Transparency: How Much Does the United States Subsidize Energy

The government spends billions of dollars to support the energy industry, which allows it to make energy cheaper than it should cost on the open market. These subsidies—either in the form of tax breaks or direct funding—favor some types of energy over others, giving our country a skewed sense of what each gallon of gas or wind-powered electron costs. This is a look at where the government directed its subsidy dollars from 2002 to 2008.

SOURCE: The Environmental Law Institute.

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3 Comments on "Transparency: How Much Does the United States Subsidize Energy"

nano on Thu, 16th Dec 2010 6:40 am 



Try to divide these figures by the amount of energy produced by the respective technologies. Then the figures will go from large to small.

DC on Thu, 16th Dec 2010 6:49 am 



If anything it quite possible the amount of corporate welfare going to the FF cartel may be understated. However, the issue of subsidies is not quite black and white. Yes subsidoes to the FF industry are both harmful AND unnecesary, but replaceing harmful FF handouts with equal or greater amounts may be just as bad an idea. After all, it was government handouts that made the oil business collectively the most powerful and profitable industry in history. Green(er) energy may not be as corrupt and evil as the oil buisness but imagine what trillions of dollars of endless taxpayer subsides will do over a century.

Since Energy is a critical need, the ideal solution is to elimnatte all FF handouts completely along with those for renewables. This would have 2 effects. Energy would generally be much more expensive for end-users, thus encourageing conservation and the development of cleaner high-efficeny through-out the entire economy. Something that has been very hit-and-miss in our current system. Also FF would be finaly seen for what it really is, a very expensive dangerous and toxic energy source that civilization simply cant afford to keep useing. It makes me cringe whenever I hear some talking head say we keep useing FF because they are ‘cheap’. One way to hasten FF demise w/o resorting to the subsidy game would simply be to tax harmful toxic energy producers heavily -coal,gas-nuclear. While useing the tax system to encourage the growth of deserable alternatives though lower tax rates.

Kenz300 on Fri, 17th Dec 2010 10:36 pm 



The oil and coal industry has an army of lobbyists and PR firms.

Until they realize that it is in their best interest to become “energy” companies and not “coal or oil companies” and support the transition to clean, sustainable alternative energy we will struggle to make the transition. They too will need a portfolio of energy types to ensure a reliable supply of energy to their customers.

Wind, solar, geothermal and second generation biofuels (algae) produced locally will provide the safe, secure energy of the future.