Natural Energy Supply
Energy Subsidies Black, Not Green
A study released by the Environmental Law Institute, a nonpartisan research and policy organization, shows that the federal
government has provided substantially larger subsidies to fossil fuels than to renewables. Subsidies to fossil fuels totaled approximately
$72 billion over the seven-year study period, while subsidies for renewable fuels totaled $29 billion over the same period. The vast majority of subsidies support energy sources that emit high levels of greenhouse gases when used as fuel. Moreover, just a handful of tax breaks make up the largest portion of subsidies for fossil fuels, with the most significant of these, the
Foreign Tax Credit, supporting the overseas production of oil. More than half of the subsidies for renewables are attributable to
corn-based ethanol, the use of which, while decreasing American reliance on foreign oil, has generated concern about climate
effects These figures raise the question of whether scarce government funds might be better allocated to move the United States
towards a low-carbon economy.
Click the image for a larger view and for sources and notes.
Full report text and pdf of this graphic may be found online at:
http://www.eli.org/pressdetail.cfm?ID=205
Posted with permission from the Environmental Law Institute.
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