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Pennsylvania Fossil Fuel Subsidies: An Overview

Pennsylvania is subsidizing fossil fuels at a cost of almost $2.9 billion per year.  Use of these fuels burdens taxpayers with additional non-monetized externalities such as air, land and water pollution and the associated negative human health and property impacts. Since many of these subsidies were passed years or decades ago, Pennsylvania’s current policymakers may not all be aware that these subsidies exist or understand their cumulative impacts.

The Trade Effects of Phasing Out Fossil-Fuel Consumption Subsidies

This report draws on previous OECD work to assess the impact on international trade of phasing out fossil fuel consumption subsidies provided mainly by developing and emerging economies. The analysis employed the OECD’s ENV-Linkages General-Equilibrium model and used the IEA’s estimates of consumer subsidies, which measure the gap existing between the domestic prices of fossil fuels and an international reference benchmark.

Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks, Special Accounting, and Societal Costs

Numerous energy subsidies exist in the U.S. tax code and have been there for up to a century. In certain cases the circumstances relevant at the time of implementation may no longer exist. Today, for example, the domestic fossil fuel industries (coal, oil, natural gas) are mature and highly profitable, and numerous other energy resources that do not create the negative health and environmental effects associated with the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are available.

Mitigation Potential of Removing Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A General Equilibrium Assessment

Quoting a joint analysis made by the OECD and the IEA, G20 Leaders committed in September 2009 to "rationalize and phase out over the medium term inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption."  This analysis was based on the OECD ENV-Linkages General Equilibrium model and shows that removing fossil fuel subsidies in a number of non-OECD countries could reduce world Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 10% in 2050 (OECD, 2009). Indeed, these subsidies are huge.

The Scope of Fossil-Fuel Subsidies in 2009 and a Roadmap for Phasing out Fossil-Fuel Subsidies

This is the second detailed report on fossil fuel subsidies prepared by the assigned agencies to support the G20 subsidy phase-out commitment.  It was prepared to support the November 2010 meeting of the G20 in South Korea.  The report estimates the scope of fossil-fuel subsidies in 2009 and provides a roadmap for phasing-out fossil-fuel subsidies.  The IEA estimates that direct subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption by artificially lowering end-user prices for fossil fuels amounted to $312 billion in 2009.  In addition, a number of mechanisms can be identified, also in advanced econ

Mapping Fossil-Fuel Subsidies: Lessons from Case Studies of China, Germany, Indonesia, and the United States

Earth Track presentation on fossil fuel subsidy reform at a joint meeting hosted by the Global Subsidies Initiative of the IISD and the United Nations Environment Programme in Geneva in October 2010, titled Increasing the Momentum of Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Developments and Opportunities.  The presentation goes through lessons learned on subsidy transparency and challenges for reform based on case studies in China, Germany, Indonesia, and the United States.

 

Energy Tax Policy: Historical Perspectives On and Current Status of Energy Tax Expenditures

By providing a longitudinal perspective on energy tax policy and expenditures, this report examines how current revenue losses resulting from energy tax provisions compare to historical losses and provides a foundation for understanding how current energy tax policy evolved.  Further, this report compares the relative value of tax incentives given to fossil fuels, renewables, and energy efficiency.

Green view: How to save $300 billion

LAST time it met, in 2009, the G20 took a stand against a little discussed problem that unites environmentalists and economists: fossil-fuel subsidies. Over the course of the subsequent year, the nations contributed to a list of the “inefficient” subsidies they supported and the things they planned to do about it. So far, this list is unimpressive.

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