Analysis of Selected Provisions in Hurricane Sandy Emergency Spending Proposals
December 17, 2012
Subsidizing Oil Shale: Tracing Federal Support for Oil Shale Development in the United States
November 29, 2012
As annual financial reports come in, it’s clear the oil and gas industry is looking to continue its decade long trend of being one of the...
Ryan Alexander testified before House Oversight and Government Reform Committee...
Oil and gas companies continue to boast substantial profits while reaping billions in taxpayer-backed subsidies. As of February 1st, four...
The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Energy and Environment held a hearing November 30th to discuss the development...
Last month, Representative Ralph Hall (R-TX) introduced a bill (H.R. 6603) to create $50 million in new taxpayer-funded handouts for oil shale speculation....
With fiscal cliff looming, TCS calls for end to government handouts for failed oil shale experiments....
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2012
CONTACTS:
Steve Ellis
202-546-8500 x126
or steve@taxpayer.net
Taxpayers for Common Sense...
The House Committee on Rules decided yesterday to sideline an amendment offered by Representative Tom McClintock (R-CA) to stop all new...
Today House lawmakers passed the fatally flawed "No More Solyndras Act" enabling tens of billions of dollars in high-risk, costly loan guarantees to move forward. Instead of fulfilling its promise, this misleadingly named bill will...
Today the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the so-called “No More Solyndras Act.” While the bill includes some taxpayer...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups today urging Congress to support changes to the 'No More Solyndras Act' in order to...
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power voted 14-6 Wednesday to send the “No More Solyndras Act” to the full...
The House Subcommittee on Energy and Power and the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a joint hearing today to...
Last week the House of Representatives passed the Energy and Water spending bill that provides funding for the Department of Energy's...
Yesterday the House of Representatives cut $25 million in new funding for oil shale development. Instead of directing more subsidies at...
Reps. Kucinich (D-OH) and McClintock (R-CA) have offered an amendment to stop new loan guarantees from the Department of Energy (DOE)...
Congress is considering spending $100 million on the United States Enrichment Corporation’s (USEC) Piketon, Ohio enrichment project...
This morning the House voted down an amendment that would have stripped the $150 million added to the National Defense Authorization Act for the United States Enrichment Corporation (USEC). ...
$150 million for the United States Enrichment Corporation's (USEC) Piketon, Ohio enrichment facility has been added to the National...
Statement of Ryan Alexander, President, Taxpayers for Common Sense
on the introduction of the Sanders-Ellison bill to eliminate...
Last week the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a new report in a series of on-going analyses criticizing the Department of...
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action joined an ideologically diverse coalition in a letter to the Senate urging them to oppose Amendment...
Today the Senate defeated an amendment offered by Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Burr (R-NC) that would have provided billions in lucrative...
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to members of the Senate urging them support taxpayer positions on amendments to the...
Last Updated: February 19, 2012
The FY2013 Presidential Budget Request was released this morning (2/13/2012). TCS staff will be posting...
Over the years the coal industry has received billions in federal subsidies, in a variety of forms including direct grants, loan...
Today the White House released a 60 day review of the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program. The review, conducted by former...
For the first time in decades, a new nuclear reactor is getting its federal license to build and operate in the United States. Today, the...
Despite a billion dollar taxpayer investment and years of commitment by the Department of Energy (DOE), in a United States Energy...
Today the House Natural Resources Committee considered the energy portions of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (the...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined several groups today to call on Congress to oppose the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans...
Oil subsidies must go, but we can’t stop there; Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program will continue to fail; increased...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joins several groups in marking the expiration of the largest subsidy to the ethanol industry, something TCS...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS:
December 19, 2011 Kristina Rasmussen
(217)...
The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax Credit, or VEETC, the largest subsidy to the ethanol industry, is set to expire on December 31st. Last...
Taxpayers for Common Sense worked with Congressional allies to get 73 Representatives to sign a letter last week asking Speaker of the...
The House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight met as part of an ongoing series of hearings...
The Department of Energy (DOE) Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program is coming up for some much needed scrutiny after two companies funded...
Ms. Ryan Alexander
President Taxpayers for Common Sense Written Testimony submitted to the United States House of...
Department of Energy (DOE) loan guarantees are and should be under the magnifying glass. On August 31, 2011, the first company to receive...
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to several senators regarding S. 1775, the Public Lands Renewable Energy Development Act...
Statement of Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense in response to Department of Interior release of the Supplement to...
October 20, 2011
CONTACT:
Mike Surrusco: michael@taxpayer.net
(202) 546-8500 x102
Taxpayers for Common Sense Targets Oil and Gas...
Today the House continued its investigation of the failed Department of Energy loan guarantee to the solar start-up Solyndra. Today...
Today, a portion of the Dept. of Energy Loan Guarantee Program will expire. While that’s good news for taxpayers the trouble is far from...
Ms. Ryan Alexander
President Taxpayers for Common Sense Written Testimony submitted to the United States House of...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee asking committee members to oppose...
Taxpayers for Common Sense submitted comments to the Office of Natural Resources Revenue concerning Federal Oil and Gas Valuation....
With little debate, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed by voice vote a bill to create the Clean Energy Deployment...
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined with other groups urging Congress to save taxpayers from footing the bill for billions in risky loans by not creating the Clean Energy Deployment Administration....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a broad and diverse coalition supporting Senators Coburn (R-OK), Feinstein (D-CA), and McCain (R-AZ) and their amendments this week which will end the $6 billion annual, taxpayer-funded subsidies for conventional ethanol which go to Big Oil when they blend ethanol with gasoline. ...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense released a comprehensive report on the largest subsidy to corn ethanol, the Volumetric Ethanol Excise...
OnPoint E&E TV
SYNOPSIS:
As the debate over subsidies heats up, should Congress be considering a complete overhaul of the tax...
The Blue Dog Research Forum's "Point and Counterpoint" Edition asked the question: Should We End Tax Benefits to the Oil and Gas...
No giveaways
In "Natural gas better for economy, environment" (May 20 Opinion), T. Boone Pickens tried to justify new subsidies...
Taxpayers for Common Sense and a coalition of groups sent a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee calling for them to oppose the Clean Energy Deployment Administration....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined 16 other taxpayer and conservative groups on an open letter to Congress urging them to oppose yet another new energy subsidy. ...
Democrats target big oil: Experts debate
In an effort to create revenue and decrease the deficit, Democrats are pushing to end tax...
TCS Action sent a letter to Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) to urge crafting of a bill that will trim unnecessary wasteful oil and gas tax breaks. By eliminating wasteful and outdated tax breaks, Congress can bring valuable revenue to the Treasury and begin chipping away at the nation's trillion dollar deficit....
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to the U.S. House of Representatives calling for Congress to oppose H.R. 1380, the New Alternative Transportation to Give American Solutions or NAT GAS Act....
Taxpayers for Common Sense joined a broad and diverse coalition applauding Senators Coburn (R-OK) and Feinstein (D-CA) for combining their efforts to end billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies for conventional ethanol by introducing the bipartisan “Ethanol Subsidy and Tariff Repeal Act.”...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner, regarding his recent comments that oil companies "ought to be paying their fair share."...
Taxpayers for Common Sense along with the George C. Marshall Institute, the Non-Proliferation Policy Education Center, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the National Taxpayers Union, sent a letter to both the House and Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittees urging lawmakers to not provide additional loan guarantee authority to the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program in the Fiscal Year 2012 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill....
The House Appropriations Committee released the final Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the federal government for the rest of the 2011...
Taxpayers for Common Sense, National Taxpayers Union, The Heritage Foundation, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute will hold a discussion on the impacts of federal energy loan guarantees on the federal budget and energy markets....
Taxpayers for Common Sense has been critical of the Loan Guarantee Program since its inception in 2005 and we are pleased that Congress...
Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to senators today urging them to support efforts to immediately end spending billions of taxpayer dollars on a wasteful tax credit that was set to expire last year. Read our letter below and contact your senators to ask for their support on this common sense taxpayer-friendly amendment.
...
Taxpayers for Common Sense along with a coalition of nearly 30 groups sent a letter to Congress calling for an end to energy...
Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside a broad and diverse coalition of groups sent a letter supporting the Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax...
Energy Loan Guarantee Program Under More Scrutiny
The Department of Energy Inspector General recently released a report faulting DOE...
On March 3, 2011 Taxpayers for Common Sense President Ryan Alexander testified at a House Committee on Oversight and Government reform...
Taxpayers for Common Sense along with 90 other organizations and associations delivered a letter to Congressional leaders on Tuesday...
Senate Energy Committee’s Hearing on the President’s
FY2012 Budget Request
Earlier this week the President released his budget request...
The House of Representatives is debating a Continuing Resolution to fund the federal government for the rest of fiscal year 2011 (through...
The House Continuing Appropriations Bill (CR) offers ample fodder for the chopping block. Unfortunately, House Republicans released a...
On January 26, the Senate Energy Committee and House Natural Resources Committee both held hearings on the final report produced by...
Last week, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced legislation to eliminate an unnecessary giveaway for mining companies that cost...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense delivered to leadership in both the House and Senate a report on how Congress can quickly cut nearly...
Ethanol funds don't help farmers or the environment
A handful of farm-state senators were once again able to funnel ethanol subsidies...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to Congress urging members to oppose ANY extension to the Volumetric Ethanol...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside National Taxpayers Union, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and the Nonproliferation...
(Update 9/30/2010)
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense participated in a discussion on whether taxpayers should bear the risks for the...
Taxpayers for Common Sense, together with a diverse coalition of 58 groups, sent a letter to congressional leaders today urging them to...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense along with the Grocery Manufacturers Association held a briefing on the "Impacts and Future of the Corn...
The Co-chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform gave their proposals to fellow Commission members today....
Ten months into 2010 and Big Oil has pumped in billions in profits. So far this year, top oil companies have made nearly $50 billion in...
US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack yesterday urged members of Congress to reinstate the biodiesel tax credit and extend...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense participated in a discussion on "Making Environmental and Fiscal Responsibility a Priority."
TCS was...
Score one for the taxpayers! A $7.5 billion Department of Energy loan guarantee for the Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor near Lusby,...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense alongside environmental groups and business associations hosted a conference call with members of the...
Last week the Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee held a hearing on the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program. The...
Statement by Steve Ellis, Vice President, Taxpayers for Common Sense
at Southern Alliance for Clean Energy Tele-Press Conference...
Today, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the plan to build “FutureGen” a massive commercial “clean coal” facility in Mattoon,...
On July 22, the Senate Committee on Appropriations passed the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The $34.97 billion bill...
Energy Legislation and Clean Energy Development
The House of Representatives took another step closer to considering energy legislation...
On July 20, the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee approved a whopping $17 billion in new loan guarantees...
On July 15, the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee approved a $34.7 billion FY 2011 funding bill. Drafts of the bill are...
Taxpayers for Common Sense released a joint statement to the Senate Energy and Water Development Subcommittee urging members to oppose...
On Wednesday June 14, The House Natural Resources Committee held a hearing to debate and vote on the Consolidated Land, Energy, and...
On June 30, 2010, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) introduced the End Big Oil Tax Subsidies Act to cut a number of subsidies for big...
An AP investigation released yesterday found that in the gulf region alone, there are approximately 27,000 abandoned wells lying...
As we posted yesterday, the Fiscal Year 2011 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill mark-up scheduled in the Subcommittee was postponed. ...
Today the House Committee on Appropriations Energy and Water Subcommittee was scheduled to hold the first mark-up on a Fiscal Year...
After receiving a 30 day extension, Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, accepted an $8.3 billion taxpayer-backed loan guarantee...
Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released the schedule of rental fees it will charge for development of solar generation...
Today, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) filed an amendment, 4318, to so-called tax extenders legislation that would repeal $35 billion...
“And our efforts will not come at any cost to the taxpayers.” – BP advertisement, New York Times, June 2, 2010
BP’s assurance that...
Today, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action released a letter to the House opposing increased nuclear loan guarantees in the Emergency Supplemental.
...
The Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill being considered today in committee in the House includes an additional $18 billion in...
Yesterday Interior Secretary Ken Salazar issued a Secretarial Order dividing the Minerals Management Agency, the federal manager of oil...
Recent press reports indicate that the Administration and leadership on Capitol Hill have brokered a deal to add billions of dollars...
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to the House Committee on Ways and Means urging members to protect taxpayers' interests in drafting energy tax and green jobs legislation....
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action released a letter to the Senate urging support for a transparent energy and climate bill that reduces subsidies to well-established, highly profitable companies, and that holds industry accountable for meeting our clean energy needs....
In its latest of many critical reviews, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) this week issued a report criticizing the Department...
Would you approve a gas powered alarm clock for Energy Star certification without actually reviewing the device to see if the product is...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense joined together with representatives from the Grocery Manufacturers Association, American Meat...
Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Guarantee Program to provide loan guarantees...
This afternoon, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action sent a letter to the Senate opposing blanket tax credit extensions in the Tax Extenders...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense Action released a letter to the Senate opposing the inclusion of generous tax breaks for liquid coal in...
Today the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a detailed report documenting taxpayer costs for cleaning up oil and gas wells...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 16, 2010 – Ryan Alexander, president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, issued the following statement today in...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – February 16, 2010 -- The following is a written statement by Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense...
The President’s budget ends funding for the Yucca Mountain project, which was intended to be a permanent nuclear waste disposal site....
The President’s FY2011 budget proposal triples funding to the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program. This includes $36 billion in...
Similar to last year’s budget request, the Fiscal year 2011 budget request eliminates several longstanding oil and gas subsidies. TCS is...
***Updated February 15, 2010***
The Department of Energy announced in December 2009 that they would soon issue Treasury-backed loan...
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. President:...
Written Statement by Ms. Ryan Alexander, President of Taxpayers for Common Sense:
Last night in his State of the Union address,...
On December 15th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee held a hearing on two pieces of legislation aimed at boosting...
Discovered by German scientists during World War II, the Fischer-Tropsch process – referred to by the Department of Energy as...
Today the Department of Energy (DOE) released their amended final rule governing the Title XVII loan guarantee program. The program’s...
While Congress considers proposals to funnel billions in loan guarantees for the construction of new nuclear reactors, the costs of...
Taxpayers will likely lose at least $19 billion to oil and gas companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico.
At the G-20 meeting in Pittsburgh today, President Obama and the other G-20 leaders called for an international end to fossil fuel...
Yesterday TCS submitted comments to the Department of Energy (DOE) on proposed changes to the Title XVII Loan Guarantee Program. In early...
Oil and Gas companies have skirted millions of dollars in payments owed to the federal government for the extraction of natural gas from...
This morning, Interior Secretary Salazar announced that he will end the mismanaged and wasteful Minerals Management Service’s (MMS)...
Since the nation began using nuclear energy, the federal government has provided billions in subsidies to the industry. More than $85...
Late last night the Senate completed their work on the Defense Authorization bill, S. 1390. The bill passed with an overwhelming...
This week the Senate is considering the Defense Authorization bill, S. 1390. Several Senators have offered amendments regarding the use of...
Today Taxpayers for Common Sense sent a letter to each member of the House and Senate urging them to oppose any legislative actions to...
Last Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development held their mark-up of the fiscal year 2010 Energy and Water...
Today, the House took an historic step towards addressing climate change by passing The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009....
Today, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources completed work on the American Clean Energy Leadership Act (ACELA), passing...
On June 17, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee adopted S. 949, the 21st Century Energy and Technology Deployment Act as...
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee narrowly passed an amendment to repeal the outer continental shelf deep water and...
Last Thursday, the House Agrculture Committee questioned Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a hearing on pending climate change...
On Wednesday, the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee heard testimony from Department of Energy Secretary...
The Conference Agreement on the Budget Resolution that is expected to pass the House and Senate today does not include language...
Late last night the Senate passed an amendment to the Budget Resolution supporting a $50 billion reserve fund for the Department of...
The President’s budget highlights, released last week, took the ax to major subsidies to the oil and gas industry. Through the...
The Omnibus Appropriations bill that passed yesterday in the House and is expected next week in the Senate includes $47 billion for the...
Today TCS explained the basics of the Department of Energy's loan guarantees program at an Institute for Energy and Environmental...
Today the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee Program. The program,...
During conference negotiations over the stimulus bill, the egregious $50 billion expansion of the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan...
February 10, 2009
Dear Representative,
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to oppose the inclusion of an additional $50...
(Download a pdf version of this letter)
February 2, 2009
Dear Senator,
Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges you to oppose...
Both the House and Senate included increase for clean coal technologies in their stimulus bills. The House provided $2.4 billion for...
This week, both the House and Senate included increases for the Department of Energy Loan Guarantee program in their stimulus bills, but...
Since the beginning of nuclear energy the federal government has provided billions in handouts to the industry. More than $85 billion has...
A new report today released by the RAND Corporation addresses the costs, benefits and risks associated with commercial development of...
Despite the federal government’s recognition that “any significant production of oil shale is not likely to occur for a number of years,”...
Statement by Jill Lancelot, Co-founder/Senior Advisor, regarding Colorado public awareness effort on energy.
Statement by Jill...
Taxpayer subsidies to the oil and gas industry have played a major role in U.S. energy policy since 1916. Two of the largest tax breaks,...
Nuclear fuel reprocessing is the process of collecting nuclear waste to recover and reuse plutonium and uranium. Despite decades of...
A report released today by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concludes that the Minerals Management Service (MMS) is at risk of...
Dear Representative,
On behalf of our combined memberships, we urge you to oppose any time extensions for the Department of...
In a letter to each Senator, Taxpayers for Common Sense Action urges the Senate to oppose any effort to provide additional subsidies to...
The following is a letter from Taxpayers for Common Sense Action prior to upcoming Senate vote on the Defense Authorization Bill for...
A new report finds that the federal oil and gas systems inability to adapt royalty rates or lease contracts to market conditions could...
Government officials responsible for the collection of billions of dollars of oil royalties to the federal treasury accepted gifts from...
The FY09 House Energy and Water Bill specifically denies funds for the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP), a large-scale DOE...
In a new report released today, the Government Accountability Office recommends Congress limit the amount of loan guarantees issued by...
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released today estimates taxpayers will lose up to $53 billion from Gulf of Mexico oil...
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...
Dear Senator,
We urge you to oppose the inclusion of language in the final energy bill exempting the Department of Energy (DOE) Loan...
Our weekly reality-check for federal spending. View All
While Washington is wringing its hands about the automatic across-the-board budget cuts known as...
December 17, 2012
November 29, 2012