Publications
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Research & Commentary: Michigan Bill Would Protect State Pension Funds and Michiganders’ Retirement Savings From ESG
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Michigan House of Representatives would combat environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores by mandating public retirement systems in Michigan, as well as their investment managers and proxy advisors, prioritize objective financial factors in investment decisions. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that […] -
Research & Commentary: Wolverine State Legislation Would Protect Michigan Farmers from Discriminatory ESG Debanking
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Michigan farmers are not discriminated against by banks based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly used by investment firms and financial institutions that force companies and agricultural concerns to focus […] -
Research & Commentary: Credit Union Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for Michigan Farmers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, the Credit Union Act, would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Michigan farmers are not discriminated against by credit unions based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly used by investment firms and financial institutions that force companies […] -
Research & Commentary: Briefs Point Out Unnecessary Consumers Costs and Environmental Damage of Renewable Fuel Standard
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The R Street Institute has produced two briefs on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) detailing the consumer costs and negative environmental impacts. A part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, expanded through 2007’s Energy Independence and Security Act and administered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), RFS required 36 billion gallons of “renewable” fuel sources such as ethanol […] -
Research & Commentary: New Analysis Shows Massive Decline in Permian Basin Methane Emissions Over Last Two Years
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new analysis by S&P Global has found that methane emissions in the Permian Basin have been significantly reduced over the last two years thanks to voluntary emission reduction efforts from the oil and gas industries. The Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico is the highest-producing oil field in the United States […] -
Research & Commentary: New Paper Highlights Why Carbon Dioxide Emissions Should Never Have Been Seen as Public Health Risk
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A June white paper from the Texas Public Policy Foundation (TPPF) has found that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the U.S. power sector do not meet the threshold set under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to be considered a significant contributor to air pollution that endangers public health. Under Section 111 of the CAA, the […] -
Research & Commentary: Report Finds Golden State’s Green Energy Transition Could Cost Each California Household More Than $20,000
Publication -Research and Commentaries -An April 2025 report from the Pacific Research Institute (PRI) analyzing California’s ambitious climate goals and radical energy transition plans finds that, left unchecked, they will lead to significant costs for Golden State families and businesses. Since enacting SB 100 in 2018, California has mandated “renewable energy resources and zero-carbon resources supply 100% of retail […] -
Research & Commentary: New Report Details the Costs, Grid Degradation of Michigan’s ‘Healthy Climate’ Plan
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Mackinac Center for Public Policy has released a new report detailing how Michigan’s “MI Healthy Climate Plan” (MHCP) will cause the state’s already very high electricity prices to increase significantly and will degrade the reliability of the state’s electric grid, increasing the risk of blackouts. The main goal of the MHCP is achieving 100 […] -
Research & Commentary: Report Finds BlackRock in Violation of Lone Star State’s Anti-ESG Law
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new report from the American Energy Institute (AEI) and Consumers’ Research (CR) finds that the multinational investment behemoth BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is in violation of a Texas anti-environment, social, governance (ESG) scoring law that prohibits financial institutions from taking any action that penalizes a company involved in fossil fuel production for […] -
Research & Commentary: CAE Report Details the Environmental, Ecological, and Cost Concerns of Headlong Rush into Increased ‘Renewable’ Energy Generation
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A report released in June by the Center of the American Experiment (CAE) details the myriad environmental and ecological downsides of the push to transform the American energy sector via the widespread adoption of “renewable” technologies such as wind and solar. In Shattered Green Dreams: The Environmental Costs of Wind and Solar, CAE demonstrates the […] -
Research & Commentary: EIA Again Finds Natural Gas at the Forefront in Decline of U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The latest release of the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) annual U.S. Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions report has found, once again, that natural gas continues to be at the forefront in the decline of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the United States. According to the report, power sector carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remained near their […] -
Research & Commentary: Heartland Policy Study Provides State-Level Blueprint for Curbing the Destructive Expansion of Industrial Solar Power
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new Policy Study from The Heartland Institute details the major problems caused by the construction of industrial solar facilities and offers legislators solutions they should consider to prevent large scale solar development in their states. In “How States Can Push Back Against the Destructive Expansion of Industrial Solar Power,” the authors relay how industrial […] -
Research & Commentary: New Heartland Scorecard Details Hidden Costs of ‘Renewable’ Energy Sources
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A new Policy Brief from The Heartland Institute offers a comprehensive evaluation of seven primary electricity generation sources: biomass, coal, hydropower, natural gas, nuclear, solar, and wind, and assesses each of them based on their affordability, reliability, and environmental impact. -
Research & Commentary: New Report Details the Increasing Safety of the Country’s Pipeline Infrastructure
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The American Petroleum Institute (API) and the Liquids Energy Pipeline Association (LEPA) have released the latest of their annual reports on pipeline safety showing how liquids pipelines have become significantly safer over the last five years. The analysis, 2024 Pipeline Performance Report, details how total liquids pipeline safety incidents impacting people or the environment have dropped by 13 […] -
Research & Commentary: New Study Highlights Significant Impact of Shale Boom, Fracking Revolution in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A study from researchers at Miami University in Ohio—recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Energy Economics—provides new evidence that the hydraulic fracturing (commonly known as “fracking”) revolution over the last 18 years has had a significant impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The researchers found that between 2007 and […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Bill Would Protect Industries from ESG Lending and De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Texas Senate would combat environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores by prohibiting lenders from discriminating against organizations based on social credit or value-based standards like ESG. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that forces companies, entire industries, and society at large […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Bill Would Protect Against ESG and Ensure Fair Access to Insurance Services
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Texas Senate would combat environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores by preventing insurance companies and holding companies from including political shareholder proposals in proxy statements and from implementing such politically driven shareholder proposals. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that forces […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Bill Would Protect Shareholders from ESG-Driven Proxy Advisor Recommendations
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Texas Senate would combat environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores by mandating that proxy advisory services based in Texas provide recommendations solely based on the financial interests of shareholders and exclude non-financial considerations such as ESG. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial […] -
Research & Commentary: Texas Bill Would Protect State Pension Funds and Texans’ Retirement Savings From ESG
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Texas Senate would combat environmental, social, and governance (ESG) scores by mandating that public retirement systems in Texas, as well as their investment managers and proxy advisors, prioritize objective financial factors in investment decisions. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions that […] -
Research & Commentary: Oregon Legislation Would Ensure Grid Reliability for Beaver State Families
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation introduced in the Oregon House of Representatives would safeguard reliable electric power in the Beaver State so that it is not subject to blackouts and brownouts. The bill stipulates that the Public Utility Commission “may not authorize or approve a plan by an electric company to retire an electric power generating facility that provides […] -
Research & Commentary: How State Legislators Can Fight Back Against the Inflation Reduction Act’s Green Giveaways
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 16, 2022, but the contents of the legislation are contradictory to its stated purpose. The real point of the IRA is the creation of an enormous renewable energy slush fund, paid for by deficit spending. The […] -
Research & Commentary: Farmer Protection Act Would Provide Protection from ESG for West Virginia’s Agriculture Sector
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the West Virginia House of Delegates, the Farmer Protection Act (FPA), which would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure West Virginia’s farmers are not discriminated against by financial institutions based on environmental policy. ESG scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism increasingly being used by investment firms and financial institutions […] -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Senate Legislation Would Protect Gem Staters from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Idaho Senate would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Idahoans are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. -
Research & Commentary: Indiana House Legislation Would Protect Hoosiers from ESG De-Banking Discrimination
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislation in the Indiana House of Representatives would combat environmental, social and governance (ESG) scoring systems and ensure Hoosiers are not discriminated against for ideological reasons by financial institutions or utility companies based on their exercise of speech, political activity, religious views, or their occupation. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) scores are essentially a risk assessment mechanism […]