Browse by Media Hit and Energy

Wind advocates have faced a vocal block of opponents. "Bipartisan forces want to revive the wind PTC because they benefit financially from it," IPI resident scholar Merrill Matthews said. "But thanks to the U.S. energy boom from fossil fuel production, energy for electric power generation is both abundant and affordable - and cleaner than ever."

A pair of Burns Town Board members opposed to a potential fracking ban have sent The Evening Tribune Merrill Matthews' article from the Aug. 1, 2014 edition of The Wall Street Journal saying, “The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says, in part, that private property cannot be taken for public use ‘without just compensation.' Government regulations that substantially reduce the value of an owner’s property may also constitute a taking.

"The ban is extremely precarious from a legal standpoint," said Tom Giovanetti. "This was Act 1 last night. And the next few acts are going to take place in the courts."

Giovanetti said there also could be a potential economy loss of up to $250 million over the coming decade.

Giovanetti said the economy is set up to allow companies to innovate and that, should problems develop, steps could be taken to manage them. He encouraged people to allow policy makers to use a risk management approach. The EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have found that fracking does not present a public health problem, he said.

If the ban passes, particularly in Texas, it could encourage activists who want broader bans on hydraulic fracturing. "There will be a flood of press releases issued by every environmental group all over the country," he said.

The battle is over a proposed city ban on hydraulic fracturing -- the technique of blasting shale rock with water, sand and chemicals to dislodge oil and gas, often called fracking -- in a referendum on Nov. 4.

Tom Giovanetti, head of The Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI) will be participating in a debate on the controversial proposed ban on hydraulic fracturing in the city of Denton, Texas.

North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey joined environmental groups in calling for the government to take a leadership role in promoting offshore wind power.