Free Republic

A Russia-flagged tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of oil has docked in Cuba, marking the first time in three months that an oil tanker has reached the island nation. ...The Anatoly Kolodkin entered the Bay of Matanzas under clear skies and light winds at sunrise. Much of the nearby city – and the majority of Cuba – was without power when the tanker arrived at the port area. Cuba has not received an oil tanker in three months, according to President Miguel Diaz-Canel, exacerbating an energy crisis that has led to seemingly endless blackouts across the country of 10 million people...

Whether you like it or hate it, the war in Iran has definitely had the effect of exposing some of the ridiculous fantasies in the world to a serious dose of reality. Consider the UK. After implementing an expansive welfare state in the latter 20th century (e.g., free health care for all!), the UK since 2000 has gone all-in on the idea of an energy system free of hydrocarbon fuels. The 2008 Climate Change Act — passed with an overwhelming majority including support from all major political parties — committed the UK to 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050....

In response to the intensifying European energy crisis, the green lobby in Brussels and Berlin is accelerating the pace of transformation. Pressure generates counterpressure. In response to the intensifying European energy crisis, the green lobby in Brussels and Berlin is accelerating the pace of transformation. Politics lacks the imagination for a real energy crisis scenario. Civil society submits, nearly paralyzed, to its fate. Anyone who expected that empty gas storage in Germany and the escalating energy crisis in Iran would silence the green lobby in the country must think again. The political representation and its media apparatus -- the extended...

The news sent California Gov. Gavin Newsom, activist Jane Fonda, and their ilk into a frenzy. In mid-March, Donald Trump signed an executive order invoking the Defense Production Act, a 1950 Cold War-era law, to force the restart of a dormant offshore oil operation along the California coast. Of course, the Golden State immediately sued — how dare we produce our own energy! That litigation is ongoing, but in the meantime, the oil is officially pumping, and it’s coming out fast: Sable Offshore officially commenced oil sales through the Santa Ynez Pipeline System Sunday, marking the first time the network...

An evil man will burn his own nation to the ground to rule over the ashes.” ~ Sun Tzu Nearly two weeks ago President Donald Trump announced he was invoking the Defense Production Act, and ordered the override of California laws blocking the restart of offshore oil production and the Santa Ynez Pipeline System to restart an oil pipeline project off the Santa Barbara coast, in the name of the “National Defense Resources Preparedness.” U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright directed Sable Offshore Corp. to restore operations of the Santa Ynez Unit and Santa Ynez Pipeline System to address supply...

The Trump administration had threatened to punish countries who attempted to break his effective fuel blockade, aimed at weakening the communist government

A massive power outage left tens of thousands of people without electricity Thursday night across South Orange County and parts of San Diego County. San Diego Gas & Electric reported that more than 100,000 customers were initially affected. Video taken near the Civic Center in Mission Viejo showed one of the areas impacted by the blackout. Other areas that were impacted included Laguna Hills and Laguna Niguel. The cause of the outage was not immediately known.

California sued the Trump administration Monday to block what it says is an unprecedented power grab: using emergency authority to force the restart of an offshore oil operation shut down more than a decade ago. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, argues a March 13 order by U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright oversteps his authority under the Defense Production Act, a Cold War-era law. “No matter how much President Trump may claim there’s a so-called national energy emergency — it’s just not true,” Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters. “The U.S. already produces significantly more oil and...

As Gov. Kathy Hochul looks to rework New York's climate goals, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's climate chief says the city's own environmental benchmarks are critical to improving affordability in the five boroughs. Hochul is asking lawmakers to push the timeline set forth in the state’s climate law, which called for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40%, from 2030 to 2040. The governor has said her actions are motivated by affordability, and that implementing the law under the existing terms would be onerously expensive for New Yorkers. In contrast, New York City is moving ahead without political delays. Chief Climate Officer Louise...

Below is the transcript of a speech I gave at a Net Zero Watch event in Edinburgh on 9 March 2026: . Good evening, and thank you for inviting me to speak today. Scotland is often described as an electricity superpower. Not only is that not true, the Scottish grid is actually extremely vulnerable, being held together by just two power stations: Peterhead and Torness. So critical is this dependence that the National Energy System Operator, NESO, will not allow both to go on maintenance at the same time. Yet within the next 5-6 years both could close. Today I’m...

President Donald Trump said on March 26 that Iran had given the United States a “present” in the form of several boats carrying oil. To show they were serious and reliable, Iran had planned to send over eight large vessels of oil, Trump said. He initially thought nothing of it, but then he saw a news report stating that eight ships were moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump, speaking during a Cabinet meeting, reiterated that his administration is having “very substantial talks” with Tehran to resolve the conflict. Iranian officials gifted the United States 10 boats of crude oil...

Oil prices could surge to as high as $200 a barrel if the Iran conflict extends into June and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Bloomberg reported, citing an analysis from Macquarie Group. A war lasting through the second quarter could drive historically high real prices, analysts including Vikas Dwivedi said in a note, assigning a 40% probability to that scenario. A separate outlook, with a 60% probability, sees the conflict ending by the end of this month. Brent crude (CO1:COM) is on track for a record monthly gain in March as the war involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran...

South Sudan and Mauritius have both announced measures restricting electricity consumption due to the fuel crisis triggered by the US and Israel's war in Iran, which is also affecting other countries across Africa. South Sudan has begun rationing electricity in the capital, Juba, while Mauritius has imposed restrictions to reduce wastage especially in high-power consumption areas. On Wednesday, Juba's main electricity distributor, Jedco, said parts of the city would start experiencing daily power cuts on a rotational basis. "Due to the ongoing Iran-US conflict... Jedco must proactively manage its available energy reserves... we are prioritising a strategic rationing of power,"...

The EU must implement its trade deal with the US without amendments or risk losing “favourable” access to liquefied natural gas shipments from American exporters, Donald Trump’s ambassador to the bloc has warned. EU ratification of last year’s agreement between the US president and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has been delayed by several issues, including Trump’s threats to invade Greenland.

Doubt is taking over again from hope on Wall Street about a possible end to the war with Iran, and stocks are back to falling as oil prices rise Thursday. The S&P 500 sank 1.4%, more than erasing its gain from the day before, and is back on track for a fifth straight losing week. That stretches back to before the war with Iran began, and it would be the longest such streak in nearly four years. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 384 points, or 0.8%, with an hour remaining in trading, and the Nasdaq composite was 2%...

Europe could face a shortage of energy and fuel as soon as next month without a reopening of the strait of Hormuz, Shell’s chief executive has said. The boss of Europe’s biggest oil company said it was working with governments to help them address the oil and gas supply crisis, which has already led to energy rationing in Asian countries. Oil prices dipped back to about $100 a barrel on Wednesday from highs of about $114 at the start of the week, on the back of reports that the White House had sent a 15-point peace plan to Iran’s leaders....

Oil prices remained volatile on Wednesday, as the US and Iran clashed over what terms might bring the conflict in the Middle East to an end. Brent crude rose to $101 a barrel at midday in the US before falling back to $98 as President But Iranian media on Wednesday cited leaders criticising the US peace proposal. They presented their own terms for a ceasefire, including international recognition of Iran's "sovereign right" to control the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global oil and gas supplies. On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt maintained that US attacks were...

Major disruptions in Qatar (15% of global LNG) and Australia have triggered a severe natural gas shortage, far worse than the oil shock. Gas prices have spiked sharply (Asia +143%, Europe +85%), with physical availability becoming a bigger issue than pricing. Countries are reverting to coal, Europe faces energy security risks, and rising gas costs could drive fertilizer shortages and food inflation.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed on Tuesday that “today will be, yet again, our most intense day of strikes inside Iran” at the same time that Iranian forces unleashed a new barrage of attacks on Israel and its Gulf neighbors. With both Washington and Tehran ruling out cease-fire talks, experts expect the global energy crisis to worsen as the war trudges on. Fears of Iranian attacks coupled with high insurance costs have largely halted oil and gas tankers from traversing the Strait of Hormuz, where around 20 percent of the world’s crude normally passes. On Tuesday, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary...

Energy affordability is on the ballot this year. Unfortunately, extremists in Trenton are once again pushing a bill in the New Jersey State House that will hurt consumers wallets with no tangible benefit—except to line their own pockets. New Jerseyans must see through the smokescreen and realize this burdensome and disruptive legislative policy will chase companies out of the state and cost New Jersey families high-paying jobs, tax revenues and an affordable and reliable energy supply.