U.S. Energy Subsidies: Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Report Read time:
U.S. Energy Subsidies: Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions

In order to examine the effects of U.S. government subsidies on energy markets, Subsidyscope commissioned Maura Allaire and Stephen Brown (formerly with Resources for the Future) to use a model to investigate the impact of both spending programs and tax provisions on energy markets and CO2 emissions from 2005 through 2009. This paper, “U.S. Energy Subsidies: Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions,” finds that over this period, the U.S. government spent $96.3 billion on about 60 different subsidies that were directed at increasing energy production, subsidizing energy consumption, and increasing energy efficiency. From 2005 through 2009, the U.S. shifted its spending on energy subsidies away from those that increased CO2 emissions towards those that reduce CO2 emissions. If the energy-related subsidies that increased CO2 emissions had been eliminated, U.S. government expenditures would have been an average of $12 billion less per year and U.S. energy-related CO2 emissions would have been, on average, 1.0 percent lower over the 2005-2009 period.

The paper makes no recommendations and its purpose is to inform the public debate. Subsidyscope has no position on this issue. Click here for the full paper.

Downloads Report US Energy Subsidies Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions
Downloads Report US Energy Subsidies Effects on Energy Markets and Carbon Dioxide Emissions
America’s Overdose Crisis
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Quick View
America’s Overdose Crisis

America’s Overdose Crisis

Sign up for our five-email course explaining the overdose crisis in America, the state of treatment access, and ways to improve care

Sign up
Article June 13, 2023

37 Scientists Pioneering the Future of Biomedical Research

Quick View
Article June 13, 2023

Biomedical researchers are at the heart of nearly every medical advancement. From cutting-edge cancer treatments to breakthrough discoveries about emerging viruses, these scientists use creativity and ingenuity to explore new horizons in human health and medicine. And for nearly 40 years, The Pew Charitable Trusts has supported more than 1,000 early-career researchers committed to this work.

MORE FROM PEW

A man wearing a checkered, collared shirt leans in and touches the shoulder of a man in a blue collared shirt with lights in the background. The Power of Lived Experience in Suicide Prevention
A woman and her grandchildren on a sunny afternoon. Courts Can Do More to Help Families Seeking Guardianship
Sunlight streams into the blue waters of a vibrant coral reef. Yellow, black and blue, and orange fish swim near red, green and bright coral. To Save Biodiversity, Community Funds New Plan
Four yellow school buses emit smoke as they travel a road crowded with cars, construction vehicles, and scaffolding. States Race to Win Federal Clean School Bus Grants
Composite image of modern city network communication concept

Learn the Basics of Broadband from Our Limited Series

Sign up for our four-week email course on Broadband Basics
Quick View

How does broadband internet reach our homes, phones, and tablets? What kind of infrastructure connects us all together? What are the major barriers to broadband access for American communities?