A long-term Republican budget plan released this week by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin calls for drastic cuts in federal spending on energy research and development and for the outright elimination of subsidies and tax breaks for wind, solar power and other alternative energy technologies.
The plan “rolls back expensive handouts for uncompetitive sources of energy, calling instead for a free and open marketplace for energy development, innovation and exploration,” Mr. Ryan, chairman of the House budget committee, wrote on Monday in The Wall Street Journal. The details were released on Tuesday.
Mr. Ryan’s plan has yet to be finalized or endorsed by the full House and is expected to be opposed by President Obama and the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats. But it enjoys substantial support among Republicans could loom large in the run-up to next year’s elections. Under the Republican plan, overall discretionary funding for energy programs would fall to about $1 billion per year. President Obama’s 2012 budget, meanwhile, would provide about $8 billion to support clean energy research and deployment.
Mr. Ryan’s proposal calls specifically for “eliminating welfare for energy companies.” The proposal does not include details on which subsidies would be curtailed, but its references to “uncompetitive” energy sources clearly point to wind and solar power, which typically generate electricity at a premium to fossil fuels like coal.
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http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/clean-energy-is-a-target-of-ryan-budget-plan/