We read a great deal about how clean nuclear power is with regard to CO2 emissions. Thus, we are told that this is a good investment. Is it? The problem with all of the subsidies, and renewables are not exempt from this argument, is that those who argue for them tend to ignore the total […]
Subsidies are a public policy question. That is a reasonable position to take. It seems odd that those who complain the most about the provision of subsidies to the new, renewable energy industries and for energy conservation programs are the current recipients of some of the richest, most far reaching subsidies ever given in the […]
We have seen that subsidies apply to the oil and gas industries in the form of tax breaks. Are there any other subsidies that apply to the fossil fuel industries? An additional type of subsidy is an excise tax that benefits a particular industry. One such tax is “The Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.” This […]
Ok, so we know that the tax code establishes subsidies. Some of the biggest recipients of tax subsidies has been the oil and gas industries (Nuclear will be discussed in a separate post). Thus, the renewable subsidies are certainly needed if for no other reason than to even the playing field with those energy industries […]
Recently, I was involved in a debate on federal subsidies for the renewable energy industry. The claim was that the use of subsidies for renewables is a waste of money and that renewable energy should stand on its own against oil, gas and nuclear. First, let’s understand that a subsidy is any action by the […]