Publications
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Research & Commentary: Exelon Renews LCPS Efforts
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Since 2014, the Exelon Corporation – which owns ComEd, the largest provider of electricity in Illinois – has been lobbying state legislators to create a “low carbon portfolio standard” (LCPS). -
Research & Commentary: Hiking Missouri’s Gas Tax Will Not Solve Road Funding Woes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Missouri legislators are now considering a substantial increase in their state’s motor-fuel taxes. The tax hike, proposed by state Sen. -
Research & Commentary: Alabama Gas Tax Increase Not a Solution for Road Funding
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Alabama legislators are now considering a major increase in the state’s gasoline excise tax. Under the new proposal, the state’s gas tax would increase by 6 cents per gallon, from 18 cents to 24 cents. This is in addition to the 18. -
Research & Commentary: A Summary of the Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Isaac Orr, research fellow at The Heartland Institute, and Mark Krumenacher, senior principal and senior vice president of GZA GeoEnvironmental, Inc. -
Research & Commentary: Washington State Carbon Tax
Publication -Research and Commentaries -A ballot measure currently being considered by the Washington State Legislature could make the state the first in the nation to impose a direct tax on carbon dioxide emitted from fossil fuels. -
The Leaflet: States Battle The Clean Power Plan
Publication -The Leaflet -Last month, The U.S. Supreme Court granted a stay of the EPA’s Clean Power Plan (CPP), effectively blocking implementation of the CPP as of February 9, 2016. -
The Leaflet: The Social Impacts of Frac Sand Mining
Publication -The Leaflet -Hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” has created an energy revolution for the oil and gas industries in states such as North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. -
Social Impacts of Industrial Silica Sand (Frac Sand) Mining: Land Use and Value
Publication -Policy Studies -The “social” impact of sand-mining operations, including their impact on land use, scenic beauty, and property values, can be a sensitive topic. Emotion and opinion, rather than technical facts and scientific data, tend to dominate the discussion. -
Research & Commentary: Local Control of Fracking in Florida
Publication -Research and Commentaries -In January 2016, the Florida House of Representatives voted to pass a bill that would prevent local governments from banning or placing moratoria on the practice of hydraulic fracturing, commonly called “fracking,” in their jurisdictions. -
Research & Commentary: Oklahoma Earthquakes
Publication -Research and Commentaries -While Oklahoma has a long history of seismicity, the state has seen a significant increase in earthquakes since 2013, with 881 measuring at or above a magnitude (M) of 3 on the moment magnitude scale, including 43 from January 6–11, 2016. -
Research & Commentary: Oregon Cap-and-Trade Proposals and Renewable Power Mandates
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Legislators in Oregon are now proposing a new carbon dioxide cap-and-trade program. The legislature rejected a proposed cap-and-trade plan in 2015. -
Testimony of John R. Christy Addressing NOAA’s recent temperature claims
Publication -Testimony -This testimony by Dr. John R. Christy, delivered on February 2, 2016, before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, is a fascinating overview of the latest real science regarding climate change. Dr. -
Research & Commentary: Federal Ownership of Public Lands Update
Publication -Research and Commentaries -According to the United States Geological Survey, nearly half the land in the Western United States is owned by the federal government. This includes 84.9 percent of land in Nevada, 64.9 percent of Utah, 61.6 percent of Idaho, 61.2 percent of Alaska, 52. -
The Leaflet: The Top Issues Facing States in 2016
Publication -The Leaflet -In November 2015, The Heartland Institute published Ten State Solutions to Emerging Issues, an informative and concise booklet examining 10 of the most useful public policy solutions to important issues facing states in 2016. -
Research & Commentary: Idaho Lawmakers’ Doubts About the Climate ‘Consensus’
Publication -Research and Commentaries -On January 2, the Twin Falls Times-News released a highly deceptive story, “At Idaho Legislature, Many Doubt Scientific Consensus on Global Warming Cause,” containing many dubious assertions about the debate between scientists over the effects of climate -
Research & Commentary: COP21 and the Paris Climate Agreement
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Paris climate agreement, adopted on December 12 by 195 nations attending the United Nations’ 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), was called a “turning point for the world” by President Obama and “the best chance to save the one planet that we’ve -
Research & Commentary: Ethanol Mandates and Renewable Fuel Standards Hurt Illinois Residents and Farmers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The Center for Regulatory Solutions (CRS) has produced a series of reports on the deleterious effects of the corn ethanol mandate, also known as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), on state economies and environments. -
Research & Commentary: Las Vegas Casinos Fight to Choose Electricity Suppliers
Publication -Research and Commentaries -It takes a lot of electricity to make sure the bright lights of Sin City stay on. One hotel and casino will, on its own, use more electricity than an entire mid-sized city. -
Ten State Solutions to Emerging Issues
Publication -Policy Briefs -This booklet explores solutions to the top public policy issues facing the states in 2016 and beyond in the areas of budget and tax, education, energy and environment, health care, and constitutional reform. -
Research & Commentary: EPA and GWPC: Ohio Is Right, Anti-Frackers Wrong on Class II Injection Wells
Publication -Research and Commentaries -Two recently released reports on Ohio’s Class II wastewater injection well program have discredited claims made by opponents of hydraulic fracturing, specifically that the creation of wells leads directly to earthquakes and that the Ohio Department of -
Research & Commentary: Waters of the United States
Publication -Research and Commentaries -The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has issued a temporary nationwide injunction on the controversial new Waters of the United States rule (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. The U.S. -
The Leaflet – Tri-State Summit Agrees to Shale Exploration
Publication -The Leaflet -Tri-State Summit Agrees to Shale Exploration Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia have benefited from the Marcellus and Utica shale formations, which contain vast quantities of oil and gas. -
The Leaflet – States Consider Returning Public Lands to State Control
Publication -The Leaflet -States Consider Returning Public Lands to State ControlApproximately half of the land in the western United States – including most of Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming – is owned by -
The Leaflet – Heartland Releases New Policy Study on Roadway Impacts of Frac Sand Mining
Publication -The Leaflet -Heartland Releases New Policy Study on Roadway Impacts of Frac Sand Mining Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin have as many as 9,000 non-metallic mines in operation.
