Subsidies for Bad Energy To Be Retroactively Reauthorized?

Happily, at the end of 2009 several environmentally damaging tax credits expired.  These subsidies went to a range of dirty energy sources, including fossil fuels and bioenergy, at the expense of taxpayers.  The various tax credits went to a long list of environmentally damaging energy sources, including:

• Refined Coal
• Low sulfur diesel fuel credit
• Coke or Coke Gas (petroleum product)
• Purchase of Motor Vehicles
• Oil and Gas from Marginal Wells
• “Alternative fuels”, including liquid coal and other dirty fossil fuels
• Aviation Kerosene and Noncommercial Aviation Gasoline
• Biodiesel 
• Biomass Electricity

Unfortunately, Congress has been quickly working to retroactively reauthorize these subsidies despite their high economic and environmental costs.  Not only does this fly in the face of Obama’s call to end global subsization for fossil fuels, but it also ignores fiscal responsibility in a time of economic strife for the country.  Friends of the Earth wrote to Congress and asked that many of these credits remain unauthorized. 

Broad Letter  |  Biomass Tax Credit Letter  |  Biodiesel Tax Credit Letter  |  “Alternative Fuel” (Liquid Coal) Tax Credit Letter