Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources

Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: "Energy Subsidies Favor Fossil Fuels Over Renewables

The current energy and climate debate would benefit from a broader understanding of the explicit and hidden government subsidies that affect energy use throughout the economy. In an effort to examine this issue, ELI conducted a review of fossil fuel and renewable energy subsidies for Fiscal Years 2002-2008. Our findings are presented in the graphic “Energy Subsidies Black, Not Green.” The accompanying paper, Estimating U.S. Government Subsidies to Energy Sources: 2002-2008, describes the approach used to identify and quantify the subsidies presented in the graphic. ELI researchers used a standardized methodology to calculate government expenditures. Where this methodology was lacking or did not apply, ELI researchers calculated subsidy values on a case-by-case basis."