End all Energy Subsidies: Finally Someone Gets It

Though I don’t believe we’ll see a bill along the lines proposed passed in this Congress, at least one legislator gets it – he’s on the right track: Republican Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas has called for the end to subsidies for all energy sources.  I have suggested this a number of times, most recently in a critique I provided of former presidential  candidate Romeny’s energy plan.

I have argued:

“The U.S. government should stop interfering in energy markets, and end all energy mandates and subsidies. Green energy technologies would largely fade from the scene without government support until entrepreneurs figure out a way to make them cost competitive and more reliable. Nor would environmentalists have reason for complaint, since fossil fuels would no longer receive subsidies either. This would be a win-win for both fiscal hawks and green doves.”

I can’t find his letter to Markey anywhere, but I found a copy of his bill HR 3308 that goes a long way towards energy freedom is worth reading.

If only we had a House and Senate filled with legislators who had Representative Pompeo’s understanding of energy and the harmful effects of subsidies.

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