WASHINGTON, D.C. – Staffers for the Heartland Institute today praised Rep. Mike Pompeo’s (R-KS) proposal to eliminate all energy subsidies. The bill, introduced this week, would slash subsidies to fossil fuel and nuclear industries that have typically gotten the most support from conservatives as well as alternative energy industries favored by those on the political left.
“Government should not be in the business of disrupting private enterprise by picking winners and losers in the free market,” says James Taylor, a senior fellow for environmental policy at The Heartland Institute. “Consumers are best served when oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear, wind, solar, and ethanol compete on a level playing field that is not tilted by government pressing its thumb on one side of the scale.”
“The approach Rep. Pompeo is taking is the right one,” says Eli Lehrer, The Heartland Institute’s vice president for Washington, DC operations. “Whether they offer grants to renewable energy companies or preferential treatment for oil companies, the nation’s subsidies to the energy industry as a whole do far more harm than good. The government simply shouldn’t be telling us—or energy companies—how to produce energy. I’m very excited about Rep. Pompeo’s bill.”
The Heartland Institute is a 27-year-old national nonprofit organization with offices in Chicago, Illinois; Washington, DC; Austin, Texas; Tallahassee, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Its mission is to discover, develop, and promote free-market solutions to social and economic problems. For more information, visit our Web site or call 312/377-4000.
