crude

Thus far, the Saudi royal family has maintained its highly oppressive form of government by pacifying its people with an extensive welfare state funded by oil money. But low oil prices brought about by hydraulic fracturing in the United States are forcing the monarchy to give the Saudi people more freedom in order to remain in power.

Fiscal conservatives had mixed emotions, to say the least, about the $1.6 trillion omnibus budget bill that was corralled through Congress by Republicans and Democrats alike. Among the few bright spots of this pork-laden spending package was a provision to lift the crude oil export ban which has been in effect since the Carter administration.

President Barack Obama put the final nail in the Keystone XL Pipeline’s coffin by formally rejecting the permit for the transnational pipeline that would have carried crude oil produced in Canada south to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The president’s decision was not based on science but on politics, predicated specifically on political posturing for the COP-21 climate conference in Paris, France.

Enjoying low gas prices? How long will they last? In this edition of The Heartland Daily Podcast, Dr. Bud Weinstein, Associate Director of the Maguire Energy Institute and research fellow Isaac Orr talk about the Keystone Pipeline and the factors that influence the global prices of oil.

“Whether you support this deal or not, we can all agree that America’s commitment to Israel remains unshakeable. And we will continue—Democrats and Republicans united—to stand with Israel,” says a statement from Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI). Yet, despite widespread opposition from Israel and pro-Israel groups, Schatz, and almost all his fellow Jewish Senators and Representatives, supported the Iran nuclear deal that appears to be done.

We all expect to pay a price for missing deadlines—fail to pay a ticket on time, and you may find a warrant out for your arrest. But the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can apparently miss deadlines with impunity.