The Institute for Energy Research

10/14/2026

🌐 GEOPOLITICAL REALITIES OF GREEN INDUSTRIAL POLICY: THE STRATEGIC PARADOX OF EUROPE'S NET-ZERO MANDATES

The European Union’s unyielding pursuit of net-zero carbon targets, enforced largely independent of parallel international industrial adjustments, has precipitated a severe trade asymmetry with China. By imposing stringent domestic decarbonization mandates without sufficient supply chain protectionism, the EU created a regional market optimized for Chinese state-subsidized industrial overcapacity.

This dynamic is driven by a massive structural imbalance, illustrated by an EU trade deficit with China that reached a record €360 billion ($1.14 billion per day). Driven by carbon mitigation policies, European demand triggered massive import surges; China accounts for 98% of the EU’s solar panel imports and absorbs roughly 25% of all Chinese electric vehicle exports. In response, the EU levied anti-subsidy duties of up to 45.3% on Chinese EVs to prevent total market saturation.

While European manufacturers face record-high operational overhead from localized green energy policies, China relies on its expansive coal-fired power fleet to manufacture cheap exports. This cost divergence accelerates deindustrialization across Europe, eroding foundational sectors—demonstrated by German automotive giants contemplating cuts of roughly 100,000 jobs by 2030. Facing a sluggish domestic economy, China relies heavily on its $248.8 billion surplus with the EU to absorb excess industrial output. As trade tensions escalate, Chinese firms increasingly employ secondary strategies like "origin washing"—transshipping components through Southeast Asian hubs to bypass destination-market tariffs. Ultimately, unilateral environmental mandates, when detached from domestic baseload security and strict trade defenses, risk transferring legacy industrial capacity straight to geopolitical rivals.

Full story on how rapid decarbonization goals risk European deindustrialization in the comments below. 💬

10/06/2026

California’s very high electricity rates and legislation regulating data centers may slow their deployment, even though they provide tax revenues, create jobs, and support many services Americans use daily.

On September 21, Governor Gavin Newsom signed seven bills regulating the data center industry in California, imposing new ​requirements on…

10/05/2026

WHY IS GASOLINE SO EXPENSIVE? IT DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU LIVE.

Global supply disruptions, refinery closures from net-zero mandates, and low inventories are pushing national gas prices up to an average of $4.43/gallon (and diesel to a staggering $6.41/gallon).

While the federal government and states explore action—like tax suspensions, regulatory relief, and lifting heavy restrictions on fuel transport—one factor stands out above the rest: STATE POLICY.

🔴 Red States vs. 🔵 Blue States: A Tale of Two Pump Prices
Notice a pattern in what you pay at the pump? Blue states are actively making fuel far more expensive for their residents, while Red states are stepping in with relief.

Read more on what your state is doing, link in the comments.

09/28/2026

A diesel export ban does not add a single barrel of diesel to the world market. Find out why it would raise the world price that sets what Americans pay at home from our latest video.

09/16/2026

🚨 THE "GREEN NEW DEAL" CRAZE IS OFFICIALLY BEING UNWOUND! 🚨

The massive shift back toward practical, affordable American energy is here! After years of watching billions of taxpayer dollars funnel into unreliable "clean tech" projects, the Trump administration and Congress have taken a sledgehammer to the Biden-era Green New Deal agenda—erasing over $540 BILLION in tax subsidies for EVs, wind, and solar.

Out of nearly $1 trillion in direct federal grants and outlays, the federal spigot is finally being tightened, saving American ratepayers from skyrocketing utility bills and forced, uneconomic mandates.

Look at the real-world impact of putting consumers and market reality back in charge:

❌ EV Tax Subsidies Expired: With the EV credit dead, electric vehicle sales dropped, forcing automakers to cancel bloated EV factory plans and pivot back to the gas-powered cars families actually want.

❌ Expensive Offshore Wind Scrapped: Washington reached a historic $1 billion deal to terminate costly offshore wind leases off New York and North Carolina. Instead of subsidizing unreliable ocean turbines, companies like TotalEnergies are redirecting nearly $1 billion directly into Texas LNG and U.S. natural gas production!

❌ Natural Gas Boom: Clean-energy factory investments plummeted 17%, while planned natural gas plants nearly TRIPLED to 66 gigawatts—adding enough reliable power to fuel Pennsylvania and Maryland combined!

❌ Wasteful "Justice" Grants Canceled: Ridiculous handouts, like a $1 million "block grant" for a local cultural center under the guise of "environmental justice," are being scrapped to protect taxpayer dollars.

For years, politicians treated the American wallet as an open checkbook for weather-dependent energy schemes and corporate handouts. Now, unviable projects are failing on their own merits while reliable, affordable natural gas is taking center stage to power our grid and protect working families.

Common sense energy policy is back!

🛑👇CLICK BELOW TO READ THE FULL REPORT ON HOW PRESIDENT TRUMP'S FUNDING CUTS ARE SAVING RATEPAYERS BILLIONS — LINK IS IN THE COMMENTS! ⬇️💬

08/30/2026

The Trump administration wants to expand fuel production closer to home and stem a wave of refinery closures in recent years, driven by disruptions in global fuel supplies caused by the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.

Oil majors warn of a continuing tight market for petroleum products due to a lack of global refinery capacity as…

08/29/2026

To reassure its Asian customers that it is a reliable gas supplier, Qatar is purchasing LNG from the United States and delivering it to Asia. Just 10 years ago, the United States began exporting LNG, and it has now surpassed Qatar and Australia in exports.

Qatar Energy, the state-owned national petroleum and natural gas company of Qatar, has purchased 33 U.S. liquefied natural gas cargoes…

08/28/2026

Wind and solar intermittency is too frequent, battery storage duration is too limited, and the cost is too prohibitive to achieve the capacity buildout required using wind and solar to power the grid—something that Europeans still do not understand with their increasingly expensive climate policies and extremely high electricity rates.

08/27/2026

President Trump’s extension of the Jones Act will ensure petroleum fuels reach U.S. regions that need them, keeping prices in a more stable range.

The Jones Act of 1920 requires that ships engaged in domestic U.S. maritime trade be built, owned, crewed, and flagged…

07/15/2026

🚨 BLUE STATE POLICIES RAISING OUR GAS PRICES! 🚨

Ever wonder why filling up your tank feels like a luxury? While politicians love to blame energy producers and gas stations, the cold hard data reveals a much closer culprit: your state’s political policies.

A groundbreaking 2026 data analysis by the Institute for Energy Research reveals a massive, undeniable gap: drivers in unified Democratic-controlled states are paying an average of $0.55 MORE per gallon at the pump than drivers in Republican-run states ($3.69 vs. $3.14).

This isn't a random coincidence or "geographical destiny." It is a direct, math-backed consequence of decades of accumulated tax hikes, heavy-handed regulations, and outright hostility toward domestic refineries.

Look at what’s driving up your fuel costs:

❌ Aggressive Gas Taxes: State fuel taxes are the single largest policy lever, with nearly 90% of every tax dollar passed straight through to you at the pump.
❌ Extreme Carbon Schemes: Accelerated cap-and-trade programs have nearly doubled carbon costs, hitting drivers with massive stealth taxes.
❌ Refinery Hostility: Extreme regulations are forcing major, reliable West Coast refineries to shut down or convert, starving local markets of gasoline and leaving them with no pipeline backup.

These policies are so destructive they don't stop at state borders. Energy-pinched, high-tax states are dragging down their neighbors, forcing everyday drivers in nearby states to shoulder the costs of a broken regional energy system.

It is time to stop pretending these skyrocketing prices are an accident. High gas prices are a deliberate policy choice, and working families are the ones signing the check. 🛑👇

IS YOUR STATE TAXING YOU OUT OF YOUR VEHICLE? CLICK BELOW TO READ THE FULL REPORT ON HOW ACCUMULATED BLUE-STATE GAS POLICIES ARE EMPTYING YOUR WALLET — LINK IS IN THE COMMENTS! ⬇️💬