In the News

Should Taxpayers Back Reactors?

Supporters call it smart energy policy. Critics have dubbed it "Solyndra on steroids." An energy bill that President Bush signed into law...

The Next Solyndra? $8 Billion U.S. Loan Guarantee for Nuke Reactors Too Risky

Think what you want about nuclear power. Maybe it’s the best way to generate electricity, and maybe it’s the worst. If you are a taxpayer,...

Letters to the Editor: Learning the Lessons From Hurricane Sandy

To the Editor: Your editorial about the report from the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force hit the nail on the head: better preparation...

National Flood Insurance Program

Taxpayers for Common Sense Vice President Stephen Ellis discusses the National Flood Insurance Program and how a new law is causing rates to...

Congressional Meddling Floods Over

The National Flood Insurance Program is insolvent. By the end of the year, it will likely owe at least $26 billion to the U.S. Treasury...

Stem the wealthy’s sweet flood-insurance deal

Tucked into the Department of Homeland Security spending bill the Senate Appropriations Committee approved recently is a nefarious provision...

Rep. Ted Yoho entangled in dispute over farm bill

The farm bill making its way through Congress includes a significant change — away from direct payments and toward crop insurance — in the...

Rising flood insurance rates a growing fear in Lowcountry

Michael Sally, who works in the real estate business, went on a road trip in May. His destination: Washington, D.C. The purpose: to hear...

The big insurance gamble for farmers and taxpayers

For the past 46 years Richard Barber has coaxed peanuts from the earth in western Marion County, but it wasn't until last year that for the...

Bill would raise flood insurance for some and subsidize others

Tucked into the Department of Homeland Security spending bill the Senate Appropriations Committee approved this week is a nefarious...

Vogtle reactors mean more clean energy

The City of Calhoun Electric Utilities receives the majority of its power from nuclear power. During the city council meeting on Monday,...

Flood insurance changes hit resistance, face delay as premiums are due to spike

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing higher federal flood insurance premiums under reforms passed last year would win a temporary...

Federal loan guarantee offer for Vogtle expansion extended again

The owners of Plant Vogtle have secured – for the third time – an extension to allow further negotiation with the U.S. Energy Department...

KABATA announces Government Hill tunnel survey, catches national flak

A critical legislative audit and an attempt at transferring project management has failed to slow down the Knik Arm Bridge and Toll...

Boehner decides to support farm bill

Speaker of the House John Boehner on Wednesday pledged his support for the farm bill scheduled to come to the House floor next week — a...

The farm bill, food stamps, and the future of crop subsidies

This week, the Senate passed a five-year, half-trillion dollar farm bill on a bi-partisan 66-27 vote. Now, it's on to the House of...

Coastal lawmakers, fearing rate hikes, cross party lines to keep flood insurance subsidies

Nearly a year after Congress was hailed for moving to fix the debt-ridden flood insurance program, coastal lawmakers are trying to stall key...

Lets Wise Up About Defense Spending

The House Armed Services Committee is voting on the fiscal year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act this week and will turn it over to...

After deadly storms, how can costs be controlled?

The nation is still reeling from deadly tornadoes across the Midwest and preparing for hurricane season, but advocacy groups continue to...

Lawmakers clash over catastrophe fund

There’s a bill in Congress that would create a catastrophe fund to put money aside ahead of time to respond to natural disasters, but not...

Louisiana lawmakers vow to fight again for flood insurance measure

WASHINGTON — Louisiana’s two senators vowed Tuesday to continue the battle to delay rate hikes in flood insurance policies after a...

How to Reform the Tax Code

Washington is a town marked more frequently by disagreement than consensus, but there is one point on which almost all parties agree: The...

Homeowner insurance bill hurts taxpayers

This month, Rep. Albio Sires (D-N.Y.) reintroduced legislation that would create a federal backstop for disaster insurance, replacing...

Cutting-edge approach needed to revamp flood insurance, flood risk analysis

WASHINGTON – With the price of flood insurance on the rise and climate change likely to worsen Midwest flooding, a scientific panel wants...

Morning Defense

Biden to welcome Hagel - Senate CR advances - Sequester solutions brewing? - Lawmakers blast AF over sexual assault case - AIA faces...

Bipartisan agreement on budget cuts: Scalpel is better than ax

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans don't agree on much these days, but there's consensus on one major issue: The automatic budget cuts...

In Oklahoma, tiny airport attracts federal money, but few planes

ARDMORE, Okla. — Along a country road in southern Oklahoma, there is a place that doesn’t make sense. It is an airport without...

Bi-state battle brewing over Bootheel floodway levee plan

 WASHINGTON – Critics call it a “dinosaur project,” a threat to the environment and a waste of money. Proponents describe it as a key...

Congress listening more to Renewable Fuel Standard opponents

Thomas Elam has made his voice heard as the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard is in the midst of a 45-day...

Controversial motor fuel with more ethanol raises concerns

Although some motorists might not realize it, the gasoline they’re putting into their vehicles is 10 percent ethanol. Since 2010 Florida...

Hill Briefing Shreds Renewable Fuel Standard

This morning I attended a briefing on “The Renewable Fuel Standard: Pitfalls, Challenges, and the Need for Congressional Action in 2013.”...

NMMA makes case to Congress on fuel standard

The National Marine Manufacturers Association made its case with several other groups Tuesday to federal lawmakers on the negative impact of...

Farmers, environmentalists await seventh analysis of 60-year-old Mississippi levee plan

An engineering project introduced during the Eisenhower administration may be carried out during the Obama administration, but with no more...

Rethinking Our Place In A Post-Hurricane Sandy World

The financial sting from Hurricane Sandy lingers, but it is encouraging to see more businesses and policymakers embracing bold measures to...

Analyst warns of RFS threat to US poultry industry

A US analyst has warned that the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is causing the cost of chicken and turkey to rocket, leaving many producers...

Ag Economist Urges Congress to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

"The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that leads...

Coalition seeks fuel standard repeal through legislation

A coalition of groups seeking to reform or repeal the Renewable Fuel Standard, which mandates the use of biofuels such as ethanol, is...

Congress Urged to Begin Extensive Reform of RFS

US - "The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is broken, but Congress can fix the rule by acting now and opening an inclusive, robust debate that...

Strange bedfellows unite for Hill fight over renewable fuels policy

A strange-bedfellow coalition of environmentalists, hunger advocates, oil refiners and boat manufacturers is taking to Capitol Hill to push...

AGRIBUSINESS: RFS opponents launch new Hill campaign

  A coalition of opponents of the Renewable Fuel Standard held a telephone news conference today to announce they are launching a new...

Ethanol slowdown not enough, say mandate critics

Never in the history of corn-based ethanol have so many Nebraska ethanol plants been idle. “This would be the largest drop we’ve ever...

Strange bedfellows unite to bash RFS

The country’s Renewable Fuel Standard has done something few things in Washington can: bring together a diverse set of interests for a...

Unusual allies fight renewable fuel standard

Humanitarians, environmentalists, farmers’ advocates and refiners on Monday came together to demand changes to a renewable fuel mandate they...

Sen. Murkowski backs calls to reevaluate biofuel mandate

The Senate Energy Committee’s top Republican said Monday that she is “in good company” with congressional calls to reevaluate a...

ACE responds to Big Oil’s ethanol, RFS criticism

The Environmental Working Group joined a variety of other organizations today to call for the reform of the renewable fuel standard (RFS),...

Coalition Pushing for New National Framework for Disasters

A coalition of national interests has introduced a framework intended to shape how the nation responds to natural disasters, or as one...

SmarterSafer.org to Unveil New Disaster Assistance Framework To Protect American Families, Taxpayers and the Environment

WASHINGTON  - SmarterSafer.org will host a conference call at  11 a.m.  on Thursday, January 31  to introduce its new Disaster Assistance...

United States of Crisis Seen Costing Jobs, Wasting Money

With the stroke of his pen the day after New Year’s, President Barack Obama extended a $5 billion farm subsidy program that he opposes and...

Record Taxpayer Cost Is Seen for Crop Insurance

WASHINGTON — The worst drought in 50 years could leave taxpayers with a record bill of nearly $16 billion in crop insurance costs because of...

USDA agency’s largesse grows crop insurance

Most Americans have never heard of the Risk Management Agency, but the obscure Agriculture Department office spreads good cheer and millions...

Sandy’s impact underscores need for national mitigation strategy

One hundred and eleven homes burned to the ground in Queens, flooding in parts of Manhattan forced the financial markets and subways to...

Report: No Future in Oil Shale, Utah’s “Rock That Burns”

VERNAL, Utah - It isn't working out and it's costing taxpayers money. Those are two reasons a congressional watchdog group opposes oil shale...

Groups Opposed to Farm Bill Inclusion in Fiscal Cliff Deal Speak Out

Some farm groups and lawmakers would like to see a farm bill included as part of any legislation written to avert the fiscal cliff. But the...

Senate unveils Hurricane Sandy bill

 The Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday released a bill to pay for damage caused by October's Hurricane Sandy. The bill would...

For Federal Workers, a Fiscal Cliff Deal Carries Dangers

Federal workers know the drill when it comes to big budget questions. With Congress grappling with another fiscal crisis, federal employee...

Sand dunes spare NJ homes from Sandy’s destruction

(CBS News) LONG BEACH ISLAND, N.J. - Six weeks after superstorm Sandy, FEMA said more than half a million homeowners want federal help....

Conservatives, Environmentalists Find Common Cause Against Tying Farm Bill To Fiscal Cliff

WASHINGTON — Although they may be natural enemies in the modern, legislative landscape of Washington, environmentalists and fiscal...

After the Storm, New Questions Arise

To the Editor: Re “Resisted for Blocking the View, Dunes Prove They Blunt Storms” (front page, Dec. 4): Senators Charles E. Schumer and...

Snake-Oil Deficit Savings

Like things you spot in your side-view mirror, many of the budget numbers flitting around the debt talks are larger than they appear....

Obama, Congress at an impasse on fiscal cliff

In January, Bush-era tax cuts expire and across-the-board spending cuts kick in. The clock is ticking and Congress appears no closer to...

Congress prepares for bailout of flood insurance program amid Sandy claims

Hurricane Sandy-related claims are pouring into the troubled government-run National Flood Insurance Program — and Congress is girding for...

When to Stay and When to Go

Blanket federal spending after disasters can lead to rebuilding that isn’t in the best interest of the community, the state or the nation....

How Sandy revealed the follies of federal flood insurance programs

The mess that is now the Jersey Shore is a potent reminder of nature’s fury, but also of misguided government overreach. Driven by Sandy’s...

Let’s stop subsidizing living in harm’s way

Our nation is recovering from a natural disaster. Again. This time it’s Sandy. A few months ago, it was the drought. Last year, there was...

Rebuilding Resilience: We have to stop subsidizing people to live in harm’s way

Our nation is recovering from a natural disaster. Again. This time it's Sandy. A few months ago, it was the drought. Last year, there was...

NFIP May Need Additional Borrowing Authority to Pay Sandy Claims

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) will likely need to go to Congress for additional borrowing authority to pay claims from...

Flood insurance program serves vital role after storms

WASHINGTON — The most significant source of compensation for many homeowners and businesses hit by Hurricane Sandy will be the National...

Obama plans Asia trip amid budget fight

With less than two months left for Washington to avoid an impending fiscal crisis that could drive economic recovery into a tailspin,...

Nearly all of ag wants farm bill action

On Tuesday, the day that Congress starts its lame-duck session, 235 groups representing nearly every facet of agriculture sent a letter to...

Schumer, Gillibrand seeks funds for coastline

WASHINGTON -- New York's U.S. senators said Wednesday they will seek $500 million to $1 billion in federal funding for seven Army Corps of...

Lame duck Congress, go home

(CNN) -- The lame duck Congress should depart town quietly and leave the governing to President Obama and the newly elected Congress in...

Joint Op-Ed: Pass a fiscally responsible Farm Bill extension

Written By: Steve Ellis, Taxpayers for Common Sense and Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group It’s too late for Congress to pass a...

Congress could renew debate on flood reforms, building codes as NFIP seeks funds after Sandy

By Sean P. Carr   Reaching agreement on a five-year reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program took several years. In the...

After Sandy: Reassessing the Nation’s Flood Fund

By Jennifer Scholtes, CQ Staff Until a week ago, it looked as if Congress had acted in the nick of time this summer to save the...

Sandy to test revamped federal flood insurance program

By: Roberta Rampton Superstorm Sandy is threatening to drag the U.S. government's debt-ridden flood insurance program back into the...

Missing info made for weak points

By: Dennis Roooker In the Oct. 21 Daily Progress, George Will’s column included the following: “America’s bold premise is the possibility...

Costly aftermath? Another battering for homeowners

New Jersey is not Florida North quite yet. But the widespread wreckage left by Sandy, the nor’easter-tropical storm hybrid that...

Who will pay to rebuild after Sandy?

How will New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority pay for major damage to aging track, stations and equipment in the flooded...

In Areas Hit By Sandy, Lawmakers Ask U.S. to Pay The Whole Cost

"This was not a New York disaster, or a New Jersey disaster or a Connecticut disaster, but a national disaster, and FEMA and the federal...

In areas hit by Sandy, lawmakers ask U.S. to pay the whole cost

By Richard Simon WASHINGTON — Uncle Sam is picking up the full cost of providing emergency power and public transportation in areas hard...

Groups: Flawed “No More Solyndras Act” Would Still Leave Taxpayers At Risk Of Costly Energy Boondoggle Defaults (PR Newswire)

Taxpayers for Common Sense, Heritage Foundation, National Taxpayers Union, and Competitive Enterprise Institute Outline Troubled Projects...

Yet More Solyndras (National Review)

Congress returns this week and plans to kick off their short stint in Washington before heading back to the campaign trail with a bill misleadingly called the “No More Solyndras Act.” ...

Green Scissors for Congress

When you’re in a hole, you stop digging. And when you’ve got a $1.3-trillion deficit and $15.7 trillion in debt, you’ve got to start...

Split Among House Republicans Over How Deeply to Cut May Delay Farm Bill (New York Times)

By Ron Nixon WASHINGTON — The first major overhaul of the nation’s nutrition and farm program is in jeopardy because of a split in the ranks...

Bad Reactors

Seven years ago, Finland was faced with a daunting energy dilemma. To keep its domestic industries up and running, it needed to double its...

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...