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Oil Shale: Failing Taxpayers for Decades

December 19, 2012 | Fact Sheet | Energy , Natural Resources

Oil Shale: Failing Taxpayers for Decades Since the early 20th century, the federal government and private industry have attempted to commercialize oil shale but after years of... Read More

Subsidizing Oil Shale: Tracing Federal Support for Oil Shale Development in the United States

November 29, 2012 | Reports & Data | Energy , Natural Resources

Subsidizing Oil Shale: Tracing Federal Support for Oil Shale Development in the United States With fiscal cliff looming, TCS calls for end to government handouts for failed oil shale experiments.... Read More

Green Scissors Campaign 101

Green Scissors Campaign 101 A basic primer on the Green Scissors campaign and answers general questions about the history and goals of the coalition.... Read More

Senate Ag Committee: More is Less

June 17, 2012 | Policy Brief | Agriculture

(Originally published June 8, 2012) With debate on the 2012 Farm Bill underway on the Senate Floor, proponents of this nearly trillion... Read More

The Nation’s Transportation Trust Funds

January 19, 2012 | Policy Brief | Transportation & Infrastructure

The nation’s transportation system — highways, transit lines, aviation, waterways, and ports — is largely supported by a series of... Read More

Super Cuts for the Super Committee

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... Read More

Green Scissors 2011

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined environmental, consumer watchdog, and free-market groups today to release Green Scissors 2011, which... Read More

Taxpayer Risks with the Loan Guarantee Program

April 07, 2011 > Updated: August 28, 2012 | Fact Sheet | Energy

Taxpayer Risks with the Loan Guarantee Program The Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantee program carries extremely high taxpayer risk, potentially jeopardizing billions of taxpayer dollars if energy project loans default.... Read More

Ongoing TCS Analysis of the FY2012 Budget Proposal

March 10, 2011 | Policy Brief |

The FY2012 Presidential Budget Request was released this morning. TCS staff will be posting relevant documents and analysis as we digest... Read More

Common Sense Cuts—$900 billion in savings over 10 years

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... Read More

TCS Recommended Budget Cuts for the 112th Congress

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... Read More

TCS and the Wilderness Society Release Report: Fair Market Value for Wind and Solar Development on Public Land

December 21, 2010 | Energy , Natural Resources

TCS and the Wilderness Society Release Report: Fair Market Value for Wind and Solar Development on Public Land A review and analysis of the laws and regulations governing the collection and use of revenues from commercial energy development on federal lands and is a guide for policy-makers to use in developing appropriate policies for wind and solar energy projects.... Read More

Fair Market Value for Wind and Solar Development on Public Land

December 20, 2010 | Reports & Data | Natural Resources

Fair Market Value for Wind and Solar Development on Public Land A review and analysis of the laws and regulations governing the collection and use of revenues from commercial energy development on federal lands and is a guide for policy-makers to use in developing appropriate policies for wind and solar energy projects.... Read More

Green Scissors 2010

Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a number of environmental and consumer groups and a bipartisan slate of Representatives today in... Read More

Fool Me Once–Energy Legislation Should Include Royalty System for Wind and Solar Projects on Taxpayer Lands

June 20, 2010 | Policy Brief | Energy , Natural Resources

The Gulf of Mexico oil spill has refocused Congress’ attention on energy and climate legislation. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid... Read More

Mining Companies Enchanted by New Mexico Giveaways

May 03, 2010 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

New Mexico is one of the most heavily mined states in the country, producing large amounts of perlite, copper, and other hardrock... Read More

Arizona Public Lands in Mining Company Hands

March 18, 2010 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

Arizona is one of the most heavily mined states in the country, producing large amounts of copper, silver and other hardrock minerals.... Read More

The Percentage Depletion Allowance (PDA): A Double Giveaway for Hardrock Mining Companies

December 04, 2009 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

For decades, hardrock mining companies have benefited from generous tax breaks at the expense of taxpayers, all the while extracting... Read More

Oil and Gas Royalties: Relief for Oil and Gas Companies, a Fiscal Headache for Taxpayers

November 03, 2009 | Fact Sheet | Energy

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... Read More

More than 161,000 Abandoned Mines in the West

August 12, 2009 | Natural Resources

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that there are at least 161,000 abandoned mines in western states. The research,... Read More

Royalties from Hardrock Mining on State Lands as High as 12%

August 12, 2009 | Natural Resources

In a recent analysis on hardrock mining, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that among twelve western states, all assess... Read More

Lastest List of House Members Supporting Mining Reform

August 03, 2009 | Natural Resources

Early this year, Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV) introduced H.R. 699, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009. H.R. 699 would... Read More

TCS Comments on Senate Hearing on Reform of 1872 Mining Law

July 13, 2009 | Natural Resources

"We are pleased that Senator Bingaman has begun the process of engaging the Senate in reforming the Mining Act of 1872 by... Read More

Analysis of Energy Tax Provisions Included in the Economic Stabilization Act of 2008

December 05, 2008 | Policy Brief | Energy

The following is a summary of the non-consumer energy tax breaks included in H.R. 1424, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.... Read More

Royalty-in-Kind: A Costly Complication

September 10, 2008 | Fact Sheet | Energy , Natural Resources

Under intense pressure from the oil and natural gas industry, the Minerals Management Service (MMS)1 started the Royalty-in-Kind (RIK)... Read More

Utah Hardrock Mining Fact Sheet

June 11, 2008 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

Under the 135 year old Mining Law of 1872, valuable taxpayer lands and minerals are virtually given away to international mining... Read More

Bipartisan Group of Senators Call for Taxpayer Protections in New Mining Law

April 22, 2008 | Natural Resources

Washington, D.C. – Today Senators Feingold (D-WI), Sununu (R-NH), Cantwell (D-WA), and Gregg (R-NH) led a bi-partisan push for the... Read More

Hardrock Mining Royalty Fair to Taxpayers, Fair to Industry

March 15, 2008 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

Fair Compensation for Taxpayers For more than 8 decades the coal, oil, and natural gas industries have all paid royalties for the right... Read More

TCS Applauds Amendment Securing Royalty Reforms in Mining Legislation

October 17, 2007 | Natural Resources

TCS Applauds Hinchey Amendment Securing Royalty Reforms in Mining Legislation Washington, DC -- The following is a written statement by... Read More

New Mexico Hardrock Mining Fact Sheet

September 18, 2007 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

Under the 135 year old Mining Law of 1872, valuable taxpayer lands and minerals are virtually given away to international mining... Read More

Oil and Gas Royalty Relief Fact Sheet

April 27, 2006 | Fact Sheet | Energy , Natural Resources

“Relief” for Oil and Gas A Fiscal Headache for Taxpayers “Now, we don’t think oil companies need tax incentives or subsidies to drill... Read More

Rip-Off in Big Cypress: How the Department of the Interior attempted to orchestrate one of the worst land deals in history

June 20, 2005 | Fact Sheet | Natural Resources

By: John Nohlgren On May, 29th 2002, President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, together announced the... Read More

Let’s End the Century of Subsidies

June 16, 2002 | Natural Resources

The following statement was released today by Steve Ellis, Senior Director of Water Resources at Taxpayers for Common Sense on the 100th anniversary of the United States Bureau of Reclamation:... Read More

Weekly Wastebasket

Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All

September 13, 2013

Syria: Excuse 535 To Not Cut the Deficit

Volume XVIII No. 37 Possible action in Syria has become the most recent excuse du jour for Pentagon boosters... Read More