Oppose Ag-Only Farm Bill: Spends More Than Senate Bill; Changes Make Subsidies Permanent
July 11, 2013
Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) authorized the Department of Energy Advanced Technology Vehicles...
For years, proponents of bioenergy and biofuels promised that the industry would help reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels, decrease...
For more than 75 years, market-distorting agricultural subsidies have produced numerous unintended consequences that have degraded water...
The Department of Energy (DOE) is asking Congress to provide $452 million in taxpayer subsidies to help license up to two experimental...
The United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC) was established in 1992 as a wholly-owned federal entity until it was privatized in 1998....
In February 2010, the Department of Energy (DOE) conditionally offered Southern Company and its partners a total of $8.33 billion in...
“Shallow loss” programs are a luxury that would be the envy of any other industry. They are market- and trade-distorting entitlement...
Despite our nation’s $16.8 trillion debt and record deficits, agricultural lobbyists continue to fearlessly campaign for more subsidies...
The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), a new program added to the energy title in the 2008 farm bill, was intended to spur...
Many examples of corporate welfare can be found in the federal budget, but few are as wasteful as the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s...
The Biorefinery Assistance Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development office, was intended to...
Created as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program has $34 billion in...
Since its creation of the domestic market for corn ethanol after the energy crisis of the 1970s, the federal government has nurtured and...
The Repowering Assistance Program, administered by U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Development office, reimburses...
Established by an Executive Order in 1999, the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels (BPAB) is intended to pay advanced biofuels...
The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) was created in the 2008 farm bill to provide federal grants and loans to renewable energy...
The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) provides grants to companies, universities, and government research centers to...
Not only have recent farm bills come in significantly over-budget, but they have also doubled in cost over the past decade. ...
Several administrative changes could be implemented to reduce taxpayer costs and limit the unintended consequences of federal crop insurance. ...
The final agreement signed by the president to avoid the so-called “fiscal cliff” contains several items related to transportation that...
At the 11th hour lawmakers and the White House agreed to a deal on the fiscal cliff. While the deal was crafted to address urgent tax...
Since the early 20th century, the federal government and private industry have attempted to commercialize oil shale but after years of...
With fiscal cliff looming, TCS calls for end to government handouts for failed oil shale experiments....
The so-called Farm Bill currently being negotiated in Congress is shaping up to be another taxpayer-funded handout to wealthy landowners,...
Federally subsidized crop insurance has become the largest taxpayer support for agriculture. But not all parts of the agriculture...
A basic primer on the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program and answers general questions on the history, administration, and overall effect of the program....
Over the years the coal industry has received billions in federal subsidies, in a variety of forms including direct grants, loan...
The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation that guides food and farm policy. It covers wide-ranging topics from rural broadband service to farm subsidy payments....
The agricultural safety net refers to the various federal programs and policies that insulate agricultural producers from the costs of conducting business....
A basic primer on the Green Scissors campaign and answers general questions about the history and goals of the coalition....
In the summer of 2011, Congress sent the President a bill that acknowledged failure. Instead of swallowing hard and coming up with...
Coal-fired energy production is one of the oldest and most profitable industries in the world. Yet despite decades of success, the well-established coal industry remains on the federal dole. ...
H.J. Res. 117 — Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013 was released this morning (9/11/2012). TCS staff will be posting relevant documents and analysis as we digest this proposal over the coming days....
Taxpayers for Common Sense awarded the Golden Fleece to Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY) for introducing H.R. 4342, the WAVE4 Act. This legislation would codify recommendations made by barge operators to increase the federal subsidy for inland waterway construction projects on the nation's rivers....
The first half of 2012 has brought more multi-billion dollar profits for major oil companies. So far, these companies have raked in more...
Green Scissors 2012 is produced by Friends of the Earth, Taxpayers for Common Sense, and R Street to highlight and end wasteful and environmentally harmful federal spending. This diverse coalition of environmental, taxpayer and free-market groups has come together to show how the government can save billions of tax dollars and improve our environment.
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While the program was intended for emerging energy technologies, mature industries like coal and nuclear are eligible as well. Congress provided the program with funding in several areas including advanced nuclear reactors, renewable and energy efficiency, front-end nuclear fuel cycle technology, and advanced fossil fuels....
Federal farm programs are ripe for reform, especially those that lock in record high prices and guarantee farmers’ expected income. As...
For centuries the federal government has been in the business of providing billions in subsidies to coal companies in order to ensure...
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are trying to take advantage of the drought crisis to foist a trillion-dollar farm bill on...
Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee released its 2012 Farm Bill draft which eliminates some wasteful commodity programs but...
On June 21, the Senate passed a few long-awaited reforms to the farm subsidy maze. Unfortunately, at the same time, they also increased...
Like all businesses, agricultural producers face a number of risks in maintaining a profitable enterprise. Successful management of these...
(Originally published June 8, 2012)
With debate on the 2012 Farm Bill underway on the Senate Floor, proponents of this nearly trillion...
The Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program was created in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to provide Treasury backed loan...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) today released a report detailing the potential to save more than a billion dollars a year...
With annual financial reports being released this time of year, the oil and gas industry is looking to continue its decade long trend of...
Federal crop insurance is a highly taxpayer subsidized program that allows agricultural producers to shift their business risk onto...
Carbon capture and storage (CCS), also referred to as carbon capture and sequestration, is the process of separating carbon dioxide (CO2)...
The Medicine Bow plant has been repeatedly delayed over eight years. Putting the full faith and credit of the U.S. government behind this costly and risky project is fiscally reckless. ...
The latest iteration of the Department of Energy’s FutureGen project (find a timeline here) is a federal initiative to finance and...
Taxpayers for Common Sense released today a report detailing the heavily subsidized biofuels industry's political clout.
The biofuels...
Another quarter, another unsurprising set of reports of huge profits for the oil companies. Continuing to be some of the most profitable...
Taxpayers for Common Sense has been working hard to meet the challenge of that the so-called Super Committee is facing - $1.2-1.5...
MYTH: OIL AND GAS COMPANIES HAVE A HIGH EFFECTIVE TAX RATE
“The effective tax rate for the industry is...
A small group Senators are attempting to snatch fiscal defeat from the jaws of taxpayer victory on ethanol subsidies. Last month the...
Big Oil, Big Corn: An in-depth look at the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit
Corn has been subsidized since the 1930s, but it was...
There are a couple of basic truths about oil and gas companies today--they are highly profitable, heavily subsidized, and well-connected...
The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit (VEETC) is the largest subsidy to corn ethanol, the most common biofuel in the U.S. The tax...
The Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee program carries extremely high taxpayer risk, potentially jeopardizing billions of taxpayer dollars if energy project loans default....
The FY2012 Presidential Budget Request was released this morning. TCS staff will be posting relevant documents and analysis as we digest...
The time has come for Congress to begin a serious discussion about how it is going to correct the current budgetary path into deeper and...
Outdated and ineffective farm policies waste billions of federal funds each year, jeopardize fragile lands and waters and no longer...
The time has come for Congress to begin a serious discussion about how it is going to correct the current budgetary path into deeper and...
Also in attendance is Iowa State University economist Bruce Babcock.
Click hereClick herePolicy Briefs:
"Let the VEETC Expire:...
Total SA made $3.2 in the third quarter; Shell: $3.5; Chevron: $3.8; Exxon: $7.4; and most telling of all, BP has emerged back into the...
Newspapers Across the Country Agree: End Ethanol Subsidies!
In light of TCS’ release of the Green Scissors 2010 Report on July 22 and...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a number of environmental and consumer groups and a bipartisan slate of Representatives today in...
Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the plan to build “FutureGen” a massive commercial “clean coal” facility in Mattoon,...
Big Oil has made Big Money over the last decade. In fact, the last five years proved to be some of the most profitable for any U.S....
New Mexico is one of the most heavily mined states in the country, producing large amounts of perlite, copper, and other hardrock...
In keeping with President Obama’s call to end fossil fuel subsidies, the latest budget proposal includes several significant cuts to oil,...
Discovered by German scientists during World War II, the Fischer-Tropsch process – referred to by the Department of Energy as...
For decades, hardrock mining companies have benefited from generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers, all the while extracting...
Oil and gas companies that drill offshore or on public lands are required to pay for the oil and gas they remove in the form of...
Since the nation began using nuclear energy, the federal government has provided billions in subsidies to the industry. More than $85...
Subsidies to the coal industry began in 1932, when the federal government allowed companies to deduct a portion of their income to help...
In 1932, the federal government began giving subsidies to the coal industry in order to help the industry recover initial capital...
Through a combination of subsidies, trade restrictions, and government mandates a handful of corporate agribusinesses and oil companies...
Since the beginning of nuclear energy the federal government has provided billions in handouts to the industry. More than $85 billion has...
SUPPORT THE ANDREWS-CHABOT AMENDMENT TO CUT
ROAD-BUILDING SUBSIDIES
Since 1982, the Forest Service has lost nearly $1 billion...
The following is a summary of the non-consumer energy tax breaks included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008....
Just months after a new multi-billion dollar five year farm bill was passed into law, a federal watchdog reports that individuals who are...
Capital One Financial is a financial services company whose products and services include consumer and commercial banking and credit card...
Nuclear fuel reprocessing is the process of collecting nuclear waste to recover and reuse plutonium and uranium. Despite decades of...
Under intense pressure from the oil and natural gas industry, the Minerals Management Service (MMS)1 started the Royalty-in-Kind (RIK)...
Since the late 1970’s, the federal government has funneled billions of dollars into “Clean Coal” technology and programs designed to make...
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report tabulating U.S. and Iraqi expenditures on rebuilding efforts (click here for...
This is the first in a series of state specific analyses Taxpayers for Common Sense is completing on energy industry subsidies, profits and production. The goal of these analyses will be to raise awareness of the national subsidies the oil and gas industry receives....
Under the 135 year old Mining Law of 1872, valuable taxpayer lands and minerals are virtually given away to international mining...
Taxpayers for Common Sense works with a broad range of groups to enact significant farm policy reform. With the farm bill up for...
The coal industry received more than $9 billion in loans, research funds, tax breaks and other subsidies in the Energy Policy Act of...
Below is a copy of the proposal reportedly put forth the by the Bush Administration over the weekend. It’s hard to say whether this is...
The President released a response to House and Senate conference committee negotiators. The President proposed 13 potential offsets to...
Since the beginning of nuclear energy the federal government has provided billions in handouts to the industry. Nuclear power has...
The federal government has relied primarily on two policy tools in recent years to help mitigate the financial losses experienced by crop...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 2007
CONTACTS:
Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500
Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement by Ms....
The FRESH act introduced by Senators Lugar and Lautenberg, and co-sponsored by Senators Cardin, Menendez, Reed, Hatch, Collins and...
Under the 135 year old Mining Law of 1872, valuable taxpayer lands and minerals are virtually given away to international mining...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 27, 2007
CONTACT:
Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500 x126
Washington, D.C. – The following is a statement from...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2007
CONTACTS:
Steve Ellis, 202-546-8500
Washington, D.C. – The following is a written statement by...
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues outdated, depression-era farm subsidy policies that funnel billions of dollars to...
The following is a written statement by Jill Lancelot, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the Senate refusal to cut billions in handouts for the nation’s largest and richest farms....
OCS inventory:
Government sources estimate that a full inventory of America’s Outer Continental Shelf would cost the government...
For more than a half century the federal government has provided billions in handouts to the nuclear power industry. And today the...
The following is a prepared statement by Franz Matzner, Policy Analyst of Taxpayers for Common Sense on the World Trade Organization's final decision on the Brazil Cotton Case....
Fixed Direct Payments, or ‘decoupled payments’, provide farmers with direct income unrelated to the market.1 Many argue that direct...
The current 768 page, 5 inch thick energy legislation is fueled by pork and will do very little to reduce energy prices or increase...
Following the airline industry's lead, insurance executives have been lobbying Congress for terrorism insurance legislation that will...
The following is a statement by Cena Swisher, Senior Director at Taxpayers for Common Sense, on the House Supporting Payment Caps in Farm Bill:...
The following statement is from Joe Theissen, Executive Director of Taxpayers for Common Sense in response to final passage of S. 1731, the Senate farm bill: ...
WASHINGTON, DC - Government subsidies to oil, coal and nuclear power industries could double if the Senate passes the House energy bill...
How the Mining Industry Used Outdated Rules to Pass Environmental Cleanup Costs to Taxpayers...
Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH) today offered two separate amendments to the House Agriculture spending bill that would eliminate...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is wasting billions of dollars on environmentally harmful projects, charges a new report by Taxpayers...
Washington, DC - The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on an appropriations bill today that is riddled with unnecessary...
Washington, DC – The House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on an appropriations bill today that is riddled with unnecessary...
How Federal Taxpayers Subsidies Waste Resources and Discourage Recycling...
Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All
Volume XVIII No. 37
Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters...
July 11, 2013