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MORNING ENERGY NEWS  |  04/03/2020
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Might be tired of staying at home, but nowhere near tired of winning.


Courthouse News (4/2/20) reports: "The Trump administration’s two-for-one deregulation order survived a legal challenge Thursday by states that said it threatened greenhouse gas rules and an education program for low-income children, to name a few. 'Plaintiffs bear the burden of establishing their standing to sue, yet, as to each of the four regulatory or deregulatory actions that they identify in their briefs and supporting materials, they have not shown that either the two-for-one rule or the annual cap caused the relevant agency to act or to decline to act,' U.S. District Judge Randolph Moss wrote. The 36-page opinion the Obama appointee is heavy on standing analysis, finding the states’ claims fail without an 'essential link' between the two-for-one rule and the disputed regulatory actions. President Donald Trump signed the executive order in 2017, directing agencies to repeal two regulations for every new regulation put forward, and to cap the new regulation cost at zero."

"Forcing other states to subsidize your programs isn’t federalism — it’s imperialism, and it's another example of the increasing illogical demands of modern liberalism."

 

– Rep. Ron Estes,
Kansas's 4th Congressional District

But under normal circumstances forcing unsanitary options is OK?


The Hill (4/2/20) reports: "San Francisco is banning reusable shopping bags to prevent outside germs from entering grocery stores as the coronavirus pandemic affects cities around the country, The new ordinance from the San Francisco Department of Public Health aims to reinforce existing social distancing protocols by restricting customers from bringing their own bags, mugs, or other reusable items to essential stores, according to a statement. San Francisco was one of the first cities in the U.S. to ban the use of plastic shopping bags in 2007 to reduce the environmental impact caused by plastic waste, according to SFGate.com. San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) on Wednesday extended stay-at-home orders for the public, running until May 3."

According to Governor Newsom, global pandemics are a perfect time to usher in a Green New Deal.


Washington Free Beacon (4/2/20) reports: "Asked whether the coronavirus crisis offered an opportunity for progressives, California governor Gavin Newsom (D.) said it could 'reshape the way we do business and how we govern.' 'I think it's an opportunity anew for both parties to come together and meet this moment and really start to think more systemically, not situationally,' Newsom told reporters Wednesday. 'Not just about getting out of this moment but more sustainably and systemically to consider where we can go together in this historic moment if we meet it at a national level and at a state and subnational level.'...In January, a group of Democratic lawmakers unveiled a 'California Green New Deal' to combat climate change and poverty. However, early last year Newsom canceled a high-speed rail project in his state due to the project's high cost and expected time to complete."

Talk about pandemic profiteering.


Illinois Policy Institute (4/1/20) blog: "As coronavirus cases continue to climb throughout Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced new guidelines on March 28 for grocery stores and shoppers. Among the recommendations was that shoppers no longer use reusable bags to protect both cashiers and shoppers from spreading the virus. Although Chicago shoppers have no choice but to use plastic or paper bags through at least April 30, they will still be paying the city’s 7-cent tax on each bag they take. The mayor’s office said legislative action is required to repeal the tax. The stores have been granted an extension on when they must pay the tax to the city. The normal due dates of March 15 and April 15 have been moved back to April 30. Stores keep 2 cents from the tax, but pay the other 5 cents to the city. Those nickels generate over $5 million in bag tax revenue each year. Chicago’s bag tax took effect on Feb. 1, 2017, and has been hurting low-income shoppers and adding to the city’s tax burden on residents. Shoppers already suffer through the nation’s highest combined state and local sales tax at 10.25%." 

How it must feel to get a major tax break when buying a luxury car AND not having to pay for road upkeep.


Bloomberg (4/3/20) reports: "California has a road funding problem, thanks to cars driving farther on a tank of gas and an expanding electric vehicle fleet. The quandary has prompted the state to investigate news ways of funding, including charging by miles driven rather than by gallons of gas pumped, while also taking more immediate actions. The Golden State has more than 700,000 electric vehicles on the roads—more than any other state—and a goal of 5 million clean cars within 10 years. Zero-emission sales goals for trucks are also on the horizon. But that goal, to reduce air pollution, comes with a cost: Electric vehicles don’t pay the excise and sales taxes charged on gasoline and diesel fuel to fund transportation projects. The California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) estimates that by 2030, half of the revenue from those taxes will be lost as vehicles change. The agency couldn’t explain how it estimated the revenue loss and wouldn’t make staff available for an interview."

If you oppose a carbon tax, please contact us and take a stand.

Tom Pyle, American Energy Alliance
Myron Ebell, Competitive Enterprise Institute
Phil Kerpen, American Commitment
Andrew Quinlan, Center for Freedom and Prosperity
Tim Phillips, Americans for Prosperity
Grover Norquist, Americans for Tax Reform
George Landrith, Frontiers of Freedom
Thomas A. Schatz, Citizens Against Government Waste
Richard Manning, Americans for Limited Government
Adam Brandon, FreedomWorks
Craig Richardson, E&E Legal
Benjamin Zycher, American Enterprise Institute
Jason Hayes, Mackinac Center
David Williams, Taxpayers Protection Alliance
Paul Gessing, Rio Grande Foundation
Seton Motley, Less Government
Nathan Nascimento, Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce
Isaac Orr, Center of the American Experiment
David T. Stevenson & Clint Laird, Caesar Rodney Institute
John Droz, Alliance for Wise Energy Decisions
Jim Karahalios, Axe the Carbon Tax
Mark Mathis, Clear Energy Alliance
Mandy Gunasekara, Energy 45
Jack Ekstrom, PolicyWorks America

Energy Markets

 
WTI Crude Oil: ↑ $26.58
Natural Gas: ↑ $1.57
Gasoline: ↓ $1.95
Diesel: ↓ $2.58
Heating Oil: ↑ $105.73
Brent Crude Oil: ↑ $32.62
US Rig Count: ↓ 676

 
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