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No More Subsidies for Fossil Fuel

There's no way to move to renewable energy sources like wind and solar without ending the subsidies to an industry that's already earning record-breaking profits.

Peter Rothberg

March 16, 2012

After an enormously successful campaign to stop the Keystone XL Pipeline from being built, 350.org and numerous allies are gearing up for a major new fight to end four billion dollars in subsidies the fossil fuel industry receives each year.

There’s no way to move to renewable energy sources like wind and solar without ending the subsidies to an industry that’s already earning record-breaking profits: Exxon-Mobil is currently the most profitable corporation in the history of capitalism.

These subsidies are delivered through the tax code but they are essentially no different from government spending programs that provide money directly. As Seth Hanlon explained on Think Progress: “Some of these tax earmarks have been around for nearly a century, and the deep-pocketed industry has successfully challenged previous repeal attempts. But today’s high gas prices and inflated profits have undermined the industry’s argument that their tax breaks benefit consumers. Meanwhile, federal budget deficits have sharpened Congress’s focus on eliminating wasteful government spending—of which oil subsidies are one of the worst examples.”

So, the time is right to challenge the longstanding advantages the fossil fuel industry has enjoyed in this country. If you’re ready to join this fight, sign on with 350. Over the next month, the group will issue a series of alerts designed to ramp up the pressure on elected officials by having them publicly declare where they stand on the question of subsidies.

The first step is this petition, designed to show Congress how important this issue is, and to alert every member of Congress that an army of concerned citizens are taking this issue very seriously. As Bill McKibben says in this stirring video message, “This fight is a lifetime fight.” Join the battle now.

 

Peter RothbergTwitterPeter Rothberg is the The Nation’s associate publisher.


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