Analysis of Federal Expenditures for Energy Development This report investigates the levels of federal government investment into research and development of energy resources from 1950-2006.

From the report Executive Summary

... below, the findings indicate that the largest beneficiaries of federal energy incentives have been oil and gas, receiving more than half of all incentives provided since 1950. The federal government’s primary support for nuclear energy development has been in the form of research and development (R&D) programs, one of the more visible types of incentives identified. Over the last decade (since 1997), federal spending on R&D for coal and renewables has exceeded spending on
nuclear energy R&D.

Nextgen: Lights Out in 2009

This report, published by the Nextgen Energy Council, discusses the looming challenges our energy generation and transmission is currently facing. As experts within the energy industry describe, our excess capacity -- the amount of generation capacity left in reserve when peak demand is occuring -- has dwindled to the lowest level seen in decades. We are now to the point where maintaining basic system stability is going to require the construction of almost every type of generation capacity that is proposed. The costs of scrambling for every scrap of available generation capacity, rather than employing long-term planning methods, could be astronomical.

"The threat to the U.S. electricity grid a threat that goes to the heart of social stability, economic security and national security — is real and imminent. Yet few national and state elected officials seem aware of it."

Canadian Centre for Policy Studies: Eight Arguments against a Carbon TaxIn this Canadian Centre for Policy Studies report (released Sept. 2008), David Murrell reviews a list of reasons why he believes a proposed carbon tax would be damaging to the Canadian economy.

After describing the basics of the proposed carbon tax, Murrell provides eight reasons he believes the carbon tax will not achieve its stated goals:

1. A carbon tax ignores the macroeconomic reality of a possible recession/stagflation
2. In a world of high energy prices, a carbon tax is not necessary for energy-use
   reduction
3. A domestic carbon tax in Canada will be inconsistent with emerging international
   efforts to reduce GHG emissions
4. The plan lacks coherence
5. The carbon tax will further disadvantage Canadian exporters (both manufacturing
   and non-manufacturing)
6. The carbon tax will not be a substitute for cap-and-trade, but an addition to it
7. A carbon tax will discriminate against energy producing provinces, and rural areas
8. The carbon tax plan as proposed by the Liberal Party is really two plans in one: a tax
   on carbon consumption and a plan to make the federal personal income tax more
   progressive

EIA - Federal Financial Interventions & Subsidies in Energy Markets 2007From the EIA website,

This report responds to a request from Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee that the EIA update its 1999 to 2000 work on Federal energy subsidies, including any additions or deletions of Federal subsidies based on Administration or Congressional action since 2000, and providing an estimate of the size of each current subsidy. Subsidies directed to electricity production are estimated on the basis of generation by fuel.

From the report Executive Summary,

Notwithstanding the doubling of Federal energy-related subsidies and support between 1999 and 2007, and a significant increase in most energy prices over that period, U.S. energy production is virtually unchanged since 1999 ... Basic economic principles suggest that higher real energy prices together with the significant incentives provided to various production segments of the energy sector would tend to raise domestic energy production. A variety of factors unrelated to prices or subsidy programs such as State and Federal statutory limitations imposed on onshore and offshore oil and natural gas exploration in environmentally sensitive areas, uncertainty regarding future environmental policies possibly restricting future emissions of greenhouse gases, and declines in future production from previously developed domestic oil and natural gas resources may have impeded growth in energy production despite modest growth in consumption.

NCC - Urgency of Sustainable CoalFrom the Introduction to the National Coal Council's latest report, the "Urgency of Sustainable Coal".

On October 12, 2007, the Secretary requested the National Coal Council conduct an additional study to “focus on several technological options to increase coal use consistent with the environmental goals of the country.” Pursuant to this request, the NCC submits the current report, The Urgency of Sustainable Coal. Significant energy-related events have occurred in the past several years that have far reaching implications for the United States and for the central role coal will play in the world’s future. The present 2008 report follows the Secretary’s directive and refines and extends the findings and recommendations in the earlier reports, particularly in regard: 1) Carbon management technologies; 2) Legal and regulatory issues; 3) Hybrid electric vehicles; 4) In-situ coal gasification and; 5) Converting coal to liquid fuel (CTL) and substitute natural gas (SNG). 

Text from the Rand Corporation website,

Rand Impacts on U.S. Energy Expenditures & GHG Emissions of Increasing Renewable Energy Use

The penetration of renewable energy into the marketplace has been small, held back principally by their higher cost relative to fossil energy. RAND assessed the potential impacts on U.S. consumer energy expenditures and national CO₂ emissions of producing 25 percent of U.S. electric power and motor-vehicle transportation fuels from renewable resources by the year 2025. The baseline for the comparisons was expenditures and CO₂ emissions in 2025 as drawn from the reference-case tables of the Energy Information Administration's 2006 Annual Energy Outlook. The report shows that increasing renewables use can reduce CO₂ emissions and enhance energy security by lowering the cost of imported petroleum. However, a large, inexpensive, easily converted biomass supply is necessary for significantly increased renewable-energy use to have a relatively low impact on consumer energy expenditures. Rapid progress also is needed in the technologies converting biomass feedstock into transportation fuels, and producing power at marginal wind sites. Without progress in these areas, the renewable-energy requirement could substantially increase consumer energy expenditures. Technical advances in provision of economically and environmentally sound biomass energy and wind power generation at lower-quality sites should be top priorities for increasing affordable supplies of renewable energy. The report replaces an earlier version withdrawn in 2006 to correct errors in modeling discovered by RAND post-publication.

Purchase the report or download a pdf version on the RAND website.