, and compromising performance. And cumulatively, they add up to substantial headaches for homeowners that will only grow in the years ahead.

It Could Take ‘Decades’ to Refill America’s Oil Reserves Drained by Biden, Experts Say

July 17, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

It may take decades to refill the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve (SPR) after President Joe Biden released unprecedented amounts from its supply in 2022, according to Bloomberg News.

Aging infrastructure, higher oil prices and budget constraints have impeded the administration’s efforts to substantially replenish the SPR after Biden tapped its supply to tame spiking energy prices in the lead up to the 2022 midterms, according to Bloomberg. The massive underground salt caverns that hold the SPR oil now sit half-empty with no easy route to replenishment, and experts say it could take decades to refill the reserves, according to Bloomberg.

Commentary: Biden’s Latest Green Energy Scheme

July 12, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

In a move eerily reminiscent of the failed Solyndra, President Joe Biden’s Department of Energy has doled out massive loans in green energy initiatives to corporations.

Remember Solyndra? Way back in 2009, the administration of Barack Obama, newly inaugurated and stoked with the ideological fire of environmental zeal, greenlit a $535 million loan guarantee to a company by that name to mass produce easy-to-install cylindrical solar units.

Biden Admin Pulls the Plug on $200 Million Grant to China-Backed EV Battery Maker

May 24, 2023 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration has decided against offering a $200 million grant to a lithium battery-maker that has been heavily criticized for its close ties to China.

The Department of Energy (DOE) had selected electric battery maker Microvast as one of its intended recipients to receive grant funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. However, the DOE confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation that it was no longer in negotiations with Microvast concerning the grant, which would have been used to develop an electric vehicle battery production facility for General Motors, according to Reuters.

Dishwashers Join Growing List of Home Appliances Targeted by Biden Climate Warriors

May 15, 2023May 15, 2023 Just the News

Last week, President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) announced “Congressionally-mandated proposed standards” for household dishwashers.

In announcing the proposed dishwasher restrictions for Americans, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration is “using all of the tools” available to “reduce carbon pollution and combat the climate crisis.”

Commentary: In Biden’s America, There Are No More Gas Stoves

April 11, 2023 RealClearWire

On February 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) proposed an “energy efficiency standard” for gas cooking products. For those who are unaware, this is a blatant backdoor attempt to ban gas appliances—at least half of gas stove models sold in the United States today would not comply with this regulation according to DOE. The American people deserve answers to stop this draconian measure that would be detrimental for families, small businesses, and rural communities across our nation.

Bill Aims to Protect American Sovereignty Against World Health Organization’s Pandemic Plan

March 8, 2023 M.D. Kittle

As negations move forward on an international pandemic treaty, Republican House members are pushing a bill that would check the pandemic powers of the World Health Organization.

U.S. Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI-07) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) joined a dozen of their Republican colleagues in introducing the No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act.

Critics Blast Biden After Federal Report Shows Killing Keystone Pipeline Cost Thousands of Jobs

January 7, 2023January 6, 2023 The Center Square

The Biden administration has drawn fire for admitting that killing the Keystone Pipeline cost the U.S. economy thousands of jobs and billions of dollars.

A report from the Department of Energy showed the pipeline would have supported tens of thousands of jobs, though the number is hard to nail down.

Department of Energy Fires Gender Fluid Nuclear Official amid Luggage Theft Charges: Reports

December 13, 2022 Just the News

The Department of Energy has fired Sam Brinton, thought to be the nation’s first openly gender fluid federal employee, amid multiple allegations of luggage theft.

“Sam Brinton is no longer a DOE employee,” a department spokesperson told the Daily Beast on Monday. “By law, the Department of Energy cannot comment further on personnel matters.”

U.S. Officials Set to Announce Fusion Energy Breakthrough: Report

December 13, 2022December 12, 2022 Admin

U.S. government scientists have recently managed to make significant progress toward successfully utilizing fusion energy, according to The Financial Times.

Scientists at the federal Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California managed to create net energy gain via a fusion reaction in the past two weeks, the FT reported Sunday, citing three people with knowledge of the experiment. Researchers have been attempting to produce more energy than they burn during fusion reactions, which power the sun, for 70 years; however, no reaction has produced more energy than it burns until now.

Commentary: Biden Administration Seeks to Triple the Budget of Government Assistance Program Filled with Fraud

August 31, 2022August 30, 2022 RealClearWire

Alarm bells are sounding at the Department of Energy as the Biden administration has moved to triple the budget for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which provides low-income applicants with free home and apartment renovations, such as insulation, duct-sealing, new heating systems, and kitchen appliances. The last time the program was lavished with such a surge in funds, through President Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill, audits and investigations uncovered a pattern of fraud, embezzlement, shoddy work, inflated expenses for parts and materials, sketchy billing, kickbacks, and gimcrack construction.

Wittman Introduces Bill to Ban Sale of Strategic Petroleum Reserve Oil to China, Iran, and North Korea

July 29, 2022July 28, 2022 Eric Burk

Amid the Biden administration’s plans to sell historic amounts of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Representative Rob Wittman (R-VA-01) has introduced the “No Oil for CCP Act.” The bill specifically bans exporting SPR oil to China, North Korea, Iran, or recipients under the influence of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Following reports that the Department of Energy sold nearly 1 million barrels of Strategic Petroleum Oil to a Chinese owned petrochemical company, I sounded the alarm on the implications this would have on our economy and national security. By prohibiting the sale of petroleum products to China, Chinese controlled companies, Iran, or North Korea, the No Oil for CCP Act would provide much needed oversight and increased security. Any transfer of the United States’ SPR’s oil to China – or other foreign adversaries – must stop. I look forward to advocating for this legislation and holding this Administration accountable,” Wittman said in a Wednesday press release.

Biden Reboots Obama-Era Green Energy Loan Program That Funded Solyndra and Cost Taxpayers Billions

June 14, 2022June 13, 2022 Admin

The Biden administration has rebooted the Energy Department’s green loan program that lent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars in the Obama-era to the now-defunct green energy company, Solyndra, according to an announcement.

The Advanced Clean Energy Storage project in Utah will receive the loan, leaving $2.5 billion for other clean energy projects, the Department of Energy (DOE) stated Wednesday.

Biden Copies Trump Proposal to Refill Oil Reserves – and Spends Way More Doing It

May 10, 2022May 9, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

The Biden administration announced plans Thursday to refill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) two years after Democrats blocked the Trump administration’s similar, but cheaper proposal.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said it would initiate a long-term SPR replenishment plan involving a purchase of 60 million barrels of oil that would likely occur in 2023, according to the announcement. President Joe Biden has ordered a 50-million-barrel SPR release in November, a 30-million-barrel release on March 1 and a 180-million-barrel release on March 31 to combat rising gasoline prices.

Oil Hits 11-Year High as Big Oil Dumps Russia, White House Mulls Energy Sanctions

March 3, 2022March 2, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

The price of crude oil touched its highest level in nearly 11 years on Wednesday amid the ongoing Ukraine crisis which has roiled energy markets.

The WTI index, the U.S. benchmark index, surged to $112.09 per barrel, its highest level since May 2011, early Wednesday before receding near $108 per barrel, marketplace data showed. The global Brent crude benchmark approached $114 per barrel then dropped below $111 a barrel.

Top Republican Pushes Probes Into Biden Administration Ties to Green Energy Interests

February 7, 2022February 6, 2022 Virginia Star Staff

The top House Republican on a key oversight subcommittee has pushed a series of conflict-of-interest probes into the Biden administration over its ties to the renewable energy industry.

Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, the ranking member on the Oversight Subcommittee on Environment, has probed leadership in the White House, Department of Energy (DOE) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), demanding accountability for potential conflicts of interests since President Joe Biden took office more than a year ago. While committee Democrats haven’t cooperated with the investigations, Norman and Oversight Ranking Member James Comer have forged ahead.

“The people in the administrations have no regard for the office that they hold,” Norman told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an interview.

Department of Energy to Release Millions of Barrels of Oil From Reserve to Combat Surging Gas Prices

January 27, 2022 Admin

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Tuesday the release of millions of barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to combat soaring gas prices.

The DOE approved the release of 13.4 million barrels from its SPR, marking the second-largest exchange from the reserve and bringing the total amount of oil released from the cache to almost 40 million barrels.

Exchange contracts for the released oil have were awarded to seven companies. President Joe Biden authorized a plan in November 2021 to release 50 million barrels of crude oil from the SPR in a coordinated effort with China, India, Japan, South Korea and the U.K. to combat surging gas prices and assist in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery.

Energy Department to Recruit Workers to ‘Fight Climate Change’ in Largest Expansion Since 1977

January 16, 2022 Admin

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced Thursday that it would begin hiring 1,000 employees for its so-called Clean Energy Corps which will be tasked with fighting climate change.

The new climate unit will be composed of both current DOE employees and the 1,000 recruits, according to the announcement. The Clean Energy Corps was created by the recently-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill, which appropriated $62 billion to the DOE for accelerating the nation’s transition to renewables.

“This is an open call for all Americans who are passionate about taking a proactive role in tackling the climate crisis and want to join the team that is best positioned to lead this transformative work,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a message to applicants.

Dozens of Republicans Slam Biden Administration for Considering Crude Oil Export Ban

December 6, 2021December 5, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Texas Rep. August Pfluger and Congressman Roger Williams

A large group of House Republicans penned a letter to top Biden administration officials Friday, urging them not to ban U.S. crude oil exports.

The GOP lawmakers, led by Texas Reps. Roger Williams and August Pfluger, said the move would be a “catastrophic mistake” and further exacerbate high energy prices in the letter addressed to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. The congressmen noted that a previous crude oil export ban had been opposed by Democrats and Republicans alike.

“President Biden’s war on American energy continues with his Administration’s latest discussions to reinstate the export ban on crude oil, which was repealed in 2015 on a bipartisan vote,” Williams said in a statement.

Analysis: Many Environmentalists Oppose Nuclear Energy Despite Its Reliability, Carbon-Free Footprint

November 15, 2021November 14, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Expanding U.S. nuclear power — an energy source that many environmentalists and lawmakers oppose — could be the most reliable way to achieve a carbon-free electricity grid, according to experts.

Nuclear energy is considered a renewable energy source because it produces zero emissions through fission, the process of splitting uranium atoms, according to the Department of Energy. Currently, nuclear accounts for about 9% of total U.S. energy consumption, slightly less than all other renewable energy sources combined and coal, government data showed.

As Fuel Costs Rise Heading into the Winter, Biden May Utilize Strategic Reserves

November 9, 2021November 8, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

As the supply chain crisis continues to worsen, Americans can expect to pay higher energy costs in order to maintain heating in the coming winter, says Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

In an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday, Granholm said “this is going to happen…it will be more expensive this year than last year.”

While Granholm claimed that “we are in a slightly beneficial position…relative to Europe,” she nonetheless admitted that the United States has “the same problem in fuels that the supply chains have, which is that the oil and gas companies are not flipping the switch as quickly as the demand requires.”

America Reduced Emissions More Than Any Other Major Country Despite Leaving the Paris Accords

November 1, 2021October 31, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The U.S. has reduced emissions more than any other country in the world despite former President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Paris Climate Accords.

“In the last 10 years, the emissions reduction in the United States has been the largest in the history of energy,” International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol said at a Department of Energy press conference in 2019. “Almost 800 million tons. This is a huge decline of emissions.”

White House Says Reconciliation Bill Will Spend More on Climate Than Entire Energy Department

October 28, 2021October 29, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

The Democrats’ reconciliation package will likely include more than $500 billion worth of climate provisions, more than the entire Department of Energy budget, the White House said, according to The Hill.

The budget represents an opportunity for “historic investment in climate change,” White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said during an event hosted by The Hill on Tuesday evening. The likely price tag for climate programs included in the bill is likely to fall somewhere between $500 billion and $555 billion, Axios previously reported.

Navy Engineer, Wife Charged with Trying to Pass Nuclear Submarine Secrets to Foreign Power

October 10, 2021 Admin

The U.S. Justice Department unsealed a criminal complaint Sunday alleging that a Navy engineer and his wife repeatedly tried to pass secrets about U.S. nuclear submarines to a foreign power in a plot thwarted by an undercover FBI agent.

Jonathan Toebbe, 42, and his wife Diana, 45, both of Annapolis, Md,. were arrested Saturday in West Virginia by the FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service on espionage-related charges of violating the Atomic Energy Act, officials said.

GOP Senator Demands Watchdog Investigate Energy Secretary’s Involvement with Electric Car Company

May 4, 2021May 3, 2021 Virginia Star Staff

Republican Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso asked the Department of Energy’s watchdog to investigate Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm’s continued involvement with an electric car company.

Sen. John Barrasso, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, wrote a letter of concern to Department of Energy Inspector General Teri Donaldson Tuesday, warning of the potential conflict of interest. Barrasso said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm continues to own millions of dollars worth of stock in Proterra, a company that has a direct stake in her department’s work.

“Proterra, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of electric buses, batteries, and charging stations — and has been described as such by officials within the Biden Administration,” Barrasso wrote.

The Special Interests Behind the Unsustainable ‘Renewable Fuel Standard’

July 3, 2018July 2, 2018 Admin

By Printus LeBlanc The ethanol lobby and corn farmers are teaming up to keep the government mandated gravy train flowing into their bank accounts. After a deal was reached between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several Senators, and oil refiners regarding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), the deal suddenly collapsed…